Tulsidas Meets Hanuman

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know who wrote the Ramcharitmanas - the Hindi Ramayana that millions of people read?"

Guddu: "Tulsidas, right?"

Dadi: "Correct! But do you know how his life began? With thirty-two teeth and saying "Ram" instead of crying!"

Guddu: "Babies don't have teeth!"

Dadi: "This baby did! His mother carried him for twelve months instead of nine. When he was born, he didn't cry like other babies - he said "Ram!" That's why they called him Rambola, "the one who speaks Ram's name.""

Guddu: "That's amazing!"

Dadi: "He grew up and got married to a beautiful woman named Ratnavali. But Tulsidas was so attached to her that he couldn't stay away even for a day."

Guddu: "Is this the snake and corpse story?"

Dadi: "Yes! When his wife said those harsh words - "If you loved Lord Rama half as much as my body, you'd be free" - it transformed him. He became a saint."

Guddu: "Then what happened?"

Dadi: "He went to Varanasi and started writing poetry in Sanskrit. But every night, all his verses would disappear!"

Guddu: "Disappear? Like magic?"

Dadi: "For eight nights this happened. On the eighth night, Lord Shiva himself came in Tulsidas's dream and said: "Write in the people's language, not Sanskrit. Everyone should understand Ram's story.""

Guddu: "So he wrote in Hindi!"

Dadi: "In Awadhi, a kind of Hindi. He started writing on Ram Navami - Lord Rama's birthday - in Ayodhya. He wrote in Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Chitrakoot."

Guddu: "How long did it take?"

Dadi: "Two years, seven months, and twenty-six days. He finished on the day of Rama and Sita's wedding anniversary!"

Guddu: "That's so perfect!"

Dadi: "The name "Ramcharitmanas" means "Lake of Rama's Deeds." Just like a lake is full of beautiful water where everyone can come drink, this book is full of wisdom where everyone can find peace."

Guddu: "Did people like it?"

Dadi: "Beta, to this day, millions read it every day! In 2024, it was added to UNESCO's special list of important world documents. Mahatma Gandhi read it when he was in prison."

Guddu: "Even Gandhi!"

Dadi: "Tulsidas also wrote the Hanuman Chalisa - those 40 verses praising Hanuman that we chant. He started the Ramlila plays that happen every Dussehra. And he built the Sankat Mochan Temple in Varanasi."

Guddu: "One man did all that?"

Dadi: "One man whose life began with his wife's harsh truth. Sometimes the most painful words lead to the most beautiful creations, beta. Tulsidas was embarrassed and hurt that night. But that hurt became the fuel for centuries of devotion."

Guddu: "So bad things can lead to good things?"

Dadi: "Often the best things, beta. Pain can be a doorway if you walk through it with faith. Tulsidas walked through his pain and came out singing songs that still heal hearts today."