Tulsis Works

The works of Tulsidas are about Sri Ram, with two exceptions: Krishna-gitavali and Parvati-mangal. Tulsidas?s magnum opus, the Ramcharitmanas, is the story of Sri Ram retold in mellifluous language

an outburst of bhakti based on his own spiritual experiences. Although the origin of the Ramcharitmanas lies in the Valmiki Ramayana, its immediate source is the Adhyatma Ramayana. What are the differences between these two Ramayanas?

The Valmiki Ramayana is ancient, has 24,000 verses, and depicts Rama as the epitome of human perfection. The much shorter Adhyatma Ramayana, a part of the Brahmanda Purana, is of a later period. It depicts Rama as Brahman itself, and is an excellent confluence of Advaita Vedanta philosophy and the Valmiki Ramayana.

The character Ravana in the Valmiki Ramayana is a plain villain, symbolic of vice in an ordinary human being. By contrast, the Ravana of the Adhyatma Ramayana longs for liberation through confrontation with Rama, which is described as vidvesha bhakti.
Ramcharitmanas means the lake of the deeds of Ram. The entire story is a narration by Shiv to Parvati. Manas here denotes a lake conceived in the mind of Shiv. Like the other Ramayanas, the Ramcharitmanas also contains seven kandas. On literary merit, it can be compared with the Sanskrit works of Kalidasa. According to Vishwanath,

Tulsidas has packed into this single work all the drama and variety of emotions, moods, and judgements that Shakespeare spread out across his thirty-seven plays. In addition, he depicts how one ought to be.

It is written in Awadhi, or Baiswari the dialect of the Awadh region mainly in the chaupai and doha metres, and is sung to a sweet and captivating tune. It not only provides a philosophical outlook on life through its enthralling poetry, but is also a powerful tool for lila chintan, or thinking of the exploits and glories of God, which is an efficacious method of sadhana.