Bhakthi rathnakara- 3. Tulasidas- Tulasi has darsan of Sreerama

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Tulasi has darsan of Sreerama

 

Tulasidas was full of expectations

of the arrival of Rama. He was thinking how Rama would come to him, whether he

will be dressed in hermit's robes or would come as Rajarama with bow in hand etc.

He doubted whether Rama would care to appear before him but was comforted because

Hanuman has reassured him. He imagined how he would enjoy the darsan of Rama

and how he would fall at His feet and catch them asking for surrender. When he was

chanting and singing Ramanama and dancing with joy he saw two horses coming

from the top of the Ramagiri mountain. On the horses sat two kings dressed in

their royal attire with turban and all but Tulasi who has seen many kings in

his time was not impressed by them and they drove past him smiling at him.

 

After some time Hanuman came to him and asked

whether he saw Rama and Lakshmana. When Tulasi said that he did not see them,Hanuman

said that they two came to him a little while ago on horseback. Tulasi was disheartened

that he did not recognize them thinking that they were just two kings. It was

because he imagined that Rama would come wearing a crown made of gems and with ornaments

on his chest and wielding bow and arrow etc. Hanuman told him that Rama could

come in any form He pleases and not necessarily in the form Tulasi expected .Tulasi

entreated Hanuman to have mercy on him and bless him for the darsan of Rama once

more, saying that he would not be deceived again, no matter in whatever form Rama

and Lakshmana may come. Then Hanuman

told him to go and take bath in river Mandakini and do ramayanaparayana and

Rama would come.

 

Tulasi did as he was told. When

he was chanting the chapter before the advent of Bharatha in which Rama and Lakshman were described as residing

in Chithrakoota bathing in the river Mandakini, he saw two young men coming out of the river

after bath One was dark and another was fair skinned and the dark youth came to

him and asked him to put tilakam on his forehead with gobichandan. When Tulasidas

took the chin of the youth to put tilaka on his forehead he forgot everything

and Rama took the gobichandan and marked His own forehead and also of Tulasi. A

parrot was singing on the tree ( it was Hanuman) that, in Chithrakoota sages are

assembled, Tulasi was preparing gobichnadan and Rama was putting tilaka on him.

This Tulasi recounts in his doha,

 

 

Chithrakootake ghaatabhara

bheesandhanakeebheer

Thulasidhaasakechandhanakise thilaka

dhe dha ragubheera

 

Then Tulasi realized that it was

Rama Himself with Lakshmana and he embraced both of them. The next moment they

were gone. Tulasi was grief-stricken

that he did not fall at the feet of Rama and lamented about it to Hanuman who

came there to ask him whether he saw Rama. Then Hanuman said that Rama would

never leave him again and disappeared.