One Shloki (Verse) Ramayana

The Ramcharitmanas, popularly known as Tulsikrit Ramayana (A Ramayana by Tulsidas) is very popular in central and northern Indian states. Goswami Tulsidas, a sixteenth century saint and a God realized soul was a great devotee of Lord Rama. The epic Ramcharitmanas is written in the local vernacular Awadhi dialect of Hindi language which has become his masterpiece work. Tulsidas, an acclaimed poet wrote the Ramayana in a poetry form, called ‘chaupai (s)’ and ‘doha(s)’, meaning a combination of couplets. The copies of Tulsi Ramayana are found almost every Hindu house in central and north India.

Tulsidas PIC: jansatta.com

Tulsidas is considered as a re-incarnation of Valmiki who had originally composed the Ramayana in Sanskrit language. There is a story that Tulsidas as a young man loved his wife very much. Once his wife went to her parents’ house in his absence. When he returned and came to know that she has gone to her parent’s house, he decided to immediately go there. It was a dark night and he had to cross the river to reach his in-laws house. He saw some floating object in the river water and jumped upon it to reach the other side. He later realized that it was a dead body floating in the river. Somehow he crossed the river and went to the house where his wife was staying.  It was an upper floor where his wife was sleeping and there was no staircase to go up stairs. However, he saw a rope like object and thought that his wife must have hanged it for him to reach her. He climbed and woke up his wife. His wife was greatly surprised to see him in the middle of night and asked him how he could reach her. Tulsidas narrated the entire story. His wife saw the rope through which he climbed upstairs. She was dead shocked to realize that it was not a rope but a long snake hanging. She shockingly told him that the intensity with which he loves her if directed towards Lord Rama, he would be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. This statement affected him deeply and he realized his mistake. He decides to leave the place immediately and devote his entire life towards devotion and service of Lord Rama. He became a great saint later and composed the Ramacharitmanas.

Ramacharitamanas PIC: amazon.in

Tulsidas has also written a short form Ramayana in Sanskrit, known as Eik Shloki Ramayana (one couplet Ramayana) which covers the entire essence of Ramayana. People recite this short form of Ramayana while worshiping Lord Rama and offer their worship.

The Eik shloki Ramayana is given below;

In Sanskrit

आदौ  रामतपोवनादिगमनं हत्वा मृगं काञ्चनं

वैदेहीहरणं जटायुमरणं सुग्रीवसम्भाषणम्।

बालीनिग्रहणं समुद्रतरणं लंकापुरी दाहनं

पश्चाद्रावण कुम्भकर्ण हनन मेतद्धि रामायणम्।।

"Aadho Rama thapo vananu gamanam,

Hathwa mrugam kanchanam,
Vaidehi haranam, jatayu maranam,

Sugreeva sambhashanam,
Vali nigrahanam, samudhra tharanam,

Lanka pureem dahanam,
Paschad Ravana Kumbha karna madanam,

Ethat ithi Ramayanam"

Meaning in English:

Once Rama went to forest,
He chased the deer,
Sita was kidnapped, Jatayu was killed,
There were talks with Sugreeva,
Vali was killed, the sea was crossed,
Lanka was burnt,
And later Ravana and Kumbhakarna, were also killed.
This in short is the story of Ramayanam.'