Bhakthirathnakara- 3.Tulsidas- Tulasi become Tulasidas

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Tulasi becames Tulasidas

 

Narahari

took Tulasi to Ayodhya once. The scenes that appeared to Tulasi were

quite different than what it was for others. He saw only the characters of

Ramayana everywhere and was in ecstasy. Then

Narahari took him to Banares. There a saint called Seshasananathana saw

the tejas of Tulasi and kept him near. There Tulasi learnt much from the

learned pundits of Banares.

 

Once some people from Rajapur,

the native village

of Tulasi came to Banares.

Seeing him full of tejas, the elder of the village asked him to come with them

to the village since it was ruined due to the ill-will the people bore towards

the child of Athmaram Dhube and his wife Hulasi. Tulasi understood that they

were referring to his parents as he could see everything that happened through

his yogic power. After doing the obsequies to his father in Ganges Tulasi went

with them to the village which was in complete ruin. There was a tulsi plant

which was faded out in front of the house of his parents and Tulasi went round

it chanting Ramayana and it flourished and the whole village became prosperous

again after his arrival.

 

Tulasi stayed there on being

requested by the people and gave expositions on Ramayana, narrating the truths

from the upanshads and puranas which he learnt from the pundits of Banares. His

lectures became popular and people came from nearby villages to hear him. There

was one Govardhanadhari who came from another village who stayed permanently

there enamoured with the discourses of Tulasi. He had a very attractive daughter who was also very

learned and intelligent. She even prompted him about the quotations from the

Upanishads at times. Tulasi became drawn towards her both by her beauty and

wisdom. Finally he married her.

 

Tulasi was very happy with Vidya ( Mamatha in some versions) his wife attracted by her in all respects as

she used to discuss with him about Vedas, sastras and puranas. It was a miracle

even to her father how she learnt all that. She was believed to be the amsa of

Sarasvati who took the form to awake the devotional fervour in Tulasi to enable

him to write the Ramacharithamanas later. Once Vidya went to the house of her

father for some religious festival. Tulasi gave her permission with a condition

that she should return in two days. But when he took any book to read he always

used to remember what she had said or what she would have said in that context

and he could not concentrate on anything. He thought of her always and could

not stay without her and started to go to the village where her father was.

 

It was midnight and rain was pouring. Tulasi

was soaked when he reached the house of Govardhanadhari. He found that all

doors were locked and when he knocked no one could hear because of the heavy

rain. He saw a rope hanging from a tree near the wall and he climbed in by the

rope and got into the house. He went and woke his wife who was shocked to find

him in that condition and chided him for the physical craving he had for her.

In the morning she found out that the rope through which he came in was a snake

which died in the process. She asked him that if he had half the love towards

Rama whom he worshipped he would have reached exalted state. This opened his

eyes and Tulasi became Tulasidas.