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SRI TULSIDASJI
Hanumath devotee - brief biography  

Birth
Sri Tulsidas is believed have born in 1532. He was born to a Brahmin Sri Athmaram in the Rajapur town. His father Sri Atmaram was a learned person, a great devotee of Lord Rama and was an official in the ministry of Akbar, the then mughal ruler. His father was preoccupied with the administration of State and had to travel a lot to Delhi and other places. Therefore he had left Sri Tusidas under the care of his relatives at Rajapur under the hope he will be brought up as a scholarly person. Sri Tulsidas missed the parental care and love, and his relatives had not taken care of Sri Tulsidas. With the feeling of a castaway Sri Tulsidas was doing things which he thought as right. On seeing this Sri Atmaram got his son married to a pious lady Mamtha Devi (there is another name as Ratnavali also) in order to see that the Sri Tulsidas changes for good in the life.

Wife becomes the Guru
He was leading a good comfortable life with Mamtha Devi. Once his wife went to stay with her parents for a while. Sri Tulsidasji, was unable to bear the separation. He proceeded to his wife's place while it was heavily raining. He crossed the river that was flooded to reach his wife's place. Mamtha Devi was wonder struck to see him like this, and admonished him that he should have loved the God with the same fervour instead of being lured by flesh. Sri Tulsidasji was stunned at the remarks of his wife, on contemplation the truth in the words of Mamtha Devi. On realisation he left all connections with the family life, and proceeded to Varanasi the Kasipuri.

On hearing the news Sri Atmaram was happy that his son had changed for good. He and his wife went to Varanasi to see Sri Tulsidasji and requested him to return with them. But Sri Tulsidasji had refused and stayed back in Varanasi and studied vedantha under the learned scholars. The son of the devotee of Lord Rama, Sri Tulsidasji was a devotee of Lord Hanuman. 

Wonder work of Sri Ramachritamanas
It is said that Sri Tulsidasji started writing the Ramayana in Sanskrit language during his stay at Varanasi. But to his astonishment each day's work will vanish after his return from the bath in Ganga. He prayed to Lord Viswanath, the lord of Kasipuri who is chanting the Ramanama all the time. Lord Viswanath had directed him to write the epic Ramayan in the language that could be understood by all, so that the Ramanama mahima is spread to nook and corner of the land. Accordingly he wrote the epic Ramayana in Avanthi language, which is now popularly known as "SRI RAMACHRITAMANAS". There was lot of opposition from the scholars of Kasipuri for this version of Ramayan. It is said that the pundits of Kasi threw the script into Ganga. But to their astonishment the script was found intact in the Lord Viswanath's temple. Then it was realised that the "Sri Ramachritamanas", the Tulsi Ramayan has the stamp of approval by the Lord Himself. 

Devotee of Lord Hanuman and unifier of Vaishnavat and Saivat
Sri Tulsidasji the devotee of Lord Hanuman had dharshan of his Lord. He also had dharshan of Sri Rama, Sita, with his blessing and help of Lord Hanuman. Once Sri Rama and Lakshmana had come to the rescue of Sri Tulsidasji when the robbers entered his ashram.

Nabhaji, the author of Bhaktamala, is of the opinion that Sri Tulsidasji was an incarnation of Sage Valmiki born again to spread the Ramanama and RamaMahima by reciting Ramayana in the vernacular language. He had identified himself with Lord Hanuman in spreading the glory of Sri Rama. He had spread the glory of Lord Hanuman as "Sankara sumana, Bhavani nanthana" i.e., son of Sankara and Bhavani. He had brought in a unification of Vaishnava and Saiva through Glory of Lord Hanuman. He had brought the knowledge and understanding of Ramayana to every common man and reestablished the glory of Sri Rama before he left this world at the age of ninety years. 

Siddha granthas by Sri Tulsidas
There will be hardly any devotee of Lord Anjaneya who is unaware about the forty slokas composed by Sri Tulsidasji entitled "Hanuman Chalisa". This is the most powerful and popular composition sung by the devotees of Lord Anjaneya in the world over. Devotion that this hymn develops towards Lord is enormous and had to be experienced and enjoyed. If millions could experience the devotion, the power with which the hymn had been sung could be well estimated. The devotion with which the hymn must have sprung from Sri Tulsidasji and his devotion towards Lord Anjaneya are well beyond one's thinking. This is a siddha grantha and Sri Tulsidasji a siddha purusha. 

|| pavana thanaya sankata haran, mangala murathi rupa ||
|| ramalakaana sita sahita hrithya pasahu surabhup ||