The life and work of the great soul whose birthday we joyously celebrate on this auspicious seventh day of the month of Sravan, are themselves rich legacies left by the saint-poet to us of the present-day. In this connection we have to take careful note of one special point regarding the origin of his greatest work Tulsi-Ramayana, popularly known as Ramacharita-Manas.
This much-venerated scripture was started by Tulsidas upon one Sri Rama Navami Day, and it is said that on that particular Sri Rama Navami Day the heavenly bodies presented the exact identical conjunctions and astronomical juxtapositions as were present upon the actual day of Bhagavan Sri Rama's Avatar upon earth, many thousands of years ago.
Thus it may be said that in the birth of this inspiring and life-transforming poetical work of the great Tulsi Das, we have a reincarnation of that very divinity (this time in a different form) as appeared in the person of Lord Rama previously.
The sacred Ramacharita Manas is, therefore, Bhagavan Sri Rama Himself manifesting and expressing through the written word. Saint Tulsi Das himself was fully aware of this fact, for he states in unmistakable terms: "That man who recites or listens to or sings the lifestory of the ornament of Raghu's Race (Rama) gets cleansed of all impurities of this iron age and without difficulty attains straight-away to the divine abode of Lord Rama."
Study of this rare treasure is, therefore, like unto a dip in the transcendental ocean of Satchidananda itself. It is a nectarine lake bathing in which you attain freedom from all afflictions and casting aside the shackles of birth and death, you rise up into the realm of eternal bliss and immortality. The life of this great saint is filled with a number of inspiring incidents which come as a flood of light revealing to us certain lofty truths of spiritual life.
Upon one occasion the jealous enemies of the saintly Tulsi Das wished to destroy the precious manuscripts then being written day-by-day, by the saint. They hired two murderous ruffians for this purpose, who were to break into the house of Tulsi Das at dead of night and bring away the manuscripts.
When these fierce felons had gained entrance into his abode on a dark night and were stealthily moving towards the altar wherein the manuscripts reposed, lo, two shining youths with blazing eyes and angered looks confronted them with drawn bows wherein glittered sharp and deadly arrows ready poised to spring forth upon the midnight marauders and make quick end of them, then and there. The ruffians were struck down with fear.
They cry out in terror, run up to the sleeping saint and fall at his feet entreating him to protect their lives. They cry: "Oh, sire, save us, oh, save us from these wrathful, young warriors with terrific looks." Thus, it was that in the life of this great saint a tangible presence and the ever-protecting hand of the Lord was a living fact. Similarly did the divine presence come visibly to his aid, when the then emperor tried to persecute the saint.
The Lord Hanuman assumed innumerable forms so devastated the capital that the emperor had to come to his knees and ask pardon of saint Tulsi Das. The declaration of the Lord in the Gita that he ever abides by those, who constantly think of Him is practically demonstrated in the experience of Tulsi Das.
In his inspiring life, again, we have the evidence of the power of the divine name. Being the ardent votary of Ram-Nam Tulsi Das performed the unbelievable miracle of bringing back to life a dead man through the power of Nama-Kirtan.
Man can do almost anything, but to give life to the dead is the prerogative of Lord alone. But the Lord showed through his devotee that He and His Divine Name are one and the same. Through the power of the Name the Lord enabled Tulsi Das to do what He alone could do.
By this he had proved for us that the practice of the divine name alone is sufficient to make a man divine. As a youth, Tulsi Das was attached to his beautiful wife. But one day a small incident opened his eye to the folly and he was transformed into young Sadhu with his determination and dispassion fully awakened and thirsting for the realization of his true Beloved, the Lord Himself.
This was possible, because within him Tulsi Das had already the faculty of Viveka in all its fulness though dormant and inactive due to ignorance. It was like dry gun powder all ready to be fired. The one incident acted as a spark to awaken the blaze.
But the ordinary man, who has neglected to develop this precious faculty of Viveka and Vichara gets any number of awakening knocks, warnings and frequent reminders from nature, but yet he continues to be the same man.
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