THE RÁMÁYANA
OF
TULSI DÁS.
BOOK I.
CHILDHOOD.
Sanskrit Invocation.
I reverence Sáradá and Ganes, the inventors of the alphabet and of phraseology, of the poetic modes and of metre. I reverence Bhaváni and Sankara, the incarnations of faith and hope, without whom not even the just can see God, the Great Spirit. I reverence, as the incarnation of Sankara, the all-wise Guru, through whom even the crescent moon is everywhere honoured.[1] I reverence the king of bards[2] and the monkey king, of pure intelligence, who ever lingered with delight in the holy forest land of Ráma and Síta's infinite perfection. I bow before Síta, the beloved of Ráma; the queen of birth, of life, and death; the destroyer of sorrow; the cause of happiness.
I reverence, under his name RAMA, the lord Hari; supreme over all causes; to whose illasive power are subject the whole universe and every supernatural being from Brahma downwards; by whose light truth is made manifest, as when what appeared to be a snake tnrns out a rope; and by whose feet as by a bark those who will may pass safely over the ocean of existence.
In accord with all the Puránas and different sacred texts, and with what has been recorded in the Rámayana (of Válmiki) and elsewhere, I, Tulsi, to gratify my own heart's desire, have composed these lays of Raghunáth in most choice and elegant modern speech.
Sorathá 1.
O Ganes, of the grand elephant head; the mention of whose name ensures success, be gracious to me, accumulation of wisdom, storehouse of all good qualities! Thou, too, by whose favour the dumb becomes eloquent, and the lame can climb the vastest mountain, be favourable to me, O thou that consumest as a
- ↑ The crescent moon, being one of Sankara's (i.e., Siva's) constant symbols, is honoured on his account, though in itself imperfect; while the full moon is honoured for its own sake.
- ↑ The king of bards, Válmíki, the reputed author of the Sanskrit Rámáyana. The monkey king is of course Hanumán, and the two are brought together more on account of the close similarity of name than for any other reason, Kavísvara and Kapísvara differing only by a single letter.
