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Indian PhilosophyOS

Bhakti traditions · Epics & Puranas (Itihasa-Purana)

तुलसीदास

Tulsidas

c. 1532–1623 CE; his birth date is debated, with some traditions placing it earlier.
Editorial overview

Historical context

Tulsidas was a poet-saint of North India devoted to Rama, who lived mostly in Varanasi and Ayodhya. His Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Rama story in the Awadhi language, became one of the most widely recited religious works in North India and remains central to popular devotion and performance such as the Ramlila. Much of the traditional biography is hagiographical. His retelling draws on the Valmiki Ramayana, the Adhyatma Ramayana and other sources, and presents Rama as the supreme God.

Core ideas

  • Devotion (bhakti) to Rama as the supreme God, accessible to all
  • The power of the divine Name, which the Ramcharitmanas praises as even greater than the form of God
  • Dharma and devotion united: Rama as the ideal of right conduct and as the object of love
  • Humility and surrender to God's grace
  • A harmonising outlook that honours Shiva and integrates non-dual and devotional vocabulary

Major works

TextरामचरितमानसRamcharitmanasTulsidas's Awadhi retelling of the Rama story, in which the whole narrative is an expression of devotion to Rama.

Also: Vinaya Patrika · Kavitavali · Gitavali · Dohavali · Hanuman Chalisa (traditionally attributed; some scholars question the attribution)

Concepts

Conceptभक्तिBhakti — devotionLoving devotion to God, as a path and as an end in itself.Conceptप्रेमPrema — divine lovePure, selfless love for God — for many bhakti traditions the highest goal, beyond even liberation.ConceptशरणागतिSharanagatiTaking refuge in God; total surrender.ConceptलीलाLila — divine playCreation as God's spontaneous play rather than an act of need.Conceptधर्मDharmaWhat upholds — order, duty, right conduct, and the nature of things.ConceptमायाMayaThe power of appearance — why the world seems other than it is.Conceptअनुग्रहAnugraha — graceDivine grace — God's freely given favour that frees the soul.

Lineage of ideas

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Related thinkers

वाल्मीकिValmiki

Traditions

भक्तिBhakti traditionsइतिहास-पुराणEpics & Puranas (Itihasa-Purana)