Tulsidas | |
|---|---|
 Picture of Tulsidas published in the Ramcharitmanas, by Sri Ganga Publishers, Gai Ghat, Benaras, 1949 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Rambola Dubey 11 August 1511 |
| Died | 30 July 1623 (aged 111)[citation needed] |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Spouse | Ratnavali |
| Parents |
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| Sect | Ramanandi Sampradaya |
| Known for | Composing the Ramcharitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa Reincarnation of Valmiki |
| Organization | |
| Philosophy | Vishishtadvaita |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Narharidas (Narharyanandacharya) |
| Literary works | Ramcharitmanas, Vinaya Patrika, Geetawali, Dohavali, Sahitya Ratna, Hanuman Chalisa, Vairagya Sandipani, Janaki Mangal, Parvati Mangal, and others |
| Honors | Goswami, sant, Abhinavavālmīki, Bhaktaśiromaṇi |
| Language | Awadhi |
Rambola Dubey (Hindi pronunciation: [rɑːməboːlɑː d̪ubeː]; 11 August 1511 – 30 July 1623[1]), known as Tulsidas (Sanskrit pronunciation: [tʊlsiːdaːsaː]),[2] 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 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.[3] The Tulsi Ghat on the Ganges in Varanasi is named after him.[2] He founded the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where he had the sight of the deity.[4] Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaptation of the Ramayana.[5]
He has been acclaimed as one of the greatest poets in Hindi, Indian, and world literature.[6][7][8][9] 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.[5][10][11][12][13][14]
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- ^ pp. 23–34.[citation needed]
- ^ a b de Bruyn, Pippa; Bain, Dr. Keith; Allardice, David; Joshi, Shonar (2010). Frommer's India. Hoboken, New Jersey, United States of America: John Wiley and Sons. p. 471. ISBN 9780470602645.
- ^ Prasad 2008, p. 857, quoting Mata Prasad Gupta: Although he paid occasional visits to several places of pilgrimage associated with Rama, his permanent residence was in Kashi.
- ^ Callewaert, Winand M.; Schilder, Robert (2000). Banaras: Vision of a Living Ancient Tradition. New Delhi, India: Hemkunt Press. p. 90. ISBN 9788170103028.
- ^ a b Handoo 1964, p. 128: ... this book ... is also a drama, because Goswami Tulasidasa started his Ram Lila on the basis of this book, which even now is performed in the same manner everywhere.
- ^ Prasad 2008, p. xii: He is not only the supreme poet, but the unofficial poet-laureate of India.
- ^ Prasad 2008, p. xix: Of Tulasidasa's place among the major Indian poets there can be no question: he is as sublime as Valmiki and as elegant as Kalidasa in his handling of the theme.
- ^ Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Encyclopedia of World Religions) (Hardbound, Illustrated ed.). New York City, United States of America: Infobase Publishing. p. 456. ISBN 9780816054589.
It can be said without reservation that Tulsidas is the greatest poet to write in the Hindi language. Tulsidas was a Brahmin by birth and was believed to be a reincarnation of the author of the Sanskrit Ramayana, Valmikha singh.
- ^ Sahni, Bhisham (2000). Nilu, Nilima, Nilofara (in Hindi). New Delhi, India: Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd. pp. 78–80. ISBN 9788171789603.
- ^ Lutgendorf 1991, p. 11: ... – scores of lines from the Rāmcaritmānas have entered folk speech as proverbs – ...
- ^ Mitra, Swati (5 May 2002). Good Earth Varanasi City Guide. New Delhi, India: Eicher Goodearth Publications. pp. 216. ISBN 9788187780045.
- ^ Subramanian, Vadakaymadam Krishnier (2008). Hymns of Tulsidas. New Delhi, India: Abhinav Publications. pp. 181. ISBN 9788170174967.
Famous classical singers like Paluskar, Anoop Jalota and MS Subbulakshmi have popularised Tulsidas's hymns among the people of India.
- ^ Lutgendorf 1991, p. 411: The hottest-selling recording in the thriving cassette stalls of Banaras in 1984... was a boxed set of eight cassettes comprising an abridged version of the Manas sung by the popular film singer Mukesh... it is impossible to say how many of the sets were sold, but by 1984 their impact was both visible and audible. One could scarcely attend a public or private religious function in Banaras that year without hearing, over the obligatory loudspeaker system, the familiar strains of Murli Manohar Svarup's orchestration and Mukesh's mellifluous chanting.
- ^ Lutgendorf 1991, pp. 411–412: On 25 January 1987, a new program premiered on India's government-run television network, Doordarshan... it was the first time that television was used to present a serialized adaption of a religious epic. The chosen work was the Ramayan and the major source for the screenplay was the Manas. Long before the airing of the main story concluded on 31 July 1988, the Ramayan had become the most popular program ever shown on Indian television, drawing an estimated one hundred million viewers and generating unprecedented advertising revenues. Throughout much of the country, activities came to a halt on Sunday mornings and streets and bazaars took on a deserted look, as people gathered before their own and neighbors' TV sets.... The phenomenal impact of the Ramayan serial merits closer examination than it can be given here, but it is clear that the production and the response it engendered once again dramatized the role of the epic as a principal medium not only for individual and collective religious experience but also for public discourse and social and cultural reflection.