Who Was Tulsidas and Why Does His Prayer Matter?
Goswami Tulsidas (1532–1623) stands among the most revered poets and saints in the Hindu devotional tradition. Beyond composing "Shri Ramachandra Kripalu," Tulsidas is best known for the Hanuman Chalisa, a forty-verse devotional hymn to Hanuman that remains recited throughout India and diaspora communities. His work exemplifies the bhakti movement—a devotional approach to spirituality that emphasizes personal relationship with the divine through prayer, song, and surrender rather than abstract philosophy alone.
Tulsidas composed "Shri Ramachandra Kripalu" in Sanskrit, the classical language of Hindu scripture and philosophy. Writing in the sixteenth century, during a period of significant cultural and religious expression in India, Tulsidas created prayers that transcended sectarian boundaries and spoke to universal spiritual yearnings. His choice to honor Rama—one of Hinduism's most beloved avatars of Vishnu—reflects the centrality of Rama devotion in Indian spiritual life, a tradition that stretches back thousands of years through texts like the Ramayana.
What Does the Prayer Actually Say?
The opening lines of "Shri Ramachandra Kripalu" establish the prayer's core invocation:
Shree Ram Chandra Kripalu Bhaju Mana
Harana Bhavabhaya Daarunam
Here, the prayer addresses the mind (mana) directly, commanding it to sing or take refuge in Shree Ramachandra, who is described as kripalu—eternally benevolent, compassionate, and full of grace. The second line introduces a central theme: Rama as "Harana Bhavabhaya Daarunam," the one who removes or alleviates (harana) bhava-bhaya, the fear or terror of samsara—the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that defines conditioned existence in Hindu philosophy.
This framing is essential to understanding the prayer's purpose. It is not merely praise of a distant deity but an invitation to the individual consciousness to recognize Rama as a living refuge, a liberating force that dissolves the fundamental anxiety underlying human existence. The prayer invokes the mind specifically because, in Hindu psychology, the mind is the seat of both bondage and liberation—it is the faculty that can become trapped in cycles of desire and fear or awakened to its divine nature.
The Lotus Imagery: Beauty as Divine Manifestation
The prayer continues with vivid sensory and symbolic imagery:
NavaKanj Lochana Kanjamukh Kara Kanjapada Kanjaarunum
This line moves through Rama's body—his blooming lotus eyes (nava-kanj lochana), lotus-like face (kanja-mukh), lotus hands (kara kanja), and lotus feet (pada kanja)—each rendered in the hue of crimson dawn (arunum). The lotus is not chosen arbitrarily; in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents spiritual purity, emergence from darkness into light, and the manifestation of divine qualities within the material world. The lotus grows from muddy water yet remains untouched by contamination, embodying transcendence within immanence.
By attributing lotus-qualities to Rama's sensory organs—eyes that see, a face that expresses, hands that act, feet that move—the prayer suggests that all of Rama's engagement with the world is fundamentally pure and divine. There is no separation between his form and his essence; his physical beauty is inseparable from his spiritual radiance. The crimson hue of dawn adds another layer: the color of sunrise, suggesting illumination, awakening, and the dissolution of darkness. Rama is presented not as an abstract principle but as a tangible, visible presence that can be contemplated through the imagination and devotional awareness.
Why Was This Prayer Created in Sanskrit?
Tulsidas's decision to compose in Sanskrit rather than in vernacular languages like Hindi reflects his integration of classical Hindu learning with devotional accessibility. Sanskrit was the language of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the philosophical schools—it carried authority, precision, and a sense of timelessness. Yet Tulsidas also composed extensively in Awadhi (a regional language), demonstrating his commitment to reaching audiences across educational and social boundaries. "Shri Ramachandra Kripalu" in its Sanskrit form functions as both a philosophical statement and a sonic invocation, where the phonetic qualities of the language are understood to carry spiritual power (mantra power) in addition to semantic meaning.
The Devotional Practice of Recitation
Like other stutis (prayers of praise) and mantras in the Hindu tradition, "Shri Ramachandra Kripalu" is meant to be recited, sung, or meditated upon rather than merely read intellectually. The rhythmic structure, the repetition of sounds, and the concentrated focus on divine attributes create conditions for the mind to move beyond ordinary thinking into states of absorption (samadhi) or heightened devotional awareness. When Jai Uttal sets this prayer to music, he participates in a living tradition that understands music and chanting as gateways to direct spiritual experience.
The act of addressing the mind—"Bhaju Mana" (sing, O mind)—presumes that the practitioner can step back from ordinary mental activity and offer it a directive. This subtle instruction embeds within the prayer itself a teaching: that we are not merely our thoughts but can be aware of our thinking and redirect it toward higher purposes. By commanding the mind to sing of Rama, the prayer offers a practical technique for spiritual transformation.
Where to Go From Here
Those drawn to this prayer might explore Tulsidas's longer devotional compositions, particularly the Ramcharitmanas (a vernacular retelling of the Ramayana) and the Hanuman Chalisa, both of which expand on themes of devotion, surrender, and the grace of divine incarnations. Learning about the bhakti movement more broadly—studying poets like Mirabai, Kabir, and Sur Das—provides context for understanding how Tulsidas participated in a wider renaissance of personal, emotional spirituality that democratized access to the divine beyond priestly or scholarly mediation.
Practicing the recitation or singing of "Shri Ramachandra Kripalu" offers a direct entry point. Even without Sanskrit fluency, repeating the mantra or listening to skilled renditions can attune the consciousness to the prayer's intention. The invitation is not to worship a distant historical figure but to recognize, through the image and name of Rama, the eternal benevolence and liberating power available within and beyond oneself.
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