Tulasidas left Kashi and went again to Ayodhya. While he was in
Kashi he seems to have composed two poems; 'Janaki Mangala' and
'Parvathi Mangala'. In Ayodhya he did rigorous tapas in, utter
solitude for some time. Then he' made up his mind to write the
'Ramacharitamanasa'. He himself saw Sri Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana
in this epic; and he enabled the readers, too' to see them.
Tulasidas
has depicted most effectively in his 'Ramacharitamanasa' how by
his own example Sri Rama, the God born as man, set an ideal before
the people of this world. Just as Sri Rama is sketched as an ideal
leader and king, Seetha Devi is portrayed as a gem of ideal womanhood.
She shines as a bright lamp placed on the threshold, illuminating
two homes - that of her parents and that of her husband. She was
dear not only to her parents but also to her servants.
At the time
of sending her to her husband's house, all the queens and their
companions were sad. The very parrots in golden cages cried, "O,
where is Seetha?"
This is just
one example to show how Tulasidas's picture of the simplicity
and goodness of Seetha Devi is different from Valmiki's picture.
There are some very touching episodes in the 'Ramacharita- manasa',
which are not found in other Ramayanas.
These delicate flowers of the poet's imagination give forth a
sweet fragrance of Bhakti.
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