142-451: Rambola Dubey ( Hindi pronunciation: [rɑːməboːlɑː d̪ubeː] ; 11 August 1511 – 30 July 1623), known as Tulsidas ( Sanskrit pronunciation: [tʊlsiːdaːsaː] ), was a Vaishnava ( Ramanandi ) Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama . He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit , Awadhi , and Braj Bhasha , but is best known as the author of
284-504: A Vaishnava Upanishad The charity or gift is the armour in the world, All beings live on the gift of the other, Through gifts strangers become friends, Through gifts, they ward off difficulties, On gifts and giving, everything rests, That is why charity is the highest. — Mahanarayana Upanishad 63.6 Along with the reverence and exegetical analysis of the ancient Principal Upanishads , Vaishnava-inspired scholars authored 14 Vishnu avatar-focussed Upanishads that are called
426-475: A boon, Tulsidas told Hanuman he wanted to see Rama face to face. Hanuman told him to go to Chitrakuta where he would see Rama with his own eyes. At the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas bows down to a particular Preta and asks for his grace ( Ramcharitmanas , Doha 1.7). According to Rambhadracharya, this is the same Preta which led Tulsidas to Hanuman. As per Priyadas' account, Tulsidas followed
568-408: A child. Tulsidas was making sandalwood paste when a child came and asked for a sandalwood tilaka (a religious mark on the forehead). This time Hanuman gave a hint to Tulsidas and he had a full view of Rama. Tulsidas was so charmed that he forgot about the sandalwood. Rama took the sandalwood paste and put a tilaka himself on his forehead and Tulsidas' forehead before disappearing. This famous incidence
710-756: A city on the banks of the river Ganga . In 2012 Soron was declared officially by the government of Uttar Pradesh as the birthplace of Tulsi Das. His parents were Hulsi and Atmaram Dubey. Most sources identify him as a Saryupareen Brahmin of the Bharadwaj Gotra (lineage). Tulsidas and Sir George Grierson give the year of his birth as Vikram 1568 (1511 CE). These biographers include Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, Ramghulam Dwivedi, James Lochtefeld, Swami Sivananda and others. The year 1497 appears in many current-day biographies in India and in popular culture. Biographers who disagree with this year argue that it makes
852-464: A consensus that it is impossible to meaningfully date most of the Puranic corpus due to their extremely fluid nature. Gustav Glaesser reiterates this argument to highlight how the surviving manuscripts of Bhavishya Purana are neither the ancient nor a medieval version of some original Bhavishya Purana. Despite being labelled a purana or "tales of ancient times", the work relates only a few legends. It
994-609: A cycle of four yugas). O Goddess [Parvati]! Valmiki will become Tulsidas in the Kali age, and will compose this narrative of Rama in the vernacular language. Bhavishyottar Purana, Pratisarga Parva, 4.20. Nabhadas writes in his Bhaktamal (literally, the Garland of bhakt or devotee ) that Tulsidas was the re-incarnation of Valmiki in the Kali Yuga . The Ramanandi sect believes that it was Valmiki himself who incarnated as Tulsidas in
1136-399: A dead man to life. Tulsidas declined to go as he was too engrossed in creating his verses but he was later forcibly brought before Akbar and asked to perform a miracle, which Tulsidas declined by saying "It's a lie, all I know is Rama.". The emperor imprisoned Tulsidas at Fatehpur Sikri , saying "We will see this Rama.". Tulsidas refused to bow to Akbar and created a verse in praise of Hanuman,
1278-536: A discussion of Dharma particularly vrata (vow) and dana (charity). The text also has many Mahatmya chapters on geography, travel guide and pilgrimage to holy sites such as Uthiramerur , and is one of the Tirtha -focussed Puranas. The Bombay edition contains: Some manuscripts of the text do not have these Parvans and have different number of chapters. A few manuscripts assert that it has five parts (Sanskrit: parvans ), but all extant editions contain only
1420-483: A form of Vishnu. The legend goes that King Vibhishana , who was carrying the idol of Ranganatha on his way to Lanka , took rest for a while by placing the statue on the ground. When he prepared to depart, he realised that the idol was stuck to the ground. So, he built a small shrine, which became a popular abode for the deity Ranganatha on the banks of the river Kaveri. The entire temple campus with great walls, towards, mandapas, halls with 1000 pillars were constructed over
1562-481: A history through the 18th century. It is considered by scholars as an 18th or 19th century creation. The fourth part of the text called Uttaraparvam , is also known as Bhavisyottara Purana . This last part describes festivals, vrata (vow), dana (charity) and pilgrimage sites. In the Padma Purana , it is classified in the rajas category, which contains puranas related to Brahma . Scholars consider
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#17327809121241704-623: A northern ridge of the Hindu Kush, and absorbed into the Vedic orthodoxy as Purusa Narayana. Purusa Narayana may have later been turned into Arjuna and Krsna. In the late-Vedic texts (~1000 to 500 BCE), the concept of a metaphysical Brahman grows in prominence, and the Vaishnavism tradition considered Vishnu to be identical to Brahman, just like Shaivism and Shaktism consider Shiva and Devi to be Brahman respectively. This complex history
1846-491: A particular Varaha Kshetra Soron (a holy place with temple dedicated to Varaha – the boar avatar of Vishnu), where he first narrated the Ramayana to Tulsidas. Tulsidas mentions this in the Ramcharitmanas. And then, I heard the same narrative from my Guru in a Sukarkhet (Varaha Kshetra) Soron . I did not understand it then, since I was totally without cognition in childhood. Ramcharitmanas 1.30 (ka). Most authors identify
1988-589: A period of 15–16 years from the guru Shesha Sanatana who was based at the Pancaganga Ghat in Varanasi. Shesha Sanatana was a friend of Narharidas and a renowned scholar on literature and philosophy. There are two contrasting views regarding the marital status of Tulsidas. According to the Tulsi Prakash and some other works, Tulsidas was married to Ratnavali on the eleventh day of the bright half of
2130-639: A period of 300 years from the 14th to 17th century CE. Most of the Gupta kings, beginning with Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) (375–413 CE) were known as Parama Bhagavatas or Bhagavata Vaishnavas . But following the Huna invasions, especially those of the Alchon Huns circa 500 CE, the Gupta Empire declined and fragmented, ultimately collapsing completely, with the effect of discrediting Vaishnavism,
2272-486: A quo would also apply to Pratisargaparvan's first khanda Genesis-Exodus sequence where its author is aware of both Arabic and English sources. Further, mention of Queen Victoria 's palaces, Calcutta and several 18th century historic events place the terminus ad quem (completed before a year) at mid to late 19th Century. Hiltebeitel states that this part of the Bhavisya Purana was mostly likely composed in
2414-440: A reference to Scythia . This overlaps with Zoroastrianism-related views, and may be related to ancient migration or interaction between Persia and central Asia with Indian subcontinent. These chapters are the most comprehensive and important source of sun-worship tradition in India, and may be related to the escape and resettlement of people from Persia into western India during the mid to late medieval era. The second part of
2556-471: A set of traditional biographies on which modern biographies of Tulsidas are based. He is believed by many to be a reincarnation of Valmiki . In the Hindu scripture Bhavishyottar Purana , the god Shiva tells his wife Parvati how Valmiki, who received a boon from Hanuman to sing the glory of Rama in vernacular language, will incarnate in future in the Kali Yuga (the present and last yuga or epoch within
2698-471: Is a Tantra -related work. The "prophecy"-related third part Pratisargaparvan includes sections on Christianity , Islam , Bhakti movement , Sikhism , Sultanate history, Mughal history, British rule, and others. The fourth part of the text called Uttaraparvam , is also known as Bhavishyottara Purana . This last part describes festivals related to various Hindu gods and goddesses and their Tithis (dates on lunar calendar ), as well as mythology and
2840-453: Is a compound of two Sanskrit words: Tulasī , which is an Indian variety of the basil plant considered auspicious by Vaishnavas (devotees of god Vishnu and his avatars like Rama), and Dāsa , which means slave or servant and by extension, devotee . Tulsidas himself has given only a few facts and hints about events of his life in various works. Till late nineteenth century, the two widely known ancient sources on Tulsidas' life were
2982-569: Is a composite of material ranging from medieval era to the modern era. Those sections of the surviving manuscripts that are dated to be older, are partly borrowed from other Indian texts such as Brihat Samhita and Shamba Purana . The veracity and authenticity of much of the Bhavishya Purana has been questioned by modern scholars and historians, and the text is considered an example of "constant revisions and living nature" of Puranic genre of Hindu literature . The first 16 chapters of
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#17327809121243124-543: Is a monotheistic tradition wherein Vishnu (Krishna) is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent. In contrast, Sri Vaishnavism sampradaya associated with Ramanuja has monotheistic elements, but differs in several ways, such as goddess Lakshmi and god Vishnu are considered as inseparable equal divinities. According to some scholars, Sri Vaishnavism emphasizes panentheism, and not monotheism, with its theology of "transcendence and immanence", where God interpenetrates everything in
3266-903: Is accepted as a teacher whose teachings are in the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana . Vaishnavism, just like all Hindu traditions, considers the Vedas as the scriptural authority. All traditions within Vaishnavism consider the Brahmanas , the Aranyakas and the Upanishads embedded within the four Vedas as Sruti , while Smritis, which include all the epics, the Puranas and its Samhitas, states Mariasusai Dhavamony, are considered as "exegetical or expository literature" of
3408-532: Is acknowledged as the supreme goddess, for it is said that she controls Krishna with her love. It is believed that Krishna enchants the world, but Radha enchants even him. Therefore, she is the supreme goddess of all. Radha and Krishna are avatars of Lakshmi and Vishnu respectively. In the region of India called Braj, Radha and Krishna are worshipped together, and their separation cannot even be conceived. And, some communities ascribe more devotional significance to Radha. While there are much earlier references to
3550-584: Is an Avatar , rather than a transcended Supreme Being. Vishnuism believes in Vishnu as the supreme being. When all other Vaishnavas recognise Krishna as one of Vishnu's avatars , though only the Krishnites identify the Supreme Being ( Svayam Bhagavan , Brahman , a source of the Trimurti) with Krishna and his forms ( Radha Krishna , Vithoba and others), those manifested themselves as Vishnu. This
3692-500: Is believed that God appears to his devoted worshippers in many different forms, depending on their particular desires. These forms include the different avataras of Krishna described in traditional Vaishnava texts, but they are not limited to these. Indeed, it is said that the different expansions of the Svayam bhagavan are uncountable and they cannot be fully described in the finite scriptures of any one religious community. Many of
3834-479: Is centred on the devotion of Vishnu and his avatars. According to Schweig, it is a "polymorphic monotheism, i.e. a theology that recognises many forms ( ananta rupa ) of the one, single unitary divinity," since there are many forms of one original deity, with Vishnu taking many forms. Okita, in contrast, states that the different denominations within Vaishnavism are best described as theism, pantheism and panentheism . The Vaishnava sampradaya started by Madhvacharya
3976-490: Is considered as the last compositions of Tulsidas, believed to be written when Kali Yuga started troubling him. In this work of 279 stanzas, he beseeches Rama to give him Bhakti ("devotion"), and to accept his petition. Tulsidas attests in the last stanza of Vinaypatrika that Rama himself signed the manuscript of the work. The 45th stanza of the Vinaypatrika is sung as the evening arti by many Hindus. Tulsidas died at
4118-564: Is described in the verse " चित्रकूट के घाट पर हुई संतन की भीर तुलसीदास चन्दन घिसे तिलक देते रघुबीर ". In a verse in the Vinayapatrika , Tulsidas alludes to a certain "miracle at Chitrakuta", and thanks Rama for what he did for him at Chitrakuta. Some biographers conclude that the deed of Rama at Chitrakuta referred to by Tulsidas is the Darshan of Rama. In Vikram 1628 (1572 CE), Tulsidas left Chitrakuta for Prayag where he stayed during
4260-780: Is found in Ayodhya. It is dated back to Samvat 1661, and claimed to have been corrected by Tulsidas. Some other ancient manuscripts are found in Varanasi, including one in possession of the Maharaja of Benares that was written in Vikram 1704 (1647), twenty-four years after the death of Tulsidas. The five major works of Tulsidas apart from Ramcharitmanas include: Minor works of Tulsidas include: The following four works are popularly attributed to Tulsidas– Tulsidas mentioned about destruction of Ram Janmabhumi temple by Mir Baqi in his work Tulsi Doha Shatak (lit. Hundred couplets of Tulsi) and
4402-416: Is its difference from such groups as Ramaism , Radhaism , Sitaism, etc. As such Krishnaism is believed to be one of the early attempts to make philosophical Hinduism appealing to the masses. In common language the term Krishnaism is not often used, as many prefer a wider term "Vaishnavism", which appeared to relate to Vishnu, more specifically as Vishnu-ism. In Vishnu-centered sects, Vishnu or Narayana
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4544-494: Is lacking in many of the traditional five characteristics of a purana, but which offers an interesting study of vows, festivals, and donations from sociological and religious point of view. The Bhavishya Purana also includes Mahatmya (travel guides) to pilgrimage sites such as Uthiramerur . Indologist Theodor Aufrecht had noted the Bombay manuscript edition to be a modern era "literary fraud" that plagiarized excerpts from
4686-483: Is often considered to be non-Vedic. According to Dandekar, such mergers consolidated the position of Krishnaism between the heterodox sramana movement and the orthodox Vedic religion. The "Greater Krsnaism", states Dandekar, then adopted the Rigvedic Vishnu as Supreme deity to increase its appeal towards orthodox elements. According to Klostermaier , Vaishnavism originates in the latest centuries BCE and
4828-439: Is often described as having the appearance of a dark-skinned person and is depicted as a young cowherd boy playing a flute or as a youthful prince giving philosophical direction and guidance, as in the Bhagavad Gita . Krishna is also worshiped across many other traditions of Hinduism. Krishna and the stories associated with him appear across a broad spectrum of different Hindu philosophical and theological traditions, where it
4970-465: Is one of several puranas in which a list of royal dynasties of the "past" are followed by lists of kings predicted to rule in the future. The first 16 chapters of the first part of the Bhavisya Purana is called Brahmaparvam . The second part of the text, called Madhyamaparvan , is a Tantra-related work. The "prophecy"-related third part Pratisargaparvan includes sections on comparing Upanishadic ideas to those found in non-Indic religions, as well as
5112-528: Is one of the eighteen major works in the Purana genre of Hinduism , written in Sanskrit . The title Bhavishya means "future" and implies it is a work that contains prophecies regarding the future. The Bhavishya Purana exists in many inconsistent versions, wherein the content as well as their subdivisions vary, and five major versions are known. Some manuscripts have four Parvam (parts), some two, others don't have any parts. The text as it exists today
5254-420: Is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism , Shaktism , and Smartism . It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities , that is, Mahavishnu . Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnava s ( IAST : Vaiṣṇava ), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism , which consider Krishna and Rama as
5396-480: Is popularly referred to as Tulsikrit Ramayana , literally The Ramayana composed by Tulsidas . The work has been acclaimed as "the living sum of Indian culture", "the tallest tree in the magic garden of medieval Indian poesy", "the greatest book of all devotional literature", "the Bible of Northern India", and "the best and most trustworthy guide to the popular living faith of its people." But, as he has said "The story of
5538-540: Is reflected in the two main historical denominations of Vishnavism. The Bhagavats , worship Vāsudeva-Krishna, and are followers of Brahmanic Vaishnavism, while the Pacaratrins regard Narayana as their founder, and are followers of Tantric Vaishnavism. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar states that the lifetime of the Vaishnava Alvars was during the first half of the 12th century, their works flourishing about
5680-655: Is the one supreme God. The belief in the supremacy of Vishnu is based upon the many avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu listed in the Puranic texts, which differs from other Hindu deities such as Ganesha , Surya , or Durga . To the devotees of the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya , "Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Being and the foundation of all existence." Lakshmi, his consort, is described to act as the mediatrix between Vishnu and his devotees, intervening to offer her grace and forgiveness. According to Vedanta Desika ,
5822-517: Is understood today as Vaishnavism did not originate in Vedism at all, but emerged from the merger of several popular theistic traditions which developed after the decline of Brahmanism at the end of the Vedic period, closely before the second urbanisation of northern India, in the 7th to 4th century BCE. It initially formed as Vasudevism around Vāsudeva , a deified leader of the Vrishnis , and one of
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5964-501: The Bhaktamal composed by Nabhadas between 1583 and 1639, and a commentary on Bhaktamal titled Bhaktirasbodhini composed by Priyadas in 1712. Nabhadas was a contemporary of Tulsidas and wrote a six-line stanza on Tulsidas describing him as an incarnation of Valmiki. Priyadas' work was composed around a hundred years after the death of Tulsidas and had eleven additional stanzas, describing seven miracles or spiritual experiences from
6106-699: The Cilappatikaram present Krishna, his brother , and favourite female companions in the similar terms. Hardy argues that the Sanskrit Bhagavata Purana is essentially a Sanskrit "translation" of the bhakti of the Tamil alvars . Devotion to the southern Indian Mal ( Perumal ) may be an early form of Krishnaism, since Mal appears as a divine figure, largely like Krishna with some elements of Vishnu. The Alvars , whose name can be translated "immersed", were devotees of Perumal. They codified
6248-685: The Hanuman Chalisa and of the epic Ramcharitmanas , a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana , based on Rama's life, in the vernacular Awadhi language. Tulsidas spent most of his life in the cities of Banaras (modern Varanasi ) and Ayodhya . The Tulsi Ghat on the Ganges in Varanasi is named after him. He founded the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where he had
6390-699: The Bhagavata cults of Vāsudeva-Krishna and Gopala-Krishna , as well as Narayana , developed in the 7th to 4th century BCE. It was integrated with the Vedic God Vishnu in the early centuries CE, and finalized as Vaishnavism, when it developed the avatar doctrine, wherein the various non-Vedic deities are revered as distinct incarnations of the supreme God Vishnu . Narayana , Hari , Rama , Krishna , Kalki , Perumal , Shrinathji , Vithoba , Venkateswara , Guruvayurappan , Ranganatha , Jagannath , Badrinath and Muktinath are among
6532-402: The Bhagavata Purana . The ancient emergence of Vaishnavism is unclear, the evidence inconsistent and scanty. Syncretism of various traditions resulted in Vaishnavism. Although Vishnu was a Vedic solar deity, he is mentioned less often compared to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities, thereby suggesting that he had a minor position in the Vedic religion. According to Dandekar , what
6674-514: The Bhaktirasbodhini of Priyadas. According to Priyadas' account, Tulsidas used to visit the woods outside Varanasi for his morning ablutions with a water pot. On his return to the city, he used to offer the remaining water to a certain tree. This quenched the thirst of a Preta (a type of ghost believed to be ever thirsty for water), who appeared to Tulsidas and offered him a boon. Tulsidas said he wished to see Rama with his eyes, to which
6816-463: The Bhavisya Purana has 62 chapters on Tantra . This is not mentioned in other Indian text, states Hazra, to have been a part of the Bhavishya Purana , and therefore might be "a late appendage" abounding in Tantric theories of the 2nd millennium. However, states Rocher, these sections were likely integrated by about 1500 CE. The Pratisarga Parva has 100 chapters, which deal with topics such as
6958-721: The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad , Chandogya Upanishad , Katha Upanishad , Isha Upanishad , Mundaka Upanishad , Taittiriya Upanishad and others. In some cases, they cite fragments from the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of the Rigveda and the Yajurveda . Bhavishya Purana Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas The ' Bhavishya Purana' ( Bhaviṣya Purāṇa )
7100-722: The Dvaita school of Madhvacharya , the Dvaitadvaita school of Nimbarkacharya , and the Shuddhadvaita of Vallabhacharya . There are also several other Vishnu-traditions. Ramananda (14th century) created a Rama-oriented movement, now the largest monastic group in Asia. Key texts in Vaishnavism include the Vedas , the Upanishads , the Bhagavad Gita , the Pancharatra (Agama) texts, Naalayira Divya Prabhandham , and
7242-488: The Hanuman Chalisa , and chanted it for forty days. Suddenly an army of monkeys descended upon the town and wreaked havoc in all corners of Fatehpur Sikri, entering each home and the emperor's harem, scratching people, and throwing bricks from ramparts. An old Hafiz told the emperor that this was the miracle of the imprisoned Tulsidas. The emperor fell at Tulsidas' feet, released him, and apologised. Tulsidas stopped
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#17327809121247384-554: The Hindu scriptures sometimes differ in details reflecting the concerns of a particular tradition, while some core features of the view on Krishna are shared by all. Radha Krishna is the combination of both the feminine as well as the masculine aspects of God. Krishna is often referred as Svayam bhagavan in Gaudiya Vaishnavism theology and Radha is Krishna's internal potency and supreme beloved. With Krishna, Radha
7526-510: The Kartik month (October–November) in Vikram 1604 (1561 CE). Ratnavali was the daughter of Dinbandhu Pathak, a Brahmin of the Parashar gotra , who belonged to narayanpur village of Gonda district . They had a son named Tarak who died as a toddler. Once when Tulsidas had gone to a Hanuman temple, Ratnavali went to her father's home with her brother. When Tulsidas learned of this, he swam across
7668-662: The Magh Mela (the annual festival in January). Six days after the Mela ended, he had the Darshan of the sages Yajnavalkya and Bharadvaja under a banyan tree. In one of the four dialogues in the Ramcharitmanas , Yajnavalkya is the speaker and Bharadvaja the listener. Tulsidas describes the meeting between Yajnavalkya and Bharadvaja after a Magha Mela festival in the Ramcharitmanas, it is this meeting where Yajnavalkya narrates
7810-578: The Paripatal , which contains seven poems in praise of Vishnu, including references to Krishna and Balarama. Aiyangar references an invasion of the south by the Mauryas in some of the older poems of the Sangam, and indicated that the opposition that was set up and maintained persistently against northern conquest had possibly in it an element of religion, the south standing up for orthodox Brahmanism against
7952-785: The Sama Veda . In the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas hints at having the Darshan of Shiva and Parvati in both dream and awakened state. Tulsidas is also credited with having composed a number of wise sayings and dohas containing lessons for life. A popular maxim among them is: Don't go there, even if a mountain of gold is showered ( Hindi : आवत ही हरषै नहीं, नैनन नहीं सनेह । तुलसी तहाँ न जाइये, चाहे कञ्चन बरसे मेघ ॥ सिया पति राम चन्द्र जी की जय, जय जय बजरंगबली ।। , romanized : Aawat hi harshai nahin, nainan nahin saneh. Tulsi tahan na jaiye, chahe kanchan barse megh , lit. 'A place where people are not happy or welcoming when you come, where their eyes have no affection for you'). In
8094-522: The Sattva-Rajas-Tamas classification as "entirely fanciful" and there is nothing in this text that actually justifies this classification. This part of the text has 215 chapters. It covers topics such as rites of passage, ceremonies and feasts. It also covers the duties and rights of women, a discussion on the nature of people and how to identify good and bad characters, and a caste-related discussion. According to Arora, and other scholars,
8236-536: The Smritis and Puranas for the daily life of a Hindu, and also the worship of various deities like the sun, the moon, the grahas or planets, enjoined by the priestly Brahmin class for the sake of emoluments and gain. It enjoined the worship of no other deities except Narayana of the Upanishads , who was deemed the primal cause of srsti (creation), sthiti (existence) and pralaya (destruction). The accompanying philosophies of Advaita and Vishishtadvaita brought
8378-568: The Virakta Diksha (Vairagi initiation) with the new name of Tulsidas. Tulsidas narrates the dialogue that took place during the first meeting with his guru in a passage in the Vinayapatrika . When he was seven years old, his Upanayana ("sacred thread ceremony") was performed by Narharidas on the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Magha (January–February) at Ayodhya , a pilgrimage site related to Rama. Tulsidas started his learning at Ayodhya. After some time, Narharidas took him to
8520-594: The Vrishni heroes . Later, Vāsudeva was amalgamated with Krishna "the deified tribal hero and religious leader of the Yadavas", to form the merged deity Bhagavan Vāsudeva-Krishna , due to the close relation between the tribes of the Vrishnis and the Yadavas. This was followed by a merger with the cult of Gopala-Krishna of the cowherd community of the Abhıras in the 4th century CE. The character of Gopala Krishna
8662-537: The caste -related and women's rights related discussion in the Bhavishya Purana is egalitarian, similar to those found in Brahma Purana and Vajrasuchi Upanishad , thus challenging Manusmriti. The Brahma Parva also includes sections on festival dates and methods for worshipping Brahma , Ganesha , Skanda , and the Nāga . A considerable section deals with Sun worship in a place called "Śākadvīpa" which may be
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#17327809121248804-520: The four pilgrimages of Hindus ( Badrinath , Dwarka , Puri and Rameshwaram ) and the Himalayas . He visited Lake Manasarovar in current-day Tibet , where tradition holds he had Darshan (sight) of Kakabhushundi , the crow who is one of the four narrators in the Ramcharitmanas . Tulsidas hints at several places in his works, that he had met face to face with Hanuman and Rama. The detailed account of his meetings with Hanuman and Rama are given in
8946-435: The 10th century started to employ Vedanta-arguments, possibly continuing an older tradition of Vishnu-oriented Vedanta predating Advaita Vedanta . Many of the early Vaishnava scholars such as Nathamuni, Yamunacharya and Ramanuja, contested Adi Shankaras Advaita interpretations and proposed Vishnu bhakti ideas instead. Vaishnavism flourished in predominantly Shaivite Tamil Nadu during the seventh to tenth centuries CE with
9088-548: The 12th century. It was supported by the Puranic literature such as the Bhagavata Purana , poetic works, as well as many scholarly bhasyas and samhitas . This period saw the growth of Vashnavism Sampradayas (denominations or communities) under the influence of scholars such as Ramanujacharya , Vedanta Desika , Madhvacharya and Vallabhacharya . Bhakti poets or teachers such as Manavala Mamunigal , Namdev , Ramananda , Sankardev , Surdas , Tulsidas , Eknath , Tyagaraja , Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and many others influenced
9230-470: The 14th century, Sankaradeva in the 15th and Vallabha and Chaitanya in the 16th century. Historically, it was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who founded congregational chanting of holy names of Krishna in the early 16th century after becoming a sannyasi . During the 20th century, Vaishnavism spread from India and is now practised in many places around the globe, including North America, Europe, Africa, Russia and South America. A pioneer of Vaishnavite mission to
9372-531: The 14th century. The author of this parvan of the Bhavisya Purana seems to know both English Biblical and Arabic Islamic texts, but virtually all terms used here are derived from Arabic words and names, not the English sources. Thus, this part of the text must have been composed after the start of the Mughal empire and after Arabic sources were available in India. This section has led numerous scholars to question
9514-610: The 19th century. The Uttara Parva is large with 208 chapters. Though nominally attached to the Bhavishya Purana , is usually considered to be an independent work, also known as the Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa , and as such is included among the Upapuranas (Lesser Puranas). The Bhaviṣyottara Purana is primarily a handbook of religious rites with a few legends and myths. Rajendra Hazra characterizes it as "a loose collection of materials taken from various sources" that
9656-498: The Abhuktamūla constellation, which according to Hindu astrology causes immediate danger to the life of the father. Due to the inauspicious astrological configurations at the time of his birth, on the fourth night he was sent away by his parents with Chuniya (some sources call her Muniya), a female house-help of Hulsi. In his works Kavitavali and Vinayapatrika , Tulsidas attests to his family abandoning him after birth. Chuniya took
9798-410: The Brahmin was being taken for cremation, his widow bowed down to Tulsidas who addressed her as Saubhagyavati (a woman whose husband is alive). The widow told Tulsidas her husband had just died, so his words could not be true. Tulsidas said that the word has passed his lips and so he would restore the dead man to life. He asked everyone present to close their eyes and utter the name of Rama. On doing so,
9940-406: The Gupta age, Krishnaism rose to a major current of Vaishnavism, and Vaishnavism developed into various sects and subsects, most of them emphasizing bhakti , which was strongly influenced by south Indian religiosity. Modern scholarship posit Nimbarkacharya (c.7th century CE) to this period who propounded Radha Krishna worship and his doctrine came to be known as (dvaita-advaita). Vaishnavism in
10082-409: The Himalayan rocks using his nails. When Valmiki saw the play written by Hanuman, he anticipated that the beauty of the Mahanataka would eclipse his own Ramayana. Hanuman was saddened at Valmiki's state of mind and, being a true bhakta without any desire for glory, Hanuman cast all the rocks into the ocean, some parts of which are believed to be available today as Hanuman Nataka . After this, Valmiki
10224-548: The Kali Yuga. According to a traditional account, Hanuman went to Valmiki numerous times to hear him sing the Ramayana, but Valmiki turned down the request saying that Hanuman being a monkey was unworthy of hearing the epic. After the victory of Rama over Ravana , Hanuman went to the Himalayas to continue his worship of Rama. There he scripted a play version of the Ramayana called Mahanataka or Hanuman Nataka engraved on
10366-503: The One Supreme form of God and source of all avatars, Svayam Bhagavan . Krishnaism is often also called Bhagavatism—perhaps the earliest Krishnite movement was Bhagavatism with Krishna- Vasudeva (about 2nd century BCE) —after the Bhagavata Purana which asserts that Krishna is "Bhagavan Himself," and subordinates to itself all other forms: Vishnu , Narayana , Purusha , Ishvara , Hari , Vasudeva , Janardana etc. Krishna
10508-457: The Preta responded that it was beyond him. However, the Preta said that he could guide Tulsidas to Hanuman, who could grant the boon Tulsidas asked for. The Preta told Tulsidas that Hanuman comes everyday disguised as a leper to listen to his Katha, he is the first to arrive and last to leave. That evening Tulsidas noted that the first listener to arrive at his discourse was an old leper, who sat at
10650-823: The Ramayana of Valmiki, the Adhyatma Ramayana , the Prasannaraghava and Hanuman Nataka. The work consists of around 12,800 lines divided into 1073 stanzas, which are groups of Chaupais separated by Dohas or Sorthas. It is divided into seven books (Kands) like the Ramayana of Valmiki, and is around one-third of the size of Valmiki's Ramayana. The work is composed in 18 metres which include ten Sanskrit meters ( Anushtup , Shardulvikridit , Vasantatilaka , Vamshashta , Upajati , Pramanika , Malini , Sragdhara , Rathoddhata and Bhujangaprayata ) and eight Prakrit metres ( Soratha , Doha , Chaupai , Harigitika , Tribhangi , Chaupaiya , Trotaka and Tomara ). It
10792-415: The Ramcharitmanas to Bharadvaja. Most stories about Tulsidas tend to be apocryphal , and have been carried forward by word of mouth. None of them were related by Tulsi himself, thus making it difficult to separate fact from lore and fiction. In Priyadas' biography, Tulsidas is attributed with the power of working miracles. In one such miracle, he is believed to have brought a dead Brahmin back to life. While
10934-453: The Sarju river in the night to meet his wife. Ratnavali chided Tulsidas for this, and remarked that if Tulsidas was even half as devoted to God as he was to her body of flesh and blood, he would have been redeemed. Tulsidas left her instantly and left for the holy city of Prayag . Here, he renounced the grihastha (householder's life) stage and became a sadhu (ascetic). Some authors consider
11076-670: The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Agamas are the scriptural sources of Vaishnavism. The Bhagavata Purana is a revered and widely celebrated text, parts of which, a few scholars such as Dominic Goodall, include as a scripture. Other important texts in the tradition include the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, as well as texts by various sampradayas (denominations within Vaishnavism). In many Vaishnava traditions, Krishna
11218-559: The Vaishnava Upanishads. These are considered part of 95 minor Upanishads in the Muktikā Upanishadic corpus of Hindu literature. The earliest among these were likely composed in 1st millennium BCE, while the last ones in the late medieval era. All of the Vaishnava Upanishads either directly reference and quote from the ancient Principal Upanishads or incorporate some ideas found in them; most cited texts include
11360-704: The Vaishnava canon of the south with their most significant liturgy, the Naalayira Divya Prabandham , traced to the 10th century as a compilation by Nathamuni. Their poems show a pronounced orientation to the Vaishnava, and often Krishna, side of Mal. But they do not make the distinction between Krishna and Vishnu on the basis of the concept of the avatars . Yet, according to Hardy, the term "Mayonism" should be used instead of "Krishnaism" when referring to Mal or Mayon. The early Alvars speak of glorifying Vishnu bhakti (devotion to Vishnu), but at
11502-633: The Varaha Kshetra referred to by Tulsidas with the Sookarkshetra is the Soron Varaha Kshetra in modern-day Kasganj , Tulsidas further mentions in the Ramcharitmanas that his guru repeatedly narrated the Ramayana to him, which led him to understand it somewhat. Tulsidas later came to the sacred city of Varanasi and studied Sanskrit grammar , four Vedas , six Vedangas , Jyotisha and the six schools of Hindu philosophy over
11644-635: The Vedic texts. The Vedanta schools of Hindu philosophy , which interpreted the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutra , provided the philosophical foundations of Vaishnavism. Due to the ancient and archaic language of the Vedic texts, interpretations varied among different schools, leading to differences between the denominations (sampradayas) of Vaishnavism. These interpretations have created different traditions within Vaishnavism, from dualistic ( Dvaita ) Vedanta of Madhvacharya , to nondualistic ( Advaita ) Vedanta of Madhusudana Sarasvati . Axiology in
11786-711: The West was sannyasi Baba Premananda Bharati (1858–1914), the author of the first full-length treatment of Bengali Vaishnavism in English, Sree Krishna—the Lord of Love . He founded the "Krishna Samaj" society in New York City in 1902 and a temple in Los Angeles . The global status of Vaishnavism is largely due to the growth of the ISKCON movement, founded by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. Vaishnavism
11928-468: The above four parts. The text is sometimes titled Bhaviṣyat Purāṇa . In records of land grants of the fifth century CE, verses are quoted which occur only in the Padma , Bhavishya , and Brahma Puranas . On this basis Pargiter in 1912 assigned these particular Puranas to the early centuries CE. However, Moriz Winternitz considers it more probable that these verses, both in the inscriptions and in
12070-404: The aforementioned works, Tulsidas is also known to have composed the Hanuman Chalisa , Hanuman Ashtak, Hanuman Bahuk, Bagrang Baan and Tulsi Satsai. Ramacharitamanas (रामचरितमानस, 1574–1576), "The Mānasa lake brimming over with the exploits of Lord Rāma" is an Awadhi rendering of the Ramayana narrative. It is the longest and earliest work of Tulsidas, and draws from various sources including
12212-476: The age of 111 on 30 July 1623 (Shravan month of the year Vikram 1680) in Assi Ghat on the bank of the river Ganga . Traditional accounts and biographers do not agree on the exact date of his death. Twelve works are widely considered by biographers to be written by Tulsidas, six major works and six minor works. Based on the language of the works, they have been classified into two groups as follows– Aside from
12354-569: The authenticity of much of the Bhavishya Purana , and as evidence that these Puranas were not scriptures, but rather a document of history that was constantly revised and thus of a living nature, both over time and over geography. According to Alf Hiltebeitel, the second quarter of the eighteenth century marks the terminus a quo for the text's history of the Mughals because it mentions Nadir Shah (calling him Daitya Nadira) and Muhammad Shah in section 3.4.22. This c. mid-18th century terminus
12496-538: The balance in the universe. These avatars include Narayana, Vasudeva, Rama and Krishna; each the name of a divine figure with attributed supremacy, which each associated tradition of Vaishnavism believes to be distinct. The term "Krishnaism" ( Kṛṣṇaism ) has been used to describe a large group of independent traditions- sampradayas within Vaishnavism regarded Krishna as the Supreme God, while "Vishnuism" may be used for sects focusing on Vishnu in which Krishna
12638-461: The bottom of pile of Sanskrit scriptures in the sanctum sanctorum of the Vishvanath temple in the night, and the doors of the sanctum sanctorum were locked. In the morning when the doors were opened, the Ramcharitmanas was found at the top of the pile. The words Satyam Shivam Sundaram ( Sanskrit : सत्यं शिवं सुन्दरम् , lit. 'truth, auspiciousness, beauty') were inscribed on
12780-533: The bow and the arrow in your hands. When Tulsidas recited this couplet, the idol of Krishna holding the flute and stick in hands changed to the idol of Rama holding the bow and arrow in hands. Some authors have expressed doubts on the couplet being composed by Tulsidas. Tulsidas started composing poetry in Sanskrit in Varanasi on the Prahlada Ghat. Tradition holds that all the verses that he composed during
12922-406: The child to her village of Haripur and looked after him for five and a half years, after which she died. Rambola was left to fend for himself as an impoverished orphan, and wandered from door to door for menial jobs and alms. It is believed that the goddess Parvati assumed the form of a Brahmin woman and looked out for Rambola every day. or alternately, the disciple of Anantacharya. Rambola was given
13064-644: The concept of the Vedic deity Bhaga , and initially it seems to have been a monotheistic sect, independent of the Brahmanical pantheon." The development of the Krishna-traditions was followed by a syncretism of these non-Vedic traditions with the Mahabharata canon, thus affiliating itself with Vedism in order to become acceptable to the orthodox establishment. The Vishnu of the Rig Veda
13206-495: The cosmic balance between the everpresent 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 the Ramayana includes Rama. The Vedas,
13348-522: The day, would get lost in the night. This happened daily for eight days. On the eighth night, Shiva – whose famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Varanasi – is believed to have ordered Tulsidas in a dream to compose poetry in the vernacular instead of Sanskrit. Tulsidas woke up and saw both Shiva and Parvati who blessed him. Shiva ordered Tulsidas to go to Ayodhya and compose poetry in Awadhi. Shiva also predicted that Tulsidas' poetry would fructify like
13490-492: The dead man was brought back to life. Also one who was with him for a certain period of their life received moksha (spiritual liberation) from Maya (illusory world). Tulsidas was acclaimed in his lifetime to be a reincarnation of Valmiki, the composer of the original Ramayana in Sanskrit. In another miracle described by Priyadas, the Mughal Emperor Akbar summoned Tulsidas on hearing of his bringing back
13632-627: The diverse tenets and cultures of Hinduism. At the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas says that his work is in accordance with various scriptures – the Puranas , Vedas , Upavedas , Tantra and Smriti . Ram Chandra Shukla in his critical work Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas elaborates on Tulsidas' Lokmangal as the doctrine for social upliftment which made this great poet immortal and comparable to any other world littérateur. Vaishnavism Traditional Vaishnavism ( Sanskrit : वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः , romanized : Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ )
13774-573: The early centuries CE, with the cult of the heroic Vāsudeva, a leading member of the Vrishni heroes , which was then amalgamated with Krishna , hero of the Yadavas , and still several centuries later with the "divine child" Bala Krishna of the Gopala traditions. According to Klostermaier, "In some books Krishna is presented as the founder and first teacher of the Bhagavata religion." According to Dalal, "The term Bhagavata seems to have developed from
13916-470: The encroachment of Buddhism by the persuasive eloquence and persistent effort of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka . The Tamil literature of this period has references scattered all over to the colonies of Brahmans brought and settled down in the south, and the whole output of this archaic literature exhibits unmistakably considerable Brahman influence in the making up of that literature. The Vaishnava school of
14058-488: The end of the gathering. After the Katha was over, Tulsidas quietly followed the leper to the woods. In the woods, at the spot where the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple stands today, Tulsidas firmly fell at the leper's feet, shouting "I know who you are" and "You cannot escape me". At first the leper feigned ignorance but Tulsidas did not relent. Then the leper revealed his original form of Hanuman and blessed Tulsidas. When granted
14200-494: The expansion of Vaishnavism. Even Mirabai took part in this specific movement. These scholars rejected Shankara 's doctrines of Advaita Vedanta, particularly Ramanuja in the 12th century, and Vedanta Desika and Madhva in the 13th century, building their theology on the devotional tradition of the Alvars ( Sri Vaishnavas ). In North and Eastern India, Vaishnavism gave rise to various late Medieval movements Ramananda in
14342-528: The faith in Karnataka. The Chalukyas and their rivals of the Pallavas appear to have employed Vaishnavism as an assertion of divine kingship, one of them proclaiming themselves as terrestrial emanations of Vishnu while the other promptly adopted Shaivism as their favoured tradition, neither of them offering much importance to the other's deity. The Sri Vaishnava sampradaya of Ramanuja would hold sway in
14484-538: The first part of the Bhavisya Purana is called Brahmaparvam . It shows similarities to, and likely borrowed verses from some version of the Manusmriti . However, some of the caste -related and women's rights related discussion in the Bhavishya Purana is egalitarian and challenge those found in the 19th century published manuscripts of the Manusmriti. The second part of the text, called Madhyamaparvan ,
14626-488: The genealogy of the kings and sages, and prophecies. It is written as a universal history with the first and the second chapters (called Khandas) dealing with old time, the third part with the medieval, and the fourth with the new age. The text includes the plundering of regions and major massacres in India after the 12th century, including those of Timur-Tamburlaine in section 3.4.6 (the text calls him Timiralinga, or "linga of darkness"). It compares "Upanishadic" religion with
14768-499: The idol of Krishna, the Mahant of the temple named Parshuram decided to test Tulsidas. He told Tulsidas that he who bows down to any deity except their Ishta Devata (cherished form of divinity) is a fool, as Tulsidas' Ishta Devata was Rama. In response, Tulsidas recited the following extemporaneously composed couplet: O Lord, how shall I describe today's splendour, for you appear auspicious. Tulsidas will bow down his head when you take
14910-424: The individual self, mind, and egoism." Vaishnavism theology has developed the concept of avatar (incarnation) around Vishnu as the preserver or sustainer. His avataras, asserts Vaishnavism, descend to empower the good and fight evil, thereby restoring dharma . This is reflected in the passages of the ancient Bhagavad Gita as: Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases I send myself forth. For
15052-663: The instruction of Hanuman and started living in an Ashram at Ramghat in Chitrakoot Dham . One day Tulsidas went to perform the Parikrama (circumambulation) of the Kamadgiri mountain. He saw two princes, one dark and the other fair, dressed in green robes pass by mounted on horsebacks. Tulsidas was enraptured at the sight, however he could not recognise them and took his eyes off them. Later Hanuman asked Tulsidas if he saw Rama and his brother Lakshmana on horses. Tulsidas
15194-532: The insurgent Buddhists and Jains. The Pallavas were also the first of various dynasties that offered land and wealth to the Venkatesvara temple at Tirumala, which would soon become the most revered religious site of South India. The Sri Vaishnava acharya Ramanuja is credited with the conversion of the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana (originally called Bittideva) from Jainism to Vaishnavism, consolidating
15336-591: The life of Tulsidas. During the 1920s, two more ancient biographies of Tulsidas were published based on old manuscripts – the Mula Gosain Charit composed by Veni Madhav Das in 1630 and the Gosain Charit composed by Dasanidas (also known as Bhavanidas) around 1770. Veni Madhav Das was a disciple and contemporary of Tulsidas and his work gave a new date for Tulsidas' birth. The work by Bhavanidas presented more narratives in greater detail as compared to
15478-431: The life span of Tulsidas equal 126 years, which in their opinion is unlikely if not impossible . In contrast, Ramchandra Shukla says that an age of 126 is not impossible for a Mahatma ( great soul ) like Tulsidas. The Government of India and provincial governments celebrated the 500th birth anniversary of Tulsidas in the year 2011 CE, according to the year of Tulsidas' birth in popular culture. Legend goes that Tulsidas
15620-467: The lord is endless as are his glories" (Hindi: हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता। ). Several manuscripts of the Ramcharitmanas are claimed to have been written down by Tulsidas himself. Grierson noted that two copies of the epic were said to have existed in the poet's own handwriting. One manuscript was kept at Rajapur , of which only the Ayodhyakand is left now, which bears watermarks. According to legend,
15762-518: The lower classes into the fold of practical Hinduism, and extended to them the right and privilege of knowing God and attaining mukti (salvation). The Pallava dynasty of Tamilakam patronised Vaishnavism. Mahendra Varman built shrines both of Vishnu and Shiva, several of his cave-temples exhibiting shrines to Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In the age of the Pallava domination, which followed immediately, both Vaishnavism and Shaivism flourished, fighting
15904-620: The manuscript was stolen and thrown into Yamuna river. When the thief was being pursued, only the second book of the epic could be rescued. Grierson wrote that the other copy was at Malihabad in Lucknow district, of which only one leaf was missing. Another manuscript of the Ayodhyakanda claimed to be in the poet's own hand exists at Soron in Kasganj district, one of the places claimed to be Tulsidas' birthplace. One manuscript of Balakanda
16046-470: The manuscript with the signature of Shiva. The words were also heard by the people present. Per traditional accounts, some Brahmins of Varanasi were still not satisfied, and sent two thieves to steal the manuscript. The thieves tried to break into the Ashram of Tulsidas, but were confronted by two guards with bows and arrows, of dark and fair complexion. The thieves had a change of heart and came to Tulsidas in
16188-638: The marriage episode of Tulsidas to be a later interpolation and maintain among that he was celibate. These include Rambhadracharya, who cite two verses in the Vinayapatrika and Hanuman Bahuka that Tulsidas never married and was a sadhu from childhood. After renunciation, Tulsidas spent most of his time at Varanasi, Prayag, Ayodhya, and Chitrakuta but visited many other nearby and far-off places. He travelled across India to many places, studying with different people, meeting saints and sadhus, and meditating. The Mula Gosain Charita gives an account of his travels to
16330-406: The menace of monkeys and asked the emperor to abandon the place. The emperor agreed and moved back to Delhi. Ever since Akbar became a close friend of Tulsidas and he also ordered a firman that followers of Rama, Hanuman, and other Hindus, were not to be harassed in his kingdom. Priyadas narrates a miracle of Tulsidas at Vrindavan, when he visited a temple of Krishna . When he began bowing down to
16472-424: The morning to ask who the two guards were. Believing that the two guards could be none other than Rama and Lakshmana , Tulsidas was aggrieved to discover that they were guarding his home at night. He sent the manuscript of Ramcharitmanas to his friend Todar Mal , the finance minister of Akbar , and donated all his money. The thieves were reformed and became devotees of Rama. Around Vikram 1664 (1607 CE), Tulsidas
16614-534: The names of popular avatars all seen as different aspects of the same supreme being. The Vaishnavite tradition is known for the loving devotion to an avatar of Vishnu (often Krishna), and as such was key to the spread of the Bhakti movement in Indian subcontinent in the 2nd millennium CE. It has four Vedanta -schools of numerous denominations ( sampradaya ): the medieval-era Vishishtadvaita school of Ramanuja ,
16756-569: The original Sanskrit, the name is written as Tulasīdāsa . Using the Hunterian transliteration system, it is written as Tulsidas or Tulsīdās reflecting the vernacular pronunciation (since the written Indian languages maintain the vestigial letters that are no longer pronounced). The lost vowels are an aspect of the Schwa deletion in Indo-Aryan languages and can vary between regions. The name
16898-579: The protection of the good and for the destruction of evil, and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into being age after age. In Vaishnava theology, such as is presented in the Bhagavata Purana and the Pancaratra , whenever the cosmos is in crisis, typically because the evil has grown stronger and has thrown the cosmos out of its balance, an avatar of Vishnu appears in a material form, to destroy evil and its sources, and restore
17040-515: The puranas, were taken as quotations from now nonextant dharmaśāstras . According to Winternitz, the text which has come down to us in manuscript form is certainly not the ancient work which is quoted in the Āpastambīya Dharmasūtra ; a quotation attributed to the Bhaviṣyat Purāṇa cannot be found anymore in extant editions. It is now accepted that the four parts have different dates. However, Puranic scholars have increasingly arrived at
17182-759: The religion it had been so ardently promoting. The newly arising regional powers in central and northern India, such as the Aulikaras , the Maukharis , the Maitrakas , the Kalacuris or the Vardhanas preferred adopting Saivism instead, giving a strong impetus to the development of the worship of Shiva , and its ideology of power. Vaisnavism remained strong mainly in the territories which had not been affected by these events: South India and Kashmir . After
17324-417: The religions of the mlecchas in a way "comparative religions" studies do, states Alf Hiltebeitel , along with historical characters whose ideas and actions impacted India between the 11th and 14th centuries. It includes critical comments about the Mughal history (the texts calls them "Mukula") and refers to a Mahamada who is a Last Prophet of the "mlecchas". This suggests this section was written well after
17466-458: The same time, they do regard Shiva bhakti (devotion to Shiva) with considerable sympathy, and make a visible effort to keep the Shaivas in countenance. The earliest Alvars go the length of describing Shiva and Vishnu as one, although they do recognise their united form as Vishnu. Srirangam , the site of the largest functioning temple in the world of 600 acres, is devoted to Ranganathaswamy ,
17608-603: The same was quoted by Rambhadracharya during the proceedings of the Ayodhya dispute in the Allahabad High court that influenced its judgment in 2010. The philosophy and principles of Tulsidas are found across his works, and are especially outlined in the dialogue between Kakbhushundi and Garuda in the Uttar Kand of the Ramcharitmanas . Tulsidas' doctrine has been described as an assimilation and reconciliation of
17750-622: The sight of the deity . Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaptation of the Ramayana . He has been acclaimed as one of the greatest poets in Hindi , Indian , and world literature . The impact of Tulsidas and his works on the art, culture and society in India is widespread and is seen today in the vernacular language, Ramlila plays, Hindustani classical music , popular music, and television series. Traditional The Sanskrit name of Tulsidas can be transliterated in two ways. Using
17892-493: The south based its teachings on the Naradiya Pancharatra and the Bhagavata from the north and laid stress on a life of purity, high morality, worship and devotion to only one God. Although the monism of Shankara was greatly appreciated by the intellectual class, the masses came increasingly within the fold of Vishnu. Vaishnavism checked the elaborate rituals, ceremonials, vratas, fasts, and feasts prescribed by
18034-745: The south, the Vadakalai denomination subscribing to Vedanta philosophy and the Tenkalai adhering to regional liturgies known as Prabandham. According to Hardy , there is evidence of early "southern Krishnaism", despite the tendency to allocate the Krishna-traditions to the Northern traditions. South Indian texts show close parallel with the Sanskrit traditions of Krishna and his gopi companions, so ubiquitous in later North Indian text and imagery. Early writings in Tamils ' culture such as Manimekalai and
18176-421: The supreme beings respectively. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 641 million or 67.6% of Hindus. The ancient emergence of Vaishnavism is unclear, and broadly hypothesized as a fusion of various regional non-Vedic religions with worship of Vishnu . It is considered a merger of several popular non-Vedic theistic traditions, particularly
18318-758: The supreme divine couple Lakshmi Narayana pervades and transcends the entire universe, which is described to be their body. They are described to support all life, both material and spiritual. In this manner, Lakshmi is conceived to be the supreme mother and Narayana as the supreme father of creation. In the Krishnaism group of Vaishnavism traditions, such as the Nimbarka Sampradaya (the first Krishnaite Sampradaya developed by Nimbarka c. 7th century CE), Ekasarana Dharma , Gaudiya Vaishnavism , Mahanubhava , Rudra Sampradaya ( Pushtimarg ), Vaishnava-Sahajiya , and Warkari , devotees worship Krishna as
18460-459: The time of the revival of Brahminism and Hinduism in the north, speculating that Vaishnavism might have penetrated to the south as early as about the first century CE. There also exists secular literature that ascribes the commencement of the tradition in the south to the 3rd century CE. U. V. Swaminathan Aiyar , a scholar of Tamil literature, published the ancient work of the Sangam period known as
18602-534: The twelve Alvars , saints who spread the sect to the common people with their devotional hymns . The temples that the Alvars visited or founded are now known as Divya Desams . Their poems in praise of Vishnu and Krishna in Tamil language are collectively known as Naalayira Divya Prabandha (4000 divine verses). The Bhakti movement of late medieval Hinduism started in the 7th century, but rapidly expanded after
18744-529: The universe, and all of empirical reality is God's body. The Vaishnava sampradaya associated with Vallabhacharya is a form of pantheism, in contrast to the other Vaishnavism traditions. The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Chaitanya, states Schweig, is closer to a polymorphic bi-monotheism because both goddess Radha and god Krishna are simultaneously supreme. Vaishnavism precepts include the avatar (incarnation) doctrine, wherein Vishnu incarnates numerous times, in different forms, to set things right and bring back
18886-644: The verse describing this incident in Bhagavata Purana . It is also believed that Radha is not just one cowherd maiden, but is the origin of all the gopis , or divine personalities that participate in the rasa dance. According to The Bhagavata Purana, there are twenty-two avatars of Vishnu, including Rama and Krishna . The Dashavatara is a later concept. The Pancaratrins follow the vyuha s doctrine, which says that God has four manifestations ( vyuha s), namely Vasudeva, Samkarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. These four manifestations represent "the Highest Self,
19028-604: The wedding day of Rama and Sita . Tulsidas came to Varanasi and recited the Ramcharitmanas to Shiva (Vishwanath) and Parvati ( Annapurna ) at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. A popular legend goes that the Brahmins of Varanasi, who were critical of Tulsidas for having rendered the Sanskrit Ramayana in the Awadhi, decided to test the worth of the work. A manuscript of the Ramcharitmanas was kept at
19170-484: The work by Priyadas. In the 1950s a fifth ancient account was published based on an old manuscript, the Gautam Chandrika composed by Krishnadatta Misra of Varanasi in 1624. Krishnadatta Misra's father was a close companion of Tulsidas. The accounts published later are not considered authentic by some modern scholars, whereas some other scholars have been unwilling to dismiss them. Together, these five works form
19312-445: The worship of this form of God, it is since Jayadeva wrote the poem Gita Govinda in the twelfth century CE, that the topic of the spiritual love affair between the divine Krishna and his consort Radha, became a theme celebrated throughout India. It is believed that Krishna has left the "circle" of the rasa dance to search for Radha. The Chaitanya school believes that the name and identity of Radha are both revealed and concealed in
19454-478: The year Vikram 1650 (1593 CE), Tulsidas started composing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya on Sunday, Ramnavami day (ninth day of the bright half of the Chaitra month, which is the birthday of Rama). Tulsidas himself attests this date in the Ramcharitmanas . He composed the epic over two years, seven months and twenty-six days, and completed the work in Vikram 1633 (1577 CE) on Vivaha Panchami , which commemorates
19596-465: Was afflicted by acute pain all over his body, especially in his arms. He then composed the Hanuman Bahuk , where he describes his bodily pain and suffering in several stanzas. He was relieved of his pain after this composition. Later he was also afflicted by Bartod boils (Hindi: बरतोड़ , furuncles caused by pulling out of the hair), which may have been the cause of his death. The Vinaypatrika
19738-698: Was assimilated into non-Vedic Krishnaism and became the equivalent of the Supreme God. The appearance of Krishna as one of the Avatars of Vishnu dates to the period of the Sanskrit epics in the early centuries CE. The Bhagavad Gita —initially, a Krishnaite scripture, according to Friedhelm Hardy —was incorporated into the Mahabharata as a key text for Krishnaism. Finally, the Narayana worshippers were also included, which further brahmanized Vaishnavism. The Nara-Narayana worshippers may have originated in Badari,
19880-407: Was born after staying in the womb for twelve months, he had all thirty-two teeth in his mouth at birth, his health and looks were like that of a five-year-old boy, and he did not cry at the time of his birth but uttered Rama instead. He was therefore named Rambola (literally, he who uttered Rama ), as Tulsidas himself states in Vinaya Patrika . As per the Mula Gosain Charita , he was born under
20022-470: Was disappointed and repentful. Hanuman assured Tulsidas that he would have the sight of Rama once again the next morning. Tulsidas recalls this incident in a song of the Gitavali and laments how "his eyes turned his own enemies" by staying fixed to the ground and how everything happened in a trice. On the next morning, Wednesday, the new-moon day of Magha, Vikram 1607 (1551 CE) or 1621 (1565 CE) as per some sources, Rama again appeared to Tulsidas, this time as
20164-461: Was instructed by Hanuman to take birth as Tulsidas and compose the Ramayana in the vernacular. Tulsidas was born on Saptami , the seventh day of Shukla Paksha , the bright half of the lunar Hindu calendar month Shraavana (July–August). This correlates with 11 August 1511 of the Gregorian calendar . Although as many as three places are mentioned as his birthplace, most scholars identify the place with Soron , Kasganj district in Uttar Pradesh ,
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