Ramacaritamanas: First Ever Exhaustive English Commentary in 8 Volumes of Tulsidas Ramayana

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Ramcharitmanas by Goswami Tulsidas is a highly revered and the holiest of all the versions of the divine Story of Lord Ram, universally known as the Ramayana. It derives its unique value of holiness, divinity and authenticity primarily because it was first conceived by Lord Shiva during his meditation, and subsequently revealed to goddess Parvati; from there it came down to us orally through a chain of exalted sages such as Kaagbhusund, Yagyawalkya and Bharadwaj, and finally, to our good fortune, in the form of a 'written word' by Tulsidas who himself heard it from his guru. The 'written version' of Lord Ram's divine story ensured that it retained its original purity, authenticity, pristine beauty and charm, without being subjected to tweaking, interpolation or distortion of any kind in times to come. Ramcharitmanas is remarkable in a variety of ways: (a) It is written in perfect grammar using a style of composition known as Chaupai and Doha. The remarkable thing is that these verses are so melodious and versatile that they can be easily adapted to suit different systems of Indian classical music, and sung using a variety of tunes and musical instruments. (b) Its beginning, i.e. the first half of Baal Kand (Canto no. 1), is quite unique in the sense that it acts as an initiation process by first introducing the reader to the importance and spiritual value of the story, then going on to narrate how and why this book is so holy and revered, followed by three important episodes that form the backdrop of the story itself. First is the detailed narration of Lord Shiva's marriage with goddess Parvati, telling us the perils of disbelieving on the holiness of Lord Ram, and how Lord Shiva revealed the story of the Ram Charit Manas to Parvati to calm her tormented soul; the second is the episode of sage Narad's infatuations that deluded him so much that he cursed Lord Vishnu; and the third is the narrative of how the righteous king Pratap Bhanu became the demon king Ravana. (c) The end of the Book follows the pattern of the Upanishads: The second half of Uttar Kand (the last Canto no. 7) is a conversation between sage Kaag- bhusund and Garud, wherein the spiritual philosophy and the importance of the stellar spiritual virtues of Bhakti, i.e. love, affection, submission and devotion for Lord Ram, the Supreme Being in a human form, are explained in great detail.

The present edition examines the entire text of Ramcharitmanas in a fine, detailed commentary presented in a comprehensive and analytical way, using a lot of references and detailed explanations to make the reader acquire an in-depth and wide-angle knowledge of this magnificent book that is soaked in the sweet nectar of Bhakti for Lord Ram, the Supreme Being who came down to live among us to bless all creatures of this world personally, as well as to set an example of a life marked by the virtues of righteousness, probity, propriety, morality and goodness.

The English language would enable this Gem-of-a-Book to be easily accessible to and readable by the world at large, overcoming the inherent obstacle of the vernacular language that may have prevented its spread and reach amongst the readers of the world who would now be able to enjoy the pleasure and the sweetness that comes by enabling the soul to interact with the divinity in a subtle way by reading a Holy Book dedicated to Lord Ram.

Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia born on 8th August 1955 in Burdwan district of West Bengal, is a humble and unpretentious bachelor residing in the holy pilgrim city of Ayodhya who has dedicated his entire life in the service of his Lord Ram.

The classical epic known as the "Sri Ram Charit Manas" (pronounced "Sri Rama Carita Manasa") was written by Goswami Tulsidas (birth: Hindu Samvat 1589/1532 A.D; death: Samvat 1680/A.D. 1623), who was a great saint-poet of India and a prolific narrator of the divine Story of Lord Ram, for besides the Ram Charit Manas he had also written other wonderful books on the theme of the Ramayana.

The 'Sri Ram Charit Manas' is a masterpiece of devotional literature ever written in India; it's the greatest devotional piece of literature written in the vernacular. Basically it is an ancient Story that describes the life, time and deeds of Lord Ram, who was an incarnation of the Supreme Lord God in a human form.

This Book, 'Sri Ram Charit Manas', has no parallel in the world of devotional and spiritual literature with regard to the beauty, charm and magnificence of its poetry, the melody inherent in its verses and style of composition, as well as for the immensity and depth of its devotional message, the countless gems of wisdom and practical advice for leading a good life of righteousness and auspiciousness that it contains, and for the fountain of spiritual and metaphysical knowledge that sprouts from its pages.

One fascinating and singularly magical aspect of Ram Charit Manas is that it has been interpreted and explained by countless teachers in their own way throughout its existence, but still there seems to be no end of the way it can be interpreted and explained in a newer way, for no one interpretation, explanation or exposition seems to be complete, leaving the Epic Book open to further exploration.

Another wonderful and wondrous aspect of Ram Charit Manas is that it is equally charming for a person whether that person is narrating the story himself, or is hearing it being narrated by someone else. This is evident when we see the case of Lord Shiva; he was the creator of this divine story, and he had narrated it first to his consort Uma, and then to the saintly crow Kaagbhusund¹. But later on we learn that Lord Shiva becomes a listener himself, and enjoyed it thoroughly: he visits the hermitage of the saintly crow Kaagbhusund to hear it, as well as to the hermitage of sage Agastya to do so on another occasion³. [Refer: Ram Charit Manas, 'Baal Kand, Chaupai line nos. 3-4 that precede Doha no. 30; 2Uttar Kand, Chaupai line no. 2 that precedes Doha no. 55-to Doha no. 57; Baal Kand, Chaupai line nos. 1-5 that precede Doha no. 48.]