Ramcharitmanas

Why in news?

• Bihar Education Minister Chandra Shekhar stoked a controversy after he claimed that Ramcharitmanas, an epic Hindu religious book which is based on Ramayana, “spreads hatred in the society”.

About Ramcharitmanas:

• Ramcharitmanas is an epic poem in the Awadhi language composed by the 16th-century bhakti poet Tulsidas.
• It is divided into seven chapters (Kand) that tell the story of Lord Ram from birth to his becoming King of Ayodhya.
• The Ramcharitmanas is based on the Ramayana, sage Valmiki’s great epic.
• It is one of the holiest book of the Indo-Gangetic region.
• It is considered by many as a work belonging to the Saguna school of the Bhakti movement.

About Tulsidas:

• Tulsidas, born Rambola Dubey; was a 16^th century Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama.
• He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but is best known as the author of the Hanuman Chalisa and of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana based on Rama's life in the vernacular Awadhi.
• Tulsidas spent most of his life in the city of Varanasi and Ayodhya.
• The Tulsi Ghat on the Ganges River in Varanasi is named after him.
• He founded the Sankatmochan Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman in Varanasi
• Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaptation of the Ramayana
• He lived in the time of Emperor Akbar, and some believe that he was in touch with Abdurrahim Khan-e-Khanan, the son of Akbar’s commander Bairam Khan, and they possibly exchanged some poetic communication as well.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Ramcharitmanas’:

1. It is authored by Kabir Das

2. It is composed in Awadhi language

3. It is considered as a work belonging to the Saguna school of the Bhakti movement

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer