Reading the Ramcaritmanas: A Companion to the Awadhi Ramayana of Tulsidas

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The Ramcaritmānas of Tulsidas, begun in 1574 CE, is the most widely known and best loved devotional text in the whole of the north Indian vernacular tradition. Still widely read today-typically with the help of modern commentaries-it is also the subject of public performance styles that have brought it to the widest possible audiences. A source of inspiration and comfort to countless millions over the centuries, the Manas stands as the classic exemplar of the Ramayana tradition for speakers of Hindi and its dialects.

The book in your hand introduces Tulsi's Awadhi masterpiece to readers who are already at home in modern standard Hindi. Introductory chapters outline the significance of the text, analyse Tulsi's Awadhi and his poetic metres, summarise the narrative, and offer a close reading of a key passage. The main section of the book features selections from all seven chapters of the Manas, with the shortest one (Kişkindhākānd, on events in the monkey kingdom) appearing in full; the copiously annotated English translations are designed to reflect the originals as closely as possible, and are followed by a comprehensive etymological glossary.

Rupert Snell is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and previously taught at SOAS, University of London. His Hindi textbooks are in wide use, and many of his teaching materials are available on the website of the erstwhile Hindi Urdu Flagship, of which he was Director. His books on literature include The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhāsā Reader (1991); In the Afternoon of Time (1998; a translation of the autobiography of Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan); and Poems from the Satsai (2021; translations of Braj couplets by Biharilal). Forthcoming works include The Self and the World: Autobiographical Readings in Hindi; and Lines Before a Hanging, a translation of the autobiography of Ramprasad 'Bismil. A current project has the working title The Lucent Moon: Aesthetics and Style in Old Hindi Poetry.

Neha Tiwari's interest in languages and cultures drew her to the field of language learning and pedagogy after she graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2008. She offers online courses in Hindi, Urdu, Awadhi, Sanskrit, and Persian, while also pursuing her own studies in these and other languages, and in linguistics; she has worked with students, colleagues, and professionals from numerous universities and organisations across the world. Formerly a director at Zabaan School for Languages, New Delhi, Neha is currently pursuing a Masters in South Asian languages and literature from Ghent University, Belgium.

APPROACHING THE RAMCARITMANAS

Rama, prince of Ayodhya, is held to be a modality of the supreme being, and the Ramcantmanas, a celebrated sixteenth-century Ramayana? by Tulsidas that tells his story, is the most widely revered text in the whole of north Indian vernacular literature. Tulsi began writing his 'Sacred Lake of Rama's Deeds in 1574 CE, adopting and enhancing the Awadhi dialect spoken in the eastern part of today's Uttar Pradesh. He lent Awadhi a rich infusion of Sanskritic vocabulary, taking his poem to audiences well beyond the dialect's own region. Today's Hindi speakers may often rely on modern commentaries to explain the nuances of the Minas (as Tulsi himself calls his poem); but within it they still find a true rade mecum, a guide to life in and beyond the world.

Reading the Ramcaritmanas analyses the inner life and the poetics of this sublime poem. It encourages readers to maintain high expectations of Tulsi's text, recognising that its ten thousand lines have been a source of inspiration. solace, and delight to readers and audiences for close to half a millennium. Tulsi's immortal work is a fount of good counsel, an arbiter of morality, and a cornucopia of delights, insights, and epiphanies In the words of a like- minded correspondent, 'Manas is like a container where everything you know and feel has found its place And like all great works of literature, it is best experienced in its own language.