Tulsidas, or more popularly called as Goswami Tulsidas, was a great saint and poet known as the author of Sri Ramcharitmanas, one of the greatest work of Hindu literature. Not just India, but Tulsidas has been established as one of the greatest poets in the world literature as well.
Every year, his birth anniversary is observed as Tulsidas Jayanti and is celebrated by the people with great cheer and devotion Let us know more about Tulsidas Jayanti 2023 like how it is celebrated, what are his history and achievements, etc from this article.
Tulsidas Jayanti 2023 Date
According to the Hindu calendar, Tulsidas was born on on the seventh day of the shukla paksha in the month of Shravan. This day usually falls in the July or August month of the Gregorian calendar. Tulsidas Jayanti will fall on Wednesday, 23rd August.
Life History of Goswami Tulsidas
Tulsidas was born in Rajapur village of Uttar Pradesh to Atmaram and Hulasi Devi in the year 1532. It is said that Tulsidas was born with 32 teeth in his mouth and instead of crying after birth, he said his first words as Rama. Due to this, he began to be called as Rambola. Only after 4 days of his birth, Rambola was abandoned by his parents and sent away with the house maid who looked after him. After she died 5 years later, Tulsidas was adopted by Narharidas, a Vaishnava ascetic of Ramananda’s monastic order where his religious and spiritual learning began. His name Tulsidas was given to him by Narharidas himself. Tulsidas died at the of 126 on Assi Ghat, a bank of river Ganga in Varanasi.
There is a story about how Tulsidas was very affectionate of his wife Ratnavali that he once swam the Yamuna river to see her when she went to her father’s house. Infuriated by this, Ratnavali told Tulsidas that if he had shown this affection for Lord Rama instead of her, he would have attained moksha (salvation) by now. Upon hearing this, Tulsidas left her and went to Prayag to live a life like ascetic. He started worshiping Lord Rama with utmost devotion and started a new religious life from then onward. However, there are some scholars who believe that Tulsidas was never married and led a life of bachelor.
Notable works of Goswami Tulsidas
Many people believe that Tulsidas was the incarnation of Maharishi Valmiki who wrote the original Ramayana which was in Sanskrit language. When Tulsidas studied Ramayana, he found that the book can only be read by scholars and is not accessible to the masses. So, Tulsidas rewrote the story of the Ramayana in Awadhi which came to be called as Ramcharitmanas, a holy book that can be read by not just scholars but normal people as well. Many people believe that Tulsidas was assisted by Lord Hanuman himself while composing the Ramcharitmanas. And not just this, it is believed that he was given darshan by Lord Rama Himself.
It is also believed that Tulsidas founded the famous Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Varanasi and also wrote the Hanuman Chalisa. Tulsidas also started the tradition of Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaption of the Ramayana. People also believe him to be a person of miracle and it is said that he once brought a dead Brahmin back to life.
Other than Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas is also attributed with twelve other works, most of them dedicated to Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman. These works have been classified in two major groups as given below.
- Awadhi works- Ramcharitmanas, Ramlala Nahachhu, Barvai Ramayan, Parvati Mangal, Janaki Mangal and Ramagya Prashna
- Braja works- Krishna Gitavali, Gitavali, Sahitya Ratna, Dohavali, Vairagya Sandipani and Vinaya Patrika
Celebration of Tulsidas Jayanti
In the honor of all the notable work that Tulsidas did in his life time, Tulsidas Jayanti is celebrated. Poeple all over India observe this day with great zeal and excitement. Recital of Ramcharitmanas and other literary works of Tulsidas is performed at temples, homes and other places of gathering.
People visit temples of Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman on this day and offer prayers to them as well. Many temples of Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman have placed idols of Tulsidas. There is also a ritual of giving donations to Brahmins and offering food and clothes to the poor and hungry.
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