Jagadamba ( Sanskrit : जगदम्बा , romanized : Jagadambā , lit. 'mother of the world') is an epithet used to address a Hindu goddess , primarily applied to Lakshmi and Parvati in literature .
91-469: Traditional In Ramcharitmanas , a version of the Ramayana by Tulsidas , after Angada meets Ravana , the latter remarks thus: नृप अभिमान मोह बस किंबा। हरि आनिहु सीता जगदंबा॥ अब सुभ कहा सुनहु तुम्ह मोरा। सब अपराध छमिहि प्रभु तोरा॥ सादर जनकसुता करि आगें। एहि बिधि चलहु सकल भय त्यागें॥ This translates to: "O King of Lanka, either out of pride or lust you had kidnapped Jagdamba (mother of
182-525: A bow & arrow in His hands, mounted on the aerial car named Puşpakā, accompanied by a host of monkeys & waited upon by His own brother Lakşmaņa. Tulsidas ends every chapter in a similar manner describing the ending in the Sanskrit language. Every Kānd is formally concluded by Goswami Tulsidas. The following is an example of the ending of Kiśkindhā Kāṇḍ: Translation: "Thus ends the fourth descent into
273-574: A chakra (not to be confused with Sudarshan Chakra) as gift. A similar story is told in the late medieval era Sharabha Upanishad . However, Vaishnava Dvaita school refutes this Shaivite view of Narasimha. According to the Shiva Purana , Shiva has 19 avatars. According to the Kurma Purana , he has 28. The vanara god Hanuman who helped Rama (the Vishnu avatar) is considered by some to be
364-471: A large party to the forest. He assumes that Bharata has some sinister motive. Bharata shows his love for Rama and Guha is moved to tears by his love for his brother. The royal procession then moves forward to Chitrakoot . Lakshman sees the huge army of people with Bharata and immediately begins to chastise Bharata. Rama counters this by praising the greatness of Bharata, leaving Lakshman feeling sorry for his harsh words. Bharata finally arrives at Chitrakoot where
455-520: A powerful deity , or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being. The word avatar does not appear in the Vedic literature; however, it appears in developed forms in post-Vedic literature, and as a noun particularly in the Puranic literature after the 6th century CE. Despite that, the concept of an avatar
546-460: A prospective bride selects her groom from among a group of suitors who attend the ceremony. Sita falls in love with Rama at first sight in Janaka's garden and prays to Parvati that she may get Rama as her husband. King Janaka sends a messenger to invite Rama, Laksman and Sage Vishvamitra to attend the swayamvara. Janaka puts a condition to identify the right groom for Sita. The great bow of Shiva by
637-551: A request to meet his father. Queen Kaikeyi speaks to Rama and explains to him the boons that she had asked of his father. Rama is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnated on earth, yet he accepts his stepmother's request and decides to leave the kingdom as it serves his purpose as well. The people of Ayodhya remonstrate against Queen Kaikeyi who firmly believes that she is doing the right thing. Rama attempts to dissuade Lakshman and Sita from joining him but
728-848: Is a saguna (with form, attributes) embodiment of the nirguna Brahman or Atman (soul). Avatar, according to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati actually means ' divine descent ' in his commentaries of The Shrimad Bhagavatam and The Bramha Samhita (mentioned in Brahmavaivarta Purana). Neither the Vedas nor the Principal Upanishads ever mention the word avatar as a noun. The verb roots and form, such as avatarana , appear in ancient post-Vedic Hindu texts, but as "action of descending", but not as an incarnated person (avatara). The related verb avatarana is, states Paul Hacker, used with double meaning, one as action of
819-500: Is a transcendental theology, where man, with the help of his Guru , is his own savior. The Linga Purana lists twenty-eight avatars of Shiva. In the Shiva Purana there is a distinctly Saivite version of a traditional avatar myth: Shiva brings forth Virabhadra , one of his terrifying forms, in order to calm Narasimha , an avatar of Vishnu. When that fails, Shiva manifests as the human-lion-bird Sharabha which calms down lion-man Narasimha avatar of Vishnu, and Shiva then gives Vishnu
910-607: Is centered on the narrative of Rama. Rama was the crown prince of Ayodhya and is considered in Hindu tradition as the seventh avatar of Vishnu . However, the Ramacharitmanas is by no means a replica of the Valmiki Ramayana nor an abridged re-telling of it. Ramcharitmanas has elements from many other Ramayanas written earlier in Sanskrit, and other Indian dialects as well as stories from Puranas . Tulsidas
1001-536: Is compatible with the content of the Vedic literature like the Upanishads as it is symbolic imagery of the Saguna Brahman concept in the philosophy of Hinduism. The Rigveda describes Indra as endowed with a mysterious power of assuming any form at will. The Bhagavad Gita expounds the doctrine of Avatara but with terms other than avatar . Theologically, the term is most often associated with
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#17327919092451092-417: Is finished unhindered. The first three or four verses of each Kānd are typically in the form of invocations. Bāl Kāṇḍ begins with a hymn honouring the goddess Saraswati and the god Ganesha , the deities related to knowledge, wisdom, speech and auspiciousness. The deities Lord Shiva, Lord Rama, and Goddess Sita are also honoured in succeeding verses. Ayodhyā Kāṇḍ begins with the famous verse dedicated to
1183-404: Is greatly happy and eagerly anticipating the coronation of Rama. Queen Kaikeyi reminds him of the two boons he promised her and to his bewilderment, asks him to install her son Bharata as Prince Regent and send Rama into the forest for fourteen years. Queen Kaikeyi is unmoved by Dasharatha's lamentations and finally the king emotionally breaks down. The king's assistant Sumantra sends for Rama with
1274-474: Is greatly pained and blames himself for Rama leaving Ayodhya. He accuses her of bringing ruin to the family. Shatrughna comes across Manthara and beats her in rage. They approach Queen Kaushalya and see her in a sorry state. Bharata begs for her forgiveness and loudly laments while the Queen attempts to pacify him. She asks him to carry out his duty and rule Ayodhya, but Bharata cannot bear the thought of sitting on
1365-409: Is in medieval era texts, those composed after the sixth century CE, that the noun version of avatar appears, where it means embodiment of a deity. The idea proliferates thereafter, in the Puranic stories for many deities, and with ideas such as ansha-avatar or partial embodiments. The term avatar , in colloquial use, is also an epithet or a word of reverence for any extraordinary human being who
1456-520: Is most often associated with Vishnu, the preserver or sustainer aspect of God within the Hindu Trinity or Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu's avatars descend to empower the good and fight evil, thereby restoring Dharma . Traditional Hindus see themselves not as "Hindu", but as Vaishnava (Worshippers of Vishnu), Shaiva (Worshippers of Shiva), or Shakta (Worshipper of the Shakti). Each of
1547-476: Is overcome by great emotion as he is able to sense the true nature of their mission. The brothers then set out to discover the beautiful city and visit Janaka's garden. This is an important section of the Ramcharitmanas as it portrays the first meeting of Rama and Sita. In the meanwhile, King Janaka arranges a swayamvara ceremony for his daughter Sita . A swayamvara ceremony is a Vedic ritual in which
1638-624: Is primarily composed in the Chaupai metre (four-line quatrains), separated by the Doha metre (two-line couplets), with occasional Soratha and various Chhand metres. Every chapter of the Ramcharitmanas begins with an invocation or Mangalācharaņ . It is customary in the Indian tradition of writing for the author to begin a new book with invocation to the gods to ensure that the sankalpa
1729-457: Is revered for his or her ideas. In some contexts, the term avatara just means a ' landing place, site of sacred pilgrimage ' , or just ' achieve one's goals after effort ' , or retranslation of a text in another language. The term avatar is not unique to Hinduism even though the term originated with Hinduism. It is found in the Trikaya doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism, in descriptions for
1820-473: Is said to have some spiritual powers to see the events occurred till Tretayuga that he used to narrate Ramcharitmanas . He calls the epic Ramcharitmanas as the story of Rama, which was narrated by Shiva to his wife, Parvati . Tulsidas claims to have received the story through his guru, Narharidas as a child until he wrote it down as the Ramcharitmanas . His guru graciously repeated it again and again so that he could understand and remember it. Then he narrated
1911-427: Is stated within the poem as being the ninth day of the month of Chaitra , which is the birthday of Rama or Rama Navami . Ramcharitmanas was composed at Ayodhya , Varanasi and Chitrakoot . The Ramcharitmanas is written in vernacular Awadhi language. The core of the work is considered by some to be a poetic retelling of the events of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana by Valmiki . The Valmiki Ramayana
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#17327919092452002-407: Is unable to do so. The scene becomes very emotional as Rama, Sita and Lakshman greet their mothers before finally going to Dashratha to take leave of him. Dasharatha attempts, in vain, to try to talk Sita out of joining Rama in the forest. The residents of Ayodhya can't spare the thought of being away from Rama and decide to join him in the forest. Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Sumantra go incognito and in
2093-522: Is unaware of what is happening in Ayodhya. Slowly, Queen Kaikeyi becomes influenced. Manthara reminds Queen Kaikeyi of the two boons that the King had promised her. Kaikeyi enters the private room in the royal palace, where the King gives audience to his queens and awaits Dasharatha. Dasharatha is greatly alarmed and concerned that Kaikeyi is sitting in the sulking chamber, while the entire population of Ayodhya
2184-833: Is when Vishnu manifests completely along with his qualities and powers. In Bengal Vaishnavism, Krishna is the Purnarupa . In Shaivism, Bhairava is the purnarupa of Shiva. 24 avatars of Vishnu are mentioned in Bachitar Natak's composition in Dasam Granth , the second scripture of Sikhism written by Guru Gobind Singh : The Guru Granth Sahib reverentially includes the names of numerous Hindu deities, including Vishnu avatars such as Krishna, Hari, and Rama, as well those of Devi as Durga. Dasam Granth has three major compositions, one each dedicated to avatars of Vishnu (Chaubis avatar) and Brahma. However, Sikhism rejects
2275-597: The Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhism, and many ancient cultures. The manifest embodiment is sometimes referred to as an incarnation . The translation of avatar as "incarnation" has been questioned by Christian theologians, who state that an incarnation is in flesh and imperfect, while avatar is mythical and perfect. The theological concept of Christ as an incarnation, as found in Christology , presents
2366-678: The Devi in different appearances such as Tripura Sundari , Durga , Chandi , Chamunda , Mahakali , and Kali are commonly found. While avatars of other deities such as Ganesha and Shiva are also mentioned in medieval Hindu texts, this is minor and occasional. The incarnation doctrine is one of the important differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism. Incarnation concepts that are in some aspects similar to avatar are also found in Buddhism , Christianity , and other religions. The scriptures of Sikhism include
2457-556: The Indian subcontinent . Although Puranic scriptures contain occasional references to avatars of Shiva, the avatar doctrine is neither universally accepted nor commonly adopted in Shaivism . The views on the doctrine of incarnation has been one of the significant doctrinal differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism, in addition to their differences on the role of householder life versus monastic life for spiritual release. Shaivism
2548-495: The Pancharatra , making a total of forty-six avatars. However, despite these lists, the commonly accepted number of ten avatars for Vishnu was fixed well before the 10th century CE. Madhvacharya also regards Gautama Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu. Manava Purana Manava Purana is one of Upapuranas. It lists 42 avatars of Vishnu. The avatar concept was further developed and refined in later Hindu texts. One approach
2639-786: The Ramayana includes Rama. The Bhagavata Purana describes Vishnu's avatars as innumerable, though ten of his incarnations, the Dashavatara, are celebrated therein as his major appearances. The ten major Vishnu avatars are mentioned in the Agni Purana , the Garuda Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. The ten best known avatars of Vishnu are collectively known as the Dashavatara (a Sanskrit compound meaning "ten avatars"). Five different lists are included in
2730-408: The Ramayana to the devotees of Rama . Next, the various characters of the Ramayana are introduced and praised beginning with the birthplace of Rama, the holy city of Ayodhya. Praises are bestowed on Dasharatha , the king of Ayodhya and Rama's father and his queens Kausalya , Kaikeyi and Sumitra . Tulsidas then praises King Janaka (the father-in-law of Rama), and his family. He goes on to praise
2821-590: The Skanda Purana , Brahma incarnated himself as Yajnavalkya in response to a curse from Shiva. The Linga Purana declares that Ganesha incarnates to destroy demons and to help the gods and pious people. The two Upapuranas – Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana – detail the avatars of Ganesha. Both these upapuranas are core scriptures of the Ganapatya sect – exclusively dedicated to Ganesha worship. Four avatars of Ganesha are listed in
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2912-454: The Bhagavata Purana, where the difference is in the sequence of the names. Freda Matchett states that this re-sequencing by the composers may be intentional, so as to avoid implying priority or placing something definitive and limited to the abstract. The Bhagavata Purana also goes on to give an alternate list, wherein it numerically lists out 23 Vishnu avatars in chapter 1.3. Avatars like Hayagriva , Hamsa, and Garuda are also mentioned in
3003-705: The Christian concept of incarnation. The term avatar in Hinduism refers to act of various gods taking form to perform a particular task which in most of the times is bringing dharma back. The concept of avatar is widely accepted all over the India. Sheth disagrees and states that this claim is an incorrect understanding of the Hindu concept of avatar. Avatars are embodiments of spiritual perfection, driven by noble goals, in Hindu traditions such as Vaishnavism . The concept of
3094-682: The Dispeller of the fear of rebirth, the lion to quell the mad elephant in the form of Death, the Master of Yogīs, attainable through knowledge, the repository of good qualities, unconquerable, attributeless, immutable, beyond the realm of Māyā, the Lord of celestials, intent on killing the evil-doers, the only protector of the Brāhmaņas, beautiful & dark complexioned as a cloud laden with moisture, who has lotus-like eyes & Supreme Brahma, who appeared in
3185-803: The Goddess includes Shakambhari and even the masculine Krishna and Rama – generally thought to be Vishnu's avatars. Parvati , Lakshmi and Saraswati are main goddesses worshipped as Devi avatars. Devi is popular in her form as Parvati . In Devi Mahatmya she is seen as the Goddess Mahakali , and in Uma Samhita, she is seen as Devi herself. Regarding her incarnations, it varies per sect in Hinduism. She could be all Goddesses as said in Shaivism and some main Shatism interpretations like
3276-638: The Hindu god Vishnu , though the idea has been applied to other deities. Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten Dashavatara of the Garuda Purana and the twenty-two avatars in the Bhagavata Purana , though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable. The avatars of Vishnu are important in Vaishnavism theology. In the goddess-based Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, avatars of
3367-558: The Mānasa lake of Sri Rama's exploits, that eradicate all the impurities of the Kali age." All the other Kāndas are concluded in the same way where the word caturthah is substituted, according to the Kānd being concluded. Ramcharitmanas is structured around three separate conversations. The conversations happen between Shiva and Parvati, Sages Bharadwaj and Yajnavalkya and finally Kakbhushundi and
3458-548: The Putrakām yajna (vedic yajna for the birth of sons). Tulsidas states that the birth of Rama and his brothers took place on the ninth day of the Chaitra month. It was the fortnight of the moon, known as the shukla period. The story then moves on and Rama and his brothers are now grown-up boys. The sage Vishvamitra arrives at Dasharatha's royal court where the King receives his eminent guest with great honour. Vishvamitra lived in
3549-463: The Sri kula and Kali Kula families, or just a form of Devi in some other Shaktism interpretations and many Vaishnava interpretations. With this in mind, Parvati's forms include: All of these incarnations helped provide security to the world and even brought Shiva into the participation of worldly affairs. Like Vishnu, his consort Lakshmi incarnates as in many forms to help provide order and to enlighten
3640-527: The Sun Dynasty to save the Devas and his devotees from the demons. The story then moves to Ayodhya. One fine day, Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya, realizes that he has become old and still without children. He conveys his distress to sage Vasistha , the family guru , and seeks the way forward. Vasistha comforts Dasharatha and tells him that he will have four sons. Vasistha requests Rishyasringa to perform
3731-432: The Sun Dynasty. Rama gently nudges him to keep calm as Vishwamitra asks him to break the bow and make Janaka happy once again. Rama steps in and effortlessly lifts and strings the divine bow. In a swift move, he breaks the bow. The breaking of Pinaka causes a great noise that disturbs the great sage Parashurama in his meditation and he storms into the swayamvara arena in great anger vowing to kill whoever had dared to break
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3822-463: The author of the Ramayan at Chitrakoot dham . Valmiki recognises the true opulence of Rama and sings his praises. At this point Tulsidas takes great care to describe the beauty of the land of Chitrakoot with some inspiring poetry. Rama asks Sumantra to return to Ayodhya which saddens Sumantra. He not only wants to stay with Rama, he is also afraid of going back only to face the anger and wrath of
3913-572: The avatar in Hinduism is not incompatible with natural conception through a sexual act, which is again different from the Christian concept of the Virgin Birth . Following 19th Century Western interest in Indian culture and Hinduism, the word "Avatar" was taken as loanword into English and other Western languages, where it is used in various contexts and meanings, often considerably different from its original meaning in Hinduism - see Avatar (disambiguation) . The concept of avatar within Hinduism
4004-409: The bow of lord Shiva. Lakshman enters into an argument with Parashurama, paying scant respect to the sage who was known for his bursts of anger and was known to slay whoever dared to oppose him. Ultimately, Rama brings him around. Parashurama discovers the real nature of Lord Rama as the ultimate Brahman, pays his respects and leaves for the forests for meditation. Sita places the wreath of victory around
4095-408: The brothers are all reunited once again. They collectively mourn the passing of their father and perform his Shraddha (obsequies) along with Sage Vashistha leading the ceremony. Despite all of Bharata's convincing, Rama is true to the word given to his father and step mother Kaikeyi, and vows that he will fulfill her wish. Bharata says that he simply cannot sit on the throne while Rama wanders in
4186-416: The brothers of Rama - Bharata , Lakshman and Shatrughna and sings the glories of Hanuman , the constant companion to Rama, Sugriva , the monkey king and Jambavan , the leader of bears. Next, the characters of Sita and Rama are introduced. The story of Ramcharitmanas is then underway. It begins with the meeting of two sages - Bharadwaj and Yajnavalkya. Bharadwaj asks Yajnavalkya to narrate in detail
4277-446: The citizens of Ayodhya. Rama persuades him to go back. On returning to Ayodhya, Sumantra meets Dasharatha, who asks him of the whereabouts of Rama. Unable to bear the pain of separation from Rama Dasharatha dies. Sage Vashishtha knows that Rama will not return to the kingdom and so immediately sends an envoy to call Bharata and Shatrughna back to Ayodhya. Bharata learns of all that has happened and chastises his mother, Queen Kaikeyi. He
4368-399: The cosmic balance between the ever-present forces of good and evil. The most known and celebrated avatars of Vishnu, within the Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism, are Krishna , Rama , Narayana and Vasudeva . These names have extensive literature associated with them, each has its own characteristics, legends and associated arts. The Mahabharata , for example, includes Krishna, while
4459-664: The dead of the night leave the city and head for the forest. They leave for a place called Sringaverapur after which they meet Guha, the Nishad king. They arrive at Prayag , the holy city where the Rivers Ganges , Yamuna and Saraswati meet. Rama meets with the Sage Bharadwaj at his ashram. Rama is overwhelmed with the reception and love shown by the people inhabiting the banks of the Yamuna . Rama then meets Sage Valmiki,
4550-467: The deities has its own iconography and mythology, but common to all is the fact that the divine reality has an explicit form, a form that the worshipper can behold. An oft-quoted passage from the Bhagavad Gita describes the typical role of an avatar of Vishnu: Arjuna, whenever righteousness is on the decline, unrighteousness is in the ascendant, then I body Myself forth. For the protection of
4641-454: The divine descending, another as "laying down the burden of man" suffering from the forces of evil. The term is most commonly found in the context of the Hindu god Vishnu . The earliest mention of Vishnu manifested in a human form to establish Dharma on Earth, uses other terms such as the word sambhavāmi in verse 4.6 and the word tanu in verse 9.11 of the Bhagavad Gita , as well as other words such as akriti and rupa elsewhere. It
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#17327919092454732-432: The doctrine of savior incarnation, and only accepts the abstract nirguna formless god. The Sikh Gurus endorsed the view of Hindu Bhakti movement saints such as Namdev (≈1270 – 1350 CE) that formless eternal god is within the human heart and man is his own savior. The Gupti Ismailis , who observe pious circumspection as Hindus, uphold that the first Shi‘i Imam, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib , as well as his descendants through
4823-625: The eleventh avatar of Rudra (Shiva). Some regional deities like Khandoba are also believed by some to be avatars of Shiva. Ashwatthama , the son of Drona is also considered to be an avatar of Shiva. Shesha and his avatars ( Balarama and Lakshmana ) are occasionally linked to Shiva. Adi Shankara , the formulator of Advaita Vedanta , is also occasionally regarded as an avatar of Shiva. In Dasam Granth , Guru Gobind Singh mentioned two avatars of Rudra: Dattatreya Avatar and Parasnath Avatar. Avatars are also observed in Shaktism ,
4914-488: The embodiment of the essence of a superhuman being or a deity in another form. The word also implies "to overcome, to remove, to bring down, to cross something". In Hindu traditions, the "crossing or coming down" is symbolism, states Daniel Bassuk, of the divine descent from "eternity into the temporal realm, from unconditioned to the conditioned, from infinitude to finitude". An avatar, states Justin Edwards Abbott,
5005-460: The forest and was performing great sacrifices. However, the demons Maricha and Subahu would always desecrate the ceremonial offerings. He knew that Rama had taken birth on earth to protect his devotees and so he decided to visit Dasharatha to ask him a favor. The sage asks the king to let his sons accompany him to the forest. Reluctantly the king agrees. Rama knew beforehand the intention of Vishvamitra in asking him to come along with him. He assures
5096-476: The forest. He asks Rama for his sandals, which he would place at the throne and would only act as Rama's representative and not as a full-fledged king. Avatar Traditional Avatar ( Sanskrit : अवतार , IAST : Avatāra ; pronounced [ɐʋɐt̪aːɾɐ] ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means ' descent ' . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of
5187-414: The form of an earthly king. Uttar Kāṇḍ begins with the following hymn: I unceasingly adore Śri Ramā, the praiseworthy lord of Jānakī, the chief of Raghu's lineage, possessed of a form greenish blue as the neck of a peacock & adorned with a print of Brahmāna's lotus-foot, which testifies to His being the greatest of all gods, rich in splendour, clad in yellow robes, lotus-eyed, ever-propitious, holding
5278-726: The form of image ( archa ). Yet another classification, developed in Krishna schools, centers around Guna-avatars , Purusha-avatars and Lila-avatars , with their subtypes. The Guna-avatar classification of avatars is based on the Guṇas concept of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, that is Rajas (Brahma), Sattva (Vishnu), and Tamas (Shiva). These personalities of the Trimurti are referred to as Guna avatars . The Purushavatara are three. The first evolves all matter (Prakriti),
5369-461: The god Shiva: May He in whose lap shines forth Parvati, the daughter of the mountain-king, who carries the celestial stream Ganga on His head, on whose brow rests the crescent moon, whose throat holds deadly poison & whose breast is graced by serpent-king, & who is adorned by the ashes on His body, may that chief of gods, the Lord of all, the Destroyer of the universe, the omnipresent Shiva,
5460-502: The greatest of all gods, knowable through Vedānta (the Upanishads ), constantly worshiped by Brahmā (the Creator), Śhambhu (Śivā), & Śeşa (the serpent-god), the bestower of supreme peace in the form of final beatitude, placid, eternal, beyond the ordinary means of cognition, sinless & all-pervading. Laṅkā Kāṇḍ begins with this hymn: I adore Śri Rama, the supreme Deity, the object of worship even of Śivā (the destroyer of Cupid),
5551-408: The king of birds, Garuda . Some scholars are of the opinion that there is also an underlying personal conversation between Tulsidas and Lord Rama all through the text of Ramcharitmanas . The Child Episode Tulsidas begins the story with an invocation to various deities, his guru and saints who have preceded him and those who will succeed him in the future. Homage is paid to Valmiki for bringing
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#17327919092455642-485: The language, he chose to write it in the vernacular , Awadhi, making his work more accessible to the general public. Tradition has it that Tulsidas had to face much criticism from the Sanskrit scholars of Varanasi for being a vernacular poet. However, Tulsidas remained steadfast in his resolve to simplify the knowledge contained in the Vedas , the Upanishads and the Puranas to the common people. Subsequently, his work
5733-480: The line of Isma‘il , are collectively Kalki, the tenth and final avatāra of Vishnu. According to this interpretation, these figures represent the continuity of divine guidance to humankind. In the view of some Guptis, this is corroborated by the Quranic verse 14:4 which mentions the idea that God had sent a messenger to every land . They understand the avatāras to be these messengers sent by God to their people in
5824-405: The magic garden of medieval Indian poetry", "the greatest book of all devotional literature" and "the best and most trustworthy guide to the popular living faith of the Indian people". Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas Tulsidas was a great scholar of Sanskrit , but due to limited accessibility of
5915-762: The main character of the epic, the Hindu god Rama ; carita means "acts or deeds" and manas loosely refers to the "mind or heart." Manas is also a proper noun, referring to a Himalayan lake, thus rendering Hill's entire translation of "The Holy Lake of the Acts of Ram." A manuscript of the Ramcharitatmanas dated to 1648 CE is kept at a Hanuman temple in Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi. Ramcharitmanas consists of seven Kānds (literally "books" or "episodes", cognate with cantos ) and composed of approximately 12,800 lines, divided into 1,073 stanzas. Tulsidas compared
6006-487: The marriage ceremony. Dasharatha starts with a great marriage procession, consisting of Rama's family, friends and well wishers in addition to Shiva, Brahma and all Devas arrive in Mithila . Along with Rama-Sita, Bharat-Mandavi, Lakshman-Urmila and Shatrughna-Shrutakirti's marriages are also arranged. After a grand wedding, the kind of which had never been witnessed in the universe, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya where there
6097-408: The mind of one of Queen Kaikeyi's maid servants named Manthara . Manthara's mind harbors evil intentions and she begins to talk to Queen Kaikeyi in harsh and conceited tones. She finds fault with Kaikeyi for being supportive of the king's plan of installing Rama as Prince Regent when her own mind tells her that Bharata would clearly be a greater king. At that time Bharata is visiting his uncle and so he
6188-428: The moon-like Shankar, ever protect me. Araṇya Kāṇḍ 's first verse again extols Shiva: I reverence Bhagavan Śańkara, the progeny of Brahmā, the very root of the tree of piety, the beloved, devotee of King Śri Rama, the full moon that brings joy to the ocean of wisdom, the sun that opens the lotus of dispassion, the wind that disperses the clouds of ignorance, who dispels the thick darkness of sin & eradicates
6279-424: The name of Pinaka was kept in the arena. Any suitor who would be able to string Pinaka would be married to Sita. Many princes tried but failed to even nudge the bow. This caused great distress to Janaka who wonders aloud if the earth has become devoid of brave men. This statement of Janaka angers Lakshman who retorts that no one should talk in this vain manner, when a gathering like this, has the presence of scions of
6370-604: The names of numerous Hindu gods and goddesses, but it rejected the doctrine of savior incarnation and endorsed the view of Hindu Bhakti movement saints such as Namdev , that formless eternal god is within the human heart, and man is his own savior. The Sanskrit noun ( avatāra , Hindustani: [əʋˈtaːr] ) is derived from the Sanskrit prefix ava- ' down ' and the root tṛ ' to cross over ' . These roots trace back, states Monier-Williams, to -taritum , -tarati , -rītum . Avatar means ' descent, alight, to make one's appearance ' , and refers to
6461-420: The neck of Rama in accordance with the rules of the swayamvara and is thus wedded to him. However, Sita being his beloved daughter, Janaka desired to conduct a grand marriage of Sita and Rama in accordance with both Vedic and laukik (traditional) customs. Janaka dispatches messengers to Ayodhya to inform Dasharatha and his family about the marriage of Rama and Sita and invites them for the formal consummation of
6552-467: The primary being the Ramayana of Valmiki . This work is also called, in popular parlance, Tulsi Ramayana , Tulsikrit Ramayana , Tulsidas Ramayana or simply Manas . The word Ramcharitmanas literally means "Lake of the deeds of Rama ". It is considered one of the greatest works of Hindu literature. The work has variously been acclaimed as "the living sum of Indian culture", "the tallest tree in
6643-425: The primary message being that Rama incarnated on earth to protect the righteous who followed the path of Dharma . The story then moves to the birth of Ravana and his brothers. Following this, the narration is done at different times by Shiva, Yajnavalkya, Kakbhushundi and Tulsidas. The story now moves to the abode of Brahma where Brahma and the other Hindu Devas ( transl. deities ) are found mulling on
6734-464: The sage that he would obey his commands. Lakshman kills Subahu and Rama kills Tataka and defeats Maricha, the dreaded demons. The story then moves to the deliverance of Ahalya . Rama, Lakshman and Vishvamitra venture on a journey and reach the beautiful kingdom of the Videhas , Mithila . The king of Mithila, Janaka , welcomes the great sage and asks him who are the two boys accompanying him. Janaka
6825-403: The second is the soul present in each individual creature, the third is the interconnected oneness or Brahman that connects all souls. The Lilavataras are partial or full manifestations of Vishnu, where either some powers (Shakti) or material parts of him exist. Vishnu is Purushavatara. The Matsya, Kurma, and Vamana avatars of Vishnu are Lilavataras. A Purnarupa in this classification,
6916-648: The sect dedicated to the worship of the Goddess ( Devi ), but they do not have universal acceptance in the sect. The Devi Bhagavata Purana describes the descent of Devi avatars to punish the wicked and defend the righteous as – much as the Bhagavata Purana does with the avatars of Vishnu. Nilakantha, an 18th-century commentator on the Devi Bhagavata Purana ;– which includes the Devi Gita ;– says that various avatars of
7007-457: The seven Kāndas of the epic to seven steps leading into the holy waters of Lake Manasarovar "which purifies the body and the soul at once". The first two parts, Bāl Kāṇḍ (Childhood Episode) and Ayodhyā Kāṇḍ (Ayodhya Episode), make up more than half of the work. The other parts are Araṇya Kāṇḍ (Forest Episode), Kiśkindhā Kāṇḍ (Kishkindha Episode), Sundar Kāṇḍ (Pleasant Episode), Laṅkā Kāṇḍ (Lanka Episode), and Uttar Kāṇḍ (Later Episode). The work
7098-429: The story and named it Ramcharitmanas as Shiva himself called it. The epic poem is, therefore, also referred to as Tulsikrit Ramayana (literally, The Ramayana composed by Tulsidas ). The word Ramcharitmanas literally means "Lake of the deeds of Rama ". Additionally, Phillip Lutgendorf uses W.D.P Hill's English translation of the Ramcharitmanas titled "The Holy Lake of the Acts of Ram." The word Ram refers to
7189-422: The story of Rama. Yajnavalkya begins with how Shiva came about retelling the story of Rama to his wife Parvati. (The story of Sati's self-immolation, the destruction of her father Daksha 's sacrifice, the rebirth of Sati as Parvati and her marriage to Shiva). Shiva explains five different reasons as to why Rama incarnated on earth in different ages or Kalpa (aeon) . Each of these stories is discussed in detail, with
7280-1027: The tenth meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific, the Ramcharitamanas manuscripts were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register. One manuscript was authored by Tulsidas, and the other was written in Arabic in the 18th century, showcasing the text's appeal in West Asia and other parts of the world. Tulsidas began writing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya in Vikram Samvat 1631 (1574 CE). The exact date
7371-414: The threefold agony & who wipes off all calumny and obloquy. Kiśkindhā Kāṇḍ commences with the following verse: Lovely as a jasmine & a blue lotus, of surpassing strength, repositories of wisdom, endowed with natural grace, excellent bowmen, hymned by the Vedas , & lovers of the cow & the host of Brāhmaņas, who appeared in the form of mortal men through their own Māyā (deluding potency) as
7462-489: The throne with his father dead and his brothers in exile in the forest. The cremation of King Dasharatha takes place. Bharata and Shatrughna decide to go into the forest and ask Rama to return to Ayodhya and take the throne. Many citizens as well as the royal family, who have been grieving ever since Rama had left them, decide to join the brothers. The Nishads see the approaching royal party and become suspicious. Guha approaches Bharata to understand his motive for bringing such
7553-523: The two noble scions of Raghu's lineage, the armours of true dharma , friendly to all & journeying in quest for Sita, may they Sri Rama & Laksmana both grant us Devotion. Sundar Kāṇḍ begins with a hymn in the praise of Rama: I adore the Lord of the universe bearing the name of Rama, the chief of the Raghu's line & the crest-jewel of kings, the mine of compassion, the dispeller of all sins, appearing in human form through His Māyā (deluding potency),
7644-407: The virtuous, for the extirpation of evil-doers, & for establishing Dharma (righteousness) on a firm footing, I manifest Myself from age to age. The Vishnu avatars appear in Hindu mythology whenever the cosmos is in crisis, typically because evil has grown stronger and has thrown the cosmos out of its balance. The avatar then appears in a material form, to destroy evil and its sources, and restore
7735-643: The ways to rid the earth of Ravana and his excesses. Unable to find a solution, they pray to Shiva and ask him for his guidance on where to find the supreme God who will come to their rescue. Shiva tells them that they don't need to go anywhere to find the Supreme God for he resides in the hearts of his devotees. All the Devas then pray to the supreme Brahman/Vishnu to rid the earth of the demons wreaking havoc on men as well as Devas. Brahman shows compassion to all and announces in an Akashvani that he will be born in
7826-404: The wicked Ravana, and vanquishing him. Something had to happen if Rama was to embark on his mission to rid the world of Ravana. They approached Goddess Saraswati for help. King Dasharatha had three wives. Queen Kaushalya is the principal queen and the mother of Rama. Queen Kaikeyi is the mother of Bharata and Queen Sumitra is the mother of Lakshman and Shatrughna. Saraswati decides to influence
7917-788: The world with her consort. She has many forms, and just like Parvati, some of her forms are not consistent throughout all sects and interpretations of Hinduism. In Vaishnavism and some interpretations of Shaktism, Lakshmi is seen as Devi herself. She could be every Goddess as said in Vaishnavism and some interpretations of Shaktism, or just another form of Devi as seen in other interpretations of Shaktism and in Shaivism. With this in mind, Lakshmi's forms include: In Dasam Granth , second scriptures of Sikhs written by Guru Gobind Singh, mentioned seven Brahma Avatars. Khat avatar in this list refers to six different scholars who are considered to be founders of six schools of Indian philosophy . According to
8008-454: The world) Sita , wife of Hari ( Rama ). The best course now would be to proceed with Shri Sita to restore her to Shri Rama without any apprehension". Ramcharitmanas Ramcharitmanas ( Devanagari : रामचरितमानस rāmacaritamānasa ), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language , composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1511–1623). It has many inspirations,
8099-436: Was a great celebration and much rejoicing. The Ayodhya Episode Ayodhya was described as being like a heaven on earth ever since Rama and Sita came back from Mithila. As King Dasharatha was getting old, he wanted to install his son Rama as Prince Regent. He decided to start the ceremonies for his coronation the very next day. The Devas however became very concerned at the prospect of Rama remaining in Ayodhya and not pursuing
8190-517: Was to identify full avatars and partial avatars. Krishna, Rama, and Narasimha were full avatars ( purna avatars ), while others were partial avatars ( ansha avatars ). Some declared, states Noel Sheth, that every living creature is an avatar of Vishnu. The Pancharatra text of Vaishnavism declares that Vishnu's avatars include those that are direct and complete ( sakshad ), indirect and endowed ( avesha ), cosmic and salvific ( vyuha ), inner and inspirational ( antaryamin ), consecrated and in
8281-601: Was widely accepted. Ramcharitmanas made available the story of Rama to the common man to sing, meditate and perform on. The writing of Ramcharitmanas also heralded many a cultural tradition, most significantly that of the tradition of Ramlila , the dramatic enactment of the text. Ramcharitmanas is considered by many as a work belonging to the Saguna school of the Bhakti movement in Hindi literature . In May 2024, during
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