18 F. S. Growse— The Prologue to the Bdmdyana of Tulsi Das. [Ko. 1 



fore I say that the name is greater than either Brahm or Kama. For the 

 one immortal, true, sentient, complete and blissful Brahm is all-pervading - 

 jet though such an unchangeable Lord is in our very soul, the whole crea- 

 tion is in slavery and wretchedness, till he is revealed in definite shape and 

 is energized by the name ; as a jewel is not valued, till it is so called. 



Doha 27. 

 Thus the virtue of the name is infinite and transcends the supreme • 

 and in my judgment is greater than Rama himself, 



Chaupdi. 

 From the love that he bore to his followers, Rama took the form of a 

 man and by himself enduring misery secured their happiness. By inces- 

 santly and devoutly repeating his name, all the faithful may attain to felicity. 

 Rama himself redeemed only one woman, the ascetic's wife ; # but his name 

 has corrected the errors of millions of sinners. To gratify the Rishi 

 Viswamitra, Rama wrought the destruction of Suketu's daughter Tadaka 

 with her son Maricha and his army ; but as the sun puts an end to night, 

 so his name has scattered all crime and pain and despair. In his own per- 

 son Rama broke the bow of Siva, but his glorious name has broken the fear 

 of death ;£ the Lord himself restored to life only the forest of Dandaka ? f but 

 his name has sanctified countless generations ; the son of Raghu destroyed 

 many demons, but his name has destroyed all the evil of the world. 



Doha 28. 

 Raghunath conferred immortality on all his own faithful servants 

 even down to the vulture Jatayu;§ but his name, precious theme of the 

 Yedas, has delivered innumerable wretches. 



Chaupdi. 

 Rama, as all men know, extended his protection to Sugriva and Vi- 

 bhishana ; but his name has protected countless supplicants, shining forth 



* Ahalya, the wife of the Rishi Gautama, having been seduced by the god Indra, 

 was cursed by her indignant lord and doomed to remain alone and invisible in the for- 

 est for thousands of years till Rama should come and redeem her. 



f Here is a play upon words which cannot be preserved in the translation ; for in 

 the first half of the couplet the word bhava is to be taken as a name of Siva, while in the 

 second half it means life ; or rather death ; since according to Hindu ideas all conscious 

 life is merely a preparation for inevitable death. 



% Dandaka is the name of the pathless forest near the Godavari, where Site was 

 stolen away by Ravan. 



§ The bird Jatayu stopped the chariot in which SM was being carried off by Efc- 

 van and was mortally wounded by the giant, but he lived long enough to give Rama 

 tidings of his beloved. In return for his faithful services Rama and Lakshman them- 

 selves performed his funeral rites. 



