Goswami Tulsidas's Awadhi-bhasha epic (1574–1577 CE). 7 kandas, ~10,902 verses, 1074 dohas — the most-read Hindu scripture in North India today. Composed in 2 years 7 months 26 days starting on Ramnavami, Vikram Samvat 1631 (29 March 1574 CE).
7 kandas — Bala to Uttara
10,902 verses · 1074 dohas
Language — Awadhi-Bhasha (with Braj + Sanskrit-tatsama loans)
Composed — 2 years 7 months 26 days
Goswami Tulsidas (1532–1623)
Goswami Tulsidas · गोस्वामी तुलसीदास
1532–1623 CE (91 years) · Rajapur, Banda district (modern Uttar Pradesh) — though Chitrakoot + Sukar-khet also claim him
Guru: Narharidas (a Ramananda-sampradaya ascetic of the Ramanandi lineage)
Spouse: Ratnavali — whose biting rebuke ("if you loved Rama as you love me, you'd be liberated") triggered Tulsidas's renunciation
Samadhi: Assi Ghat, Varanasi, where Tulsi-Ghat now stands. Samadhi-shrine still active.
Other works — 12 major works including Ramcharitmanas, Vinaya-Patrika, Kavitavali, Gitavali, Dohavali, Krishna-Gitavali, Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman Bahuk, Vairagya-Sandipini, Janaki-Mangal, Parvati-Mangal, Ramagya-Prashna
Composition — Started Ramcharitmanas at Ayodhya on Ramnavami of Vikram Samvat 1631 (1574 CE). Completed in 2 years, 7 months, 26 days. Continued + completed final kandas at Varanasi (Assi Ghat).
Significance — Tulsidas single-handedly made Rama-bhakti the dominant religious mode of the entire Hindi belt. Before him, the masses had no access to the Rama-katha in their own tongue — Sanskrit was inaccessible. His Awadhi made the scripture sing in every village.
"Kirti bhaniti bhuti bhal soi / Surasari sam sab kahan hit hoi" — fame, poetry, prosperity are real only if they benefit all, like the Ganga.
The 7 Kandas
Kanda 1
Bala Kanda · बालकाण्ड
361 dohas
The Childhood — Rama's birth, boyhood, education, marriage
Theme — The longest kanda. Establishes the cosmic frame — Brahma's lament over Ravana's terror, Vishnu's promise to descend, the birth of the four brothers, Vishvamitra's tutelage, and the breaking of Shiva's bow at Mithila that wins Sita's hand.
Key episodes
Brahma + devas approach Vishnu lamenting Ravana's tyranny
Manu + Shatarupa's intense tapas — Vishnu grants the boon to be born as their son
Birth of Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, Shatrughna to Dasharatha's three queens
Vishvamitra arrives at Ayodhya, takes Rama + Lakshmana for yajna-protection
Tadaka slain — Rama's first kill, the demoness blocking the rishis
Marichi + Subahu defeated; Marichi flung 100 yojanas by a bana
Ahalya redeemed — Rama's foot-dust dissolves her stone-curse
Mithila arrived; Sita first sighted in the flower-garden
Pinaka (Shiva-Dhanusha) broken — Sita-svayamvara won
Parashurama's wrath subdued; weddings of all four brothers solemnised
Signature verses
Bala Kanda, Mangalacharan (opening invocation)
मंगल भवन अमंगल हारी।
द्रवहु सुदसरथ अजिर बिहारी॥
Hindi: मंगलों का धाम और अमंगल का नाश करने वाले, हे दशरथ के आँगन में विहार करने वाले श्रीराम! मुझ पर कृपा कीजिए।
English — Abode of all auspiciousness, destroyer of all inauspiciousness — O Rama who plays in Dasharatha's courtyard, melt with compassion upon me.
12 Famous Standalone Verses
Beyond the kanda-embedded signature verses above, these are the chaupais and dohas that have escaped the Manas and circulate as proverbs across the entire Hindi belt.
Bala Kanda — the universal Mangalacharan
मंगल भवन अमंगल हारी।
उमा सहित जेहिं जपत पुरारी॥
Hindi: मंगलों के धाम और अमंगलों के नाश करने वाले उन श्रीराम का जप पुरारि (शिव) उमा-सहित करते रहते हैं।
English — Abode-of-auspiciousness, destroyer-of-inauspiciousness — He whom Shiva-Purari recites along with Uma. (The line every Hindu child first learns.)
Bala Kanda — the saint-asaint discrimination
बंदउँ संत असज्जन चरना।
दुखप्रद उभय बीच कछु बरना॥
Hindi: मैं संतों और असज्जनों — दोनों के चरणों की वंदना करता हूँ; (क्योंकि) दोनों ही, कुछ-कुछ अंतर सहित, दुख देने वाले हैं।
English — I bow to the feet of saints and to the feet of the wicked too — for both, with some difference of degree, cause pain. (Tulsi's most provocative chaupai — read as: saints pain by their absence, the wicked by their presence.)
Bala Kanda — Rama-naam mahatmya
भायँ कुभायँ अनख आलसहूँ।
नाम जपत मंगल दिसि दसहूँ॥
Hindi: अच्छे भाव से, बुरे भाव से, क्रोध से या आलस्य से भी — किसी भी प्रकार से राम-नाम का जप करने पर दसों दिशाओं में मंगल होता है।
English — With love, with reluctance, with anger, even with laziness — by any mode of saying His name, the ten directions are sanctified.
Ayodhya Kanda — Tulsi on the company of saints
एक घड़ी आधी घड़ी आधी मे पुनि आध।
तुलसी संगति साधु की कटै कोटि अपराध॥
Hindi: एक घड़ी, आधी घड़ी, या उसकी आधी — तुलसी कहते हैं — साधु-संगति से करोड़ों अपराध कट जाते हैं।
English — One ghari, half a ghari, or half of that — Tulsi says — the company of a sadhu cuts away ten million sins.
Modern Usage — How the Manas Lives Today
Akhand Ramayan-Path
Continuous 24-hour or 48-hour recitation of the entire Manas — performed at home on auspicious occasions (housewarming, sankalpa-fulfilment, in memory of ancestors). Several reciters take 8-hour shifts; the entire 7-kanda is read aloud cover-to-cover.
Sundara Kanda Tuesdays + Saturdays
Hanuman's days. Lakhs of North-Indian households recite the entire Sundara Kanda (60 dohas) on these two days — believed especially efficacious for removing obstacles, fevers, court-cases, sani-related distress.
Manas Navah-Parayan
9-day parayana — one kanda per day plus repeats — performed during Rama-navami week or in Sawan. Mandirs across UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan host community navah-parayans.
Manas-Sammelans (Manas-conferences)
Annual gatherings of Manas-scholars + reciters — Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Varanasi, Naimisharanya host major sammelans drawing 50,000+ attendees.
Ramlila
The 31-night dramatic enactment of the Manas — especially the famous Ramnagar Ramlila of Varanasi (running continuously since 1830) which uses the Manas verbatim as its script. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2008.
Doha-as-Daily-Wisdom
Tulsidas's dohas function as proverb-equivalents across the Hindi belt. "Dheeraj dharma mitra aru naari, aapad kaal parikhiye chari" is quoted as freely as a Sanskrit subhashita.
Valmiki Ramayana vs Tulsidas's Manas
Both narrate the Rama-katha, yet they are different scriptures with different audiences, theological aims, and aesthetic choices. Tulsidas pulls the narrative into a bhakti-rasa register, makes Hanuman central, and softens the heroic-tragic edges of Valmiki's Sanskrit original.
Aspect
Valmiki Ramayana (Sanskrit)
Tulsidas's Manas (Awadhi)
Language + audience
Sanskrit; intended for Brahmin-recital + courtly audience
Awadhi (vernacular eastern Hindi); intended for everyone, especially the unlettered + women
Theological framing of Rama
Rama is the ideal man (maryada-purushottama) — only later passages (Yuddha Kanda) reveal divinity
Rama is explicitly Para-Brahman from verse 1 — the entire Manas is a bhakti-theology, not a heroic narrative
Sita's role
Heroic queen, faithful + lamenting; the agni-pariksha is climactic
Sita is Bhagavati Maya-Lakshmi; the abducted Sita is a chhaya (shadow), the real Sita rests in fire — a controversial Adhyatma-Ramayana inheritance
Hanuman's centrality
Important but one of many vanara-warriors
The undisputed central devotee — the model bhakta. Tulsidas's other composition (Hanuman Chalisa) makes this explicit
Violence + erotic content
Detailed battle-gore + Surpanakha-attempted-seduction described explicitly
Sanitises both — battles described in dharmic-frame; the Surpanakha episode is brief + euphemistic
Sankaracharya + Ramananda-sampradaya commentaries on the Manas (Manas-piyush, Vinaya-Patrika-bhashya etc.) (16th–20th centuries)
Disclaimer — Awadhi-Bhasha verses and Hindi translations follow public-domain Gita Press editions. English translations are interpretive — Tulsidas's wordplay and metric scheme often defy literal rendering. The 7-kanda structure is canonical; individual verse numbering may vary across editions. The Mandukya-Upanishad-style Vedantic interpretation of Uttara Kanda is one of several traditional readings — Ramananda-sampradaya, Nimbarka, and Vallabha commentators each frame the bhakti-stages differently.
Bala Kanda, Doha 5 — opening definition of the Rama-tattva
सियाराममय सब जग जानी।
करउँ प्रनाम जोरि जुग पानी॥
Hindi: इस सम्पूर्ण जगत को सीताराममय जानकर मैं दोनों हाथ जोड़कर प्रणाम करता हूँ।
English — Knowing the entire universe to be pervaded by Sita-Rama, I bow with both palms joined.
Bala Kanda, Sundarakanda mahatmya-like passage on Rama-naam
राम नाम मनिदीप धरु जीह देहरीं द्वार।
तुलसी भीतर बाहेरहुँ जौं चाहसि उजिआर॥
Hindi: तुलसीदास कहते हैं — यदि भीतर-बाहर दोनों ओर उजाला चाहते हो, तो मुख-द्वार पर जीभ की देहरी रखकर 'राम-नाम' का मणि-दीप जला दो।
English — Place the jewel-lamp of Rama-naam on the doorway of your tongue, says Tulsi — and both inside and outside the house will fill with light.
Kanda 2
Ayodhya Kanda · अयोध्याकाण्ड
326 dohas
The Royal — coronation announced, exile begun, Bharata-paduka
Theme — The most emotionally dense kanda. Dasharatha's intended coronation of Rama is reversed in one night by Kaikeyi's two boons. Rama's serene acceptance of 14-year vanavasa, Sita + Lakshmana's insistence on accompanying him, Dasharatha's heartbreak-death, and Bharata's exemplary refusal of the throne — installing Rama's wooden sandals as the regent at Nandigram.
Manthara poisons Kaikeyi's mind; Kaikeyi demands the two ancient boons
Rama's exile decreed — 14 years to the Dandaka forest, Bharata to the throne
Rama accepts with full equanimity; Sita + Lakshmana refuse to be left behind
Sumantra's chariot-journey + Rama's gentle dismissal of him at the Tamasa
Ganga crossed at Shringaverapura with Guha the Nishada king
Bharadwaja-ashrama visited; Chitrakoot established as the exile-residence
Dasharatha dies of grief calling Rama's name
Bharata returns from Kekaya, refuses Kaikeyi, performs Dasharatha's antyeshti
Bharata at Chitrakoot — receives Rama's paduka (wooden sandals), returns to Nandigram, rules as Rama's proxy for 14 years living as an ascetic
Signature verses
Ayodhya Kanda, Doha 256 — Rama consoles Bharata at Chitrakoot
जासु राज प्रिय प्रजा दुखारी।
सो नृपु अवसि नरक अधिकारी॥
Hindi: जिस राजा के राज्य में प्रजा दुखी हो, वह राजा निश्चय ही नरक का अधिकारी है।
English — A king under whose rule the subjects suffer is certainly destined for hell — Tulsi's tersest statement on raja-dharma.
Ayodhya Kanda, Bharata-Rama samvad
प्रभु तरु तर कपि डार पर ते किए आपु समान।
तुलसी कहूँ न रामसे साहिब सीलनिधान॥
Hindi: प्रभु राम वृक्ष के नीचे थे और वानर डाल पर — फिर भी उन्होंने उन्हें अपने समान बना लिया। तुलसी कहते हैं — राम जैसा शील का भण्डार कोई स्वामी नहीं।
English — The Lord stood beneath the tree, the monkey on a branch above — yet He raised the monkey to His own status. Tulsi says: no master is the ocean-of-virtue that Rama is.
Ayodhya Kanda, Chaupai — Tulsidas's nirvachan on adversity
धीरज धर्म मित्र अरु नारी।
आपद काल परिखिअहिं चारी॥
Hindi: धैर्य, धर्म, मित्र और स्त्री — इन चारों की परीक्षा आपत्ति के समय ही होती है।
English — Patience, dharma, a friend, and a wife — the true measure of these four is taken only in the hour of calamity.
Kanda 3
Aranya Kanda · अरण्यकाण्ड
46 dohas
The Forest — Panchavati, Surpanakha, Sita's abduction
Theme — The shortest kanda after Kishkindha. Rama, Sita + Lakshmana travel deeper south, encounter ascetics + receive divine weapons, then the rupture — Surpanakha's mutilation, Khar-Dushan's army annihilated, and the golden-deer ruse that ends with Sita's abduction. Closes with Jatayu's heroic death and Shabari's devotion.
Key episodes
Atri-Anusuya hermitage — Anusuya gifts Sita divine ornaments + the Pativrata-Gita
Sutikshna's longing, then meeting with Maharshi Agastya who gifts Rama divine bow + quiver
Panchavati on the Godavari is established as residence
Surpanakha's proposal + mutilation by Lakshmana
Khar, Dushana + 14,000 rakshasas slain by Rama alone
Maricha takes the form of the golden deer; Rama pursues
Sita kidnapped — Ravana's deception as a sannyasi at the parnashala
Jatayu the vulture-king fights Ravana, wings hacked, dies in Rama's lap
Kabandha redeemed — directs them to Sugriva
Shabari's matured-tasted-berries (Sabari ke ber) — pinnacle of bhakti
Signature verses
Aranya Kanda, Doha 36 — Rama's nava-dha bhakti to Shabari
नवधा भगति कहउँ तोहि पाहीं।
सावधान सुनु धरु मन माहीं॥
Hindi: हे शबरी! मैं तुझसे नवधा भक्ति कहता हूँ — सावधान होकर सुन और मन में धारण कर।
English — O Shabari, I shall tell you the nine forms of bhakti — listen with attention and hold them in your heart. (The locus-classicus passage on Hindu devotional taxonomy.)
Aranya Kanda, Sabari-bhakti chaupai
जाति पाँति कुल धर्म बड़ाई।
धन बल परिजन गुन चतुराई॥
भगति हीन नर सोहइ कैसा।
बिनु जल बारिद देखिअ जैसा॥
Hindi: जाति, पाँति, कुल, धर्म की बड़ाई, धन, बल, परिवार, गुण, चतुराई — भक्ति के बिना मनुष्य कैसा शोभा देता है? जैसे बिना जल के बादल।
English — Caste, lineage, family, dharma-status, wealth, strength, kin, virtue, cleverness — without bhakti, what does a man look like? Like a cloud without water.
Kanda 4
Kishkindha Kanda · किष्किन्धाकाण्ड
30 dohas
The Monkey Kingdom — Hanuman, Sugriva alliance, search for Sita
Theme — The shortest of the seven kandas. Rama and Lakshmana arrive at Rishyamuka; Hanuman approaches in brahmana-disguise — the first Rama-Hanuman meeting (the seed-moment of the entire bhakti cosmos). Sugriva-Rama alliance sealed, Vali slain, search parties dispatched, Sampati guides them south, Hanuman alone is calculated capable of the 100-yojan leap.
Key episodes
Hanuman in brahmana-rupa approaches Rama — first darshan
Sugriva-Rama agni-sakshi (fire-witness) pact
Vali slain from behind the tree — the only act in the Ramayana that remains ethically debated
Sugriva's coronation at Kishkindha + Tara's lament
Sugriva's lapse into pleasure; Lakshmana's wrath rouses him
Four search-parties dispatched to the four directions
South-party led by Angada includes Hanuman, Jambavan, Nala, Nila
Sampati (Jatayu's elder brother) — wings regrown, points to Lanka
Jambavan reminds Hanuman of his hidden powers; the 100-yojan leap is calculated possible
Signature verses
Kishkindha Kanda, Doha 1 — Hanuman first meets Rama
Hindi: प्रभु को देखकर हनुमान का हृदय हर्षित हो उठा, अंग रोमांचित हो गए — और बिना किसी संशय के वे कौसलाधीश राम के सेवक हो गए।
English — Beholding the Lord, Hanuman's heart leapt in joy, every limb thrilled — and without an atom of hesitation, he became the servant of Kosala's king.
Kishkindha Kanda — Jambavan rouses Hanuman
कवन सो काज कठिन जग माहीं।
जो नहिं होइ तात तुम्ह पाहीं॥
Hindi: हे तात! इस संसार में ऐसा कौन सा कठिन कार्य है, जो आपसे न हो सके?
English — O dear son — what task is there in the world so hard that it cannot be done by you? (Jambavan's awakening-mantra to Hanuman — endlessly quoted as the self-empowerment shloka.)
Kanda 5
Sundara Kanda · सुन्दरकाण्ड
60 dohas
The Beautiful — Hanuman's leap, Sita found, Lanka burned
Theme — The most-recited entire kanda in all of Hinduism. Hanuman's solitary leap across the ocean, his negotiation of Mainaka, Surasa, Simhika, his entry to Lanka as a tiny vanara, his discovery of Sita in the Ashoka-grove, his delivery of Rama's signet ring, his audience with Ravana, his torching of Lanka by his burning tail. Recited every Tuesday + Saturday in lakhs of households across India.
Key episodes
Hanuman's 100-yojan leap — air parts, the mountain Mainaka rises offering rest
Surasa (mother-of-serpents) tests Hanuman — he expands then shrinks to a thumb
Simhika (the shadow-grabbing demoness) killed in mid-air
Lanka entered miniature-form at dusk; Lankini (city-goddess) struck down + blessed
Sita found in Ashok Vatika, surrounded by demonesses
Ravana arrives, threatens Sita with 2-month ultimatum; Trijata's pacifying dream
Hanuman drops Rama's signet ring; identifies himself; gives Sita the message
Sita gives her chudamani (hair-jewel) for Rama
Ashok Vatika destroyed; Akshay-kumar slain; Hanuman captured by Indrajit's brahmastra
Hanuman's tail set ablaze — he burns Lanka, returns with the news
Signature verses
Sundara Kanda, Opening doha — invocation of Hanuman
जामवंत के बचन सुहाए।
सुनि हनुमंत हृदय अति भाए॥
तब लगि मोहि परिखेहु तुम्ह भाई।
सहि दुख कंद मूल फल खाई॥
Hindi: जाम्बवान् के सुहावने वचन सुनकर हनुमान के हृदय में अत्यंत प्रसन्नता हुई। (हनुमान ने कहा —) हे भाइयो, तब तक तुम मेरी प्रतीक्षा करना, दुख सहन करते हुए कंद-मूल-फल खाकर रहना।
English — Hearing Jambavan's gracious words, Hanuman's heart filled with delight. "Brothers," he said, "wait for me — endure, live on roots and fruits — until I return."
Sundara Kanda, Doha 18 — Hanuman delivers Rama's message to Sita
Hindi: हनुमान ने रावण से कहा — यह संसार वन अत्यंत भयानक है, जहाँ वानर (जीव) अनेक संकटों में पड़ा रहता है। भक्ति-हीन होने पर सारे गुण और सुख त्याज्य हैं — इसी कारण प्रभु राम स्नेहपूर्वक स्वयं आये हैं।
English — This forest of saṃsāra is dreadful — the jīva-monkey wanders in it ridden with calamities. Bereft of bhakti, every virtue and pleasure is to be cast off — and for this very reason the Lord Himself has come, full of affection.
Kanda 6
Lanka Kanda · लंकाकाण्ड
121 dohas
The Battle — Setu, war, Ravana slain, Sita restored
Theme — The most action-dense kanda. The Setu-bandh (bridge to Lanka) is built by the vanara-army in 5 days. The 12-day war unfolds — Kumbhakarna woken from his six-month sleep, Indrajit's nagapasha-arrow disables Rama-Lakshmana (rescued by Garuda), the Sanjeevani-mountain episode, the final 18-arrow + Brahmastra-duel of Rama and Ravana. Vibhishana coronated, Sita reunited (after agni-pariksha), Pushpaka-vimana returns to Ayodhya, Hanuman flies ahead with the news.
Key episodes
Vibhishana defects to Rama's side and is accepted
Setu-bandh built across the ocean — Nala + Nila as chief architects
Angada's dūta-mission to Ravana; Angada's planted-foot challenge
Kumbhakarna woken from 6-month sleep, debates Ravana, dies fighting Rama
Indrajit's nagapasha — Rama + Lakshmana bound; Garuda releases them
Indrajit's brahmastra strikes Lakshmana — Sanjeevani-mountain fetched by Hanuman
Indrajit slain by Lakshmana in the third encounter at Nikumbhila
Ravana's final emergence — 9 (some say 18) days of duel with Rama
Ravana's death by the Brahmastra targeted at his navel-amrita
Vibhishana coronated; Sita restored after agni-pariksha; Pushpaka flies to Ayodhya
Signature verses
Lanka Kanda, Doha 87 — Rama before the ocean
बिनय न मानत जलधि जड़ गए तीनि दिन बीति।
बोले राम सकोप तब भय बिनु होइ न प्रीति॥
Hindi: जड़ समुद्र विनय नहीं मानता — तीन दिन यों ही बीत गए। तब राम क्रोध से बोले — बिना भय के प्रीति नहीं होती।
English — The dull ocean would not bend to entreaty — three days passed in vain. Then Rama spoke in wrath: "Without fear, no love arises." (Tulsi's most-quoted maxim on the limits of pure-sweetness.)
Lanka Kanda — the Rama-Ravana duel as Tulsi's cosmic frame
Hindi: विभीषण देखते हैं — रावण रथ पर है, और रघुनाथ पैदल। वे चिंतित होकर राम से कहते हैं —
English — Vibhishana saw: Ravana on a chariot, Raghunatha on bare ground — and asked anxiously how the unequal duel could be won. (Rama's reply on the dharma-ratha follows — the chariot of virtue.)
Lanka Kanda, Rama's dharma-ratha to Vibhishana
सौरज धीरज तेहि रथ चाका।
सत्य सील दृढ़ ध्वजा पताका॥
बल बिबेक दम परहित घोरे।
छमा कृपा समता रजु जोरे॥
Hindi: उस (विजय के) रथ के पहिए हैं — शौर्य और धैर्य; ध्वजा-पताका हैं — सत्य और शील; घोड़े हैं — बल, विवेक, इन्द्रिय-दम और परोपकार; और रस्सियाँ हैं — क्षमा, कृपा और समता।
English — On the chariot-of-dharma: courage and patience are the wheels; truth and good-conduct the flags; strength, discernment, sense-control, and benevolence are the horses; forgiveness, compassion, and equanimity are the reins. (The Vijay-Ratha-Varnan — Tulsi's ethical manifesto in eight chaupais.)
Kanda 7
Uttara Kanda · उत्तरकाण्ड
130 dohas
The Conclusion — Ram-rajya, Kakbhushundi-Garuda, 7 questions on bhakti
Theme — The philosophical capstone. Bharata-Milap at Nandigram, the formal Ram-rajyabhishek, and the description of 14,000 years of Ram-Rajya — Tulsidas's utopian template. The bulk of the kanda is then the Kakbhushundi-Garuda samvada: the eternal crow-narrator answers Garuda's 7 questions about Rama-bhakti. The 11 stages of bhakti are laid out — culminating in the para-bhakti stage where the bhakta sees the entire universe as Rama. Closes with Tulsi-anand's recap.
Key episodes
Bharata-milap at Nandigram — Bharata's 14-year tapas ended
Rama-rajyabhishek formally performed; all four brothers + Hanuman + Vibhishana attend
Ram-Rajya described — 14,000 years of perfect dharmic rule, no disease, no premature death, no poverty
Hanuman remains in Ayodhya as Rama's permanent associate
Kakbhushundi (the immortal crow-rishi) recounts the entire Manas to Garuda on Mount Nilagiri
Garuda asks 7 questions on Rama-bhakti — the philosophical core of the Manas
The 11 stages of bhakti (ekadasha-bhakti) explicated — from satsang to para-bhakti
हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता।
कहहिं सुनहिं बहुबिधि सब संता॥
Hindi: हरि अनंत हैं, हरि की कथा भी अनंत है। सब संत उसे अनेक प्रकार से कहते-सुनते रहते हैं।
English — The Lord is infinite; the Lord's story is infinite. Saints recount it and listen to it in countless ways. (The single most-quoted Manas-doha in modern preaching — also Tulsi's licence to a thousand retellings.)
Uttara Kanda, Ram-Rajya varnan
दैहिक दैविक भौतिक तापा।
राम राज नहिं काहुहि ब्यापा॥
सब नर करहिं परस्पर प्रीती।
चलहिं स्वधर्म निरत श्रुति नीती॥
Hindi: रामराज्य में किसी को भी दैहिक, दैविक और भौतिक — ये तीनों ताप व्यापते नहीं थे। सब मनुष्य परस्पर प्रेम से रहते थे और श्रुति-निर्दिष्ट स्वधर्म में रत रहते थे।
English — In Ram-Rajya the three afflictions — bodily, divine-natural, and material — touched no one. All people lived in mutual love, abiding in the dharma-prescribed by the shrutis.
Uttara Kanda — the 11th + supreme stage of bhakti (Nava-dha extended)
मम दरसन फल परम अनूपा।
जीव पाव निज सहज सरूपा॥
Hindi: मेरे दर्शन का फल परम अनुपम है — जीव अपना सहज स्वरूप पा जाता है।
English — The fruit of My darshana is supremely incomparable — the jīva attains its own natural form. (The advaita-edge of Tulsi's bhakti — Rama-darshana = atma-sākṣātkāra.)
Aranya Kanda — Sabari ke Ber (the tasted-berries icon)
कंद मूल फल सुरस अति दिए राम कहुँ आनि।
प्रेम सहित प्रभु खाए बारंबार बखानि॥
Hindi: शबरी ने अति रसीले कंद, मूल और फल राम को लाकर दिए। प्रभु ने उन्हें प्रेमपूर्वक बार-बार बखानते हुए खाया।
English — Shabari brought the most flavoursome roots, tubers, and berries to Rama. The Lord ate them with love, praising each one again and again. (The most-iconic Hindu image of devotion-trumping-ritual.)
Kishkindha Kanda — Hanuman's birth-of-confidence
राम काज लगि तव अवतारा।
सुनतहिं भयउ पर्बताकारा॥
Hindi: (जाम्बवान् ने कहा —) हे हनुमान! आपका अवतार राम के कार्य के लिए ही हुआ है। यह सुनते ही हनुमान पर्वत के समान आकार धारण कर लिए।
English — "Your very birth was for Rama's work" — hearing this, Hanuman instantly grew to the size of a mountain. (The seed of every Hanuman-Chalisa verse.)
Sundara Kanda — Hanuman's tail-burning declaration
Hindi: जिन्होंने श्रीहरि के कोमल कमल-चरणों की सेवा की है, उन्हें अग्नि कैसे जला सकती है?
English — Those who have served the soft lotus-feet of Hari — how can fire ever touch them? (Hanuman's protective-mantra as his tail burns Lanka but not him.)
Sundara Kanda — Hanuman returning with the news
कह हनुमंत बिपति प्रभु सोई।
जब तव सुमिरन भजन न होई॥
Hindi: हनुमान ने कहा — हे प्रभु! वही विपत्ति है, जब आपका स्मरण और भजन न हो।
English — Hanuman said — "O Lord, that alone is calamity: when remembrance and recitation of You are absent."
Lanka Kanda — Mandodari's wisdom to Ravana
जाकें जिय ऐसी मति भाई।
ते सठ कत हठ चलहिं गोसाईं॥
Hindi: (मन्दोदरी ने रावण से कहा —) जिनके हृदय में ऐसी मति आ बैठी हो, हे स्वामी! वे मूर्ख हठ क्यों न करेंगे?
English — (Mandodari to Ravana) — "When such a mind is settled in the heart, master, why would the fool not insist on his folly?" (Tulsi's most acid line on the unredeemability of fixed-ego.)
Hindi: श्रवण, कीर्तन, स्मरण — इन भक्तियों का बखान किया गया है। इस कलियुग में इनके अतिरिक्त कोई दूसरा उपाय नहीं है।
English — Hearing, singing, and remembrance — these forms of bhakti are extolled. In this Kali-yuga there is no other means. (Tulsi's Kali-yuga-prescription.)
Tulsidas's closing benediction (final doha of the Manas)
The de-facto Ramayana of all of North India — recited daily in millions of homes, sung at Ramlilas, broadcast on Doordarshan (Ramanand Sagar 1987 used Manas as script)
