Gōswāmī Tulasīdās’ ŚRĪ RĀMA CARITA MĀNASA, Canto 3: Araṇya-Kāṇḍa

Description

This Volume no. 6 continues with the English narration of the Story of Lord Ram as described in the devotional classic known as ‘Ram Charit Manas’ written by Goswami Tulsidas, from where we had left it in volume no. 5, i.e. the end of Canto 2, Ayodhya Kand.
The entire Book ‘Ram Charit Manas’ is divided into 7 Cantos, named Baal Kand, Ayodhya Kand, Aranya Kand, Kishkindha Kand, Sundar Kand, Lanka Kand, and Uttar Kand.
The topics that are covered in this volume no. 6 are the following:
The topics that are covered in this Book are the following:
(1) Indra’s son Jayant assumes the form of a crow to prick Sita’s feet in an attempt to test Lord Ram’s abilities and powers; Lord Ram punishes him by blinding him in one eye.
(2) Lord Ram leaves his hermitage at Chitrakoot and goes to meet sage Atri; the conversation between Sita and Atri’s wife Anusuiya, and between the Lord and the sage; Lord Ram takes leave of sage Atri and moves on with his journey into the wild forests.
(3) Lord Ram slays the demon Viradh and grants him deliverance; the Lord visits sage Sarbhanga who feels blessed and attains emancipation and salvation by the grace of the Lord. A large number of sages accompany Lord Ram in his journey through the forest; the Lord meets sage Sutikshan also and blesses him. Accompanied by sage Sutikshan, Lord Ram arrives at the hermitage of sage Agastya; the affectionate meeting and the conversation between the sage and the Lord; on the advice of the sage, Lord Ram goes to stay for a while at Panchavati; on the way he meets and establishes a cordial relationship with Jatau, the king of vultures.
(4) Lord Ram teaches Laxman on certain metaphysical and spiritual principles; the episode of Supernakha, the sister of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, trying to tempt Lord Ram, and the Lord punishing her by getting her nose and ears cut off; she appeals to demon commanders Khar and Dushan to take revenge; in the ensuing battle, they, as well as the whole detachment of demon army they commanded, were killed.
(5) Supernakha goes to instigate Ravana who approaches another trusted aide named Marich to force the latter to become a golden deer so that Sita could be abducted by Ravana to settle scores with Lord Ram for having insulted his sister; Lord Ram confides with Sita and tells her of the necessity of concealing her real identity by taking shelter with the Fire God and leave only her shadow behind so that the Lord can accomplish his mission of eliminating the demons; Marich killed by Lord Ram.
(6) Meanwhile, Ravana assumed the form of a mendicant to abduct Sita; he was intercepted by Jatau, the vulture, who fought valiantly with Ravana; Jatau fell down wounded when Ravana cut off his wings; Lord Ram returns to his hermitage to find Sita missing; the two brothers then start their long search for her; Lord Ram meets the wounded Jatau who tells the Lord about Ravana abducting Sita; Jatau dies in the lap of Lord Ram and attains deliverance, emancipation, salvation and beatitude.
(7) Moving ahead, Lord Ram is confronted by the demon Kabandha whom the Lord provided liberation and deliverance from this mortal world; Lord Ram arrives at the hermitage of Sabari; the conversation between the two; Lord Ram outlines the nine forms of Bhakti to her; Sabari attains emancipation, salvation and beatitude by dying in the presence of the Lord.
(9) On the advice of Sabari, Lord Ram and Laxman move towards lake Pampa where they are to meet Sugriv, the prince of the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha, and who would assist the Lord in finding and freeing Sita from the clutches of the demons; the Lord arrives on the banks of lake Pampa to take some rest and refresh himself.
(10) Sage Narad comes to pay his obeisance to Lord Ram; the conversation between the Lord and the sage during which the Lord answers Narad’s question as to why the Lord did not allow him to marry, and then the Lord goes on to enumerate the virtues of saints.
Our Book contains the Original Text of Ram Charit Manas followed by Roman Transliteration of the verses, and then a comprehensive and analytical narrative of the Text in English, explaining it thoroughly and from different perspectives verse-by-verse, aided by detailed notes and references.
The other volumes that follow in this series will carry on with the magnificent narrative of Ram Charit Manas in a step-wise manner.

About the Author

Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia left home when he was approximately 29 years of age due to an inner call of his heart that told him to devote his life in the service of his beloved Lord God, Sri Ram. Worldly attractions did not enchant him at all. So, he didn’t marry, and after his father’s death he came and settled permanently in Ayodhya, the holy town in India associated with Lord Ram.
Presently he works as an honorary manager of a world famous Kanak Bhavan Temple at Ayodhya, and spends his time writing in English so that the world can access the wonderful nectar of metaphysical, spiritual and devotional philosophy that is contained in Indian scriptures for which they are so renowned.
His English Books published separately by a reputed publisher of India, the details of whom can be had by contacting the author on his email given below, include: (i) The series on ‘108 Upanishads’ in five volumes having eighteen parts, (ii) Veda Vyas’ ‘Adhyatma Ramayan’ in two parts, (iii) ‘Devi Puran Ramayan’, (iv) Valmiki’s ‘Adbhut Ramayan’, and (v) ‘Biography of Lord Ram’ based on Tulsidas’ books.
Genre of Writing: Spiritualism, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Religious, Devotional and Theological.
The author’s Books are available for order online both in ‘e-book’ format and ‘paper-back book’ format at following websites—
(a) www.amazon.com (in their ‘kindle’ + ‘paper-back book’ versions),
(b) www.pothi.com (in ‘paper-back book’ + ‘e-book’ versions),
(c) www.draft2digital.com (in ‘e-book’ version).
(A) List of Books that are currently available as mentioned above :-
(A-1) (1) The Chariot of God: Dharma Rath; (2) OM and Naad; (3) YOGA—Its Practice and Philosophy according to the Upanishads; (4) Ram Geeta; (5) The Revelation of Creation—as envisioned in the Upanishads; (6) The Pentagon of Creation: As Expounded in the Upanishads; (7) The Triumvirate of Creation; (8) Maya: The Whirlpool of Delusions in Creation; (9) Surdas-Ram Charitawali; (10-a) The legend of Lord Shiva: Book 1 ‘Lord Shiva’s marriage with Parvati’; (10-b) Book 2 ‘Lord Shiva’s Sacred Hymns’; (10-c) Book 3 ‘Shiva’s different names & their significance, Shiva Puran, Upanishads’; (11) the Mahavakyas of the Upanishads; (13) Lord Ram’s marriage with Sita (based on Tulsidas’ books “Ram Charit Manas”, “Janki Mangal”, “Ram Lala Nahachu” & “Geetawali”, and sage Veda Vyas’ book “Adhyatma Ramayan”; (14) “Anthology of Sacred Hymns, Stotras & Mantras of Lord Ram”; (15) “Vairagya Shatkam” of king-sage Bhartrihari; (16) An Anthology of the Sanyas Upanishads-Parts 1 and 2; (17) “Kaag-Bhusund Ramayan” or the “Aadi Ramayan” based on Tulsidas’ Ram Charit Manas; (18) The Legendary Glory of Hanuman; (19) “Narad Bhakti Sutra”—Aphorisms for Devotion for God and the Principles of Love for the Lord; (20) “Shandilya Bhakti Sutra”—Aphorisms for Devotion for God and the Principles of Love for the Lord according to the illustrious sage Shandilya; (21) “Bhakti Sutra Mala”—A Garland of Spiritual Wisdom in the form of an Anthology of Aphorisms pertaining to Bhakti or devotion, love and affection for Lord God; (22) Glory of Lord Ram’s Holy Name, Sacred Mantras, Stotras & Hymns; (23) Saints and Non-Saints: Their Distinguishing Characters and Qualities; (24) A True Guru (Qualities, Importance and Need of a True Teacher, Preceptor, Guide and Advisor); (25) “Sundar Kand” of Ram Charit Manas; (26) The Story of Ravana and the Epic War of Lanka—Told in Slow Motion (based on, and will have the full relevant Text of, Ram Charit Manas, Adhyatma Ramayan, Anand Ramayan, Geetawali Ramayan, and Kavitawali Ramayan); (27) The Great Ancient Sages, Seers, Saints and Enlightened Kings of India; (28) The Metaphor of the Hansa in the Upanishads: The symbolism of a Grand Swan used to explain the wisdom of spiritual and metaphysical principles by the Upanishads.
(A-2) Goswami Tulsidas Series: (1) ‘Dohawali’; (2) ‘Parvati Mangal’; (3) ‘Kavitawali’; (4) ‘Janki Mangal’; (5) ‘Ram Lala Nahachu’; (6) ‘Geetawali Ramayan’; (7) ‘Vairagya Sandipani’; (8) ‘Vinai Patrika’; (9) ‘Barvai Ramayan’.
(A-3) A full-blown English rendering of Tulsidas’ epic ‘Ram Charit Manas’, otherwise also known as the “Ramayana” according to Goswami Tulsidas. My English version of this Book is comprehensive and an elaborate one, as it runs into many thousands of pages that endeavour to explain each single verse of the Book ‘Ram Charit Manas’ in fine detail from different perspectives, with the aid of explanatory notes and references.
(A-4) Detailed English renderings, with explanatory notes and commentaries of the 108 Upanishads classified according to the Vedic tradition = 6 volumes; 18 parts. [Vol. 1=Rig Veda Upanishads; Vol. 2= Sam Veda Upanishads; Vol. 3= Shukla Yajur Veda Upanishads; Vol. 4= Krishna Yajur Veda Upanishads; Vol. 5= Atharva Veda Upanishads; Vol. 6= Vedanta Concepts explained with specific references to the relevant Upanishads.
(A-5) (i) English rendering of Adbhut Ramayan by sage Valmiki.
(ii) English rendering of Adhyatma Ramayan by sage Veda Vyas.
(iii) English rendering of Devi Puran’s Ramayan by sage Veda Vyas.
(iv) A Divine Biography of Lord Ram & Glory of Lord’s Holy Name.
All the Author’s Books listed under (A-1, A-2 and A-3) are available as e-books and printed books on the internet at the following websites: (a) www.amazon.com; (b) www.draft2digital.com; and (c) www.pothi.com.
(B-1) Further, Books listed under A-3, A-4 and A-5 are available in Printed Book format from a reputed Indian Publisher as follows:
Name and contact of Publisher of above Printed Books listed under (B-2):
Chaukhamba Publishing House, Delhi. [Sri Neeraj Gupta.]
Postal Address: 4697/2, Street no. 21-A, (HDFC Bank wali Gali),
Ansari Road, Darayaganj, Delhi—110002.
Phone: Mobile (Neeraj Gupta)—+919811133683
Office: 011-23286537; 011-32996391
Email: chaukhambapublishinghouse@gmail.com
chaukhamba_neerj@yahoo.com
(B-2) The following Books of Goswami Tulsidas listed under A-2—viz. Vinay Patrika, Geetawali Ramayan, Kavitawali Ramayan, Dohawali, Parvati Mangal, Janki Mangal, Vairagya Sandipani, Barvai Ramayan, Ram Lala Nahachu, along with certain other Books (e.g. Upanishads Dedicated to Lord Ram, Shandilya Bhakti Sutra, Narad Bhakti Sutra etc.) are being published by the following Indian Publisher:
Pratibha Prakashan, prop. Sri Radheyshyam Shukla, Delhi.
Address: 7259/23, Ajindra Market, Prem Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Delhi 110007
Mobile: +91-93508 84227; Landline phone: +91-114708 4852.
Email: pratibhabooks1@gmail.com
Contact details of Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia—
Postal address:-36-A, Rajghat Colony, Parikrama Marg, P.O.—Ayodhya, Pin—224123, Distt. Ayodhya (Faizabad), U.P. India.
Phone:—(India) +919451290400; +919935613060.
Website: < www.tulsidas-ram-books.weebly.com >
Email of Author: (i) < ajaichhawchharia@gmail.com >
(ii) < ajaikumarbooks@gmail.com >
Archive.org: < https://archive.org/details/@ajai_kumar_chhawchharia >
Facebook ID < www.facebook.com/ajaikumarchhawchharia8 >
Linkedin: < www.linkedin.com/AjaiKumarChhawchharia >
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/991710.Ajai_Kumar_Chhawchharia

Ratings & Reviews