petition.

 rāma rāya! binu rāvarē mērē kō hitu sām̐cō? svāmī-sahita sabasōṁ kahauṁ, suni-guni bisēṣi kō'u rēkha dūsarī khām̐cō. 1. dēha-jīva-jōgakē sakhā mṛṣā ṭām̐cana ṭām̐cō. kiyē bicāra sāra kadali jyōṁ, mani kanaka saṅga laghu lasata bīca bica kām̐cō. 2. ‘vinaya-patrikā’ dīnakī, bāpu! āpu hī bām̐cō. hiyē hēri tulasī likhī, sō subhāya sahī kari bahuri pūm̐chiyē pām̐cōṁ. 3. Verse no. 277—Oh my King and Lord, Sri Ram (rāma rāya)! Who is my true friend and benefactor except your majesty’s Lordship (binu rāvarē mērē kō hitu sām̐cō)? I openly address and challenge everyone to draw a line and prove me wrong if what I say is untrue (svāmī-sahita sabasōṁ kahauṁ, suni-guni bisēṣi kō'u rēkha dūsarī khām̐cō) (1). All the different relationships, such as friends, companions and kith and kin, that a Jiva (living being) forms in this world are related and limited to his gross body (and they have nothing to do with his soul), and therefore they are all tentative and false like the body itself (dēha-jīva-jōgakē sakhā mṛṣā) 1 . [ 1 The gross body is not the real identity of any living being; it is perishable and actually an impediment in the spiritual welfare of the living being. Therefore, all relations formed by this body have the same value—they are not real, they are perishable and they are impediment for the long-term welfare of the Jiva.] These worldly relationships are stitched togther with an imaginary thread (mṛṣā ṭām̐cana ṭām̐cō), and when one ponders deeply one comes to the conclusion that they are like the stem of the plantain tree that peels out in layers after layers, leaving nothing solid behind (kiyē bicāra sāra kadali jyōṁ) 2 . [ 2 To wit, all worldly relationships are imaginary and absolutely tentative like pieces of cloth supposed to be held together by virtue of being stitched with each 897 other by an imaginary and non-existent thread. Likewise, they have no pith or essence in them just the pith-less stem of the plantain tree.] These relationships give the impression of being real and attractive just like the case of worthless glass beads that look valuable if they are put randomly in between priceless pieces of gems and pearls in a garland (mani kanaka saṅga laghu lasata bīca bica kām̐cō) (2). Oh my Father (bāpu)! Please be kind to read yourself (āpu hī bām̐cō) this humble petition of this poor fellow (Tulsidas) which he is presenting to you in the form of this composition called ‘Vinai Patrika’ (‘vinaya-patrikā’ dīnakī). Verily indeed and in all sooth, Tulsidas has searched his heart and poured out whatever was inside it, and therefore whatever is written in it is true and honest, and without deceit and pretensions (hiyē hēri tulasī likhī). So oh Lord, remember your merciful nature and take pity on Tulsidas to first put your signature on it as a token of your approval and acceptance (sō subhāya sahī kari), and only then you may consult your company of advisors later (if you want to do so) (bahuri pūm̐chiyē pām̐cōṁ) 3 . [ 3 Tulsidas means that if the Lord starts taking views of others on his petition, then it is sure to be rejected as he is a sinful person and not worthy for receiving the Lord’s grace. But at the same time it is not deniable that Tulisdas has no other Lord except Lord Ram and he is fully devoted to him, so the Lord can’t turn him away. So it would be wiser for the Lord to take a firm decision in Tulsidas’ favour and accept him without questions asked.] (3).

 Request for Lord Rāma's endorsement on Tulasīdās' final petition-2  pavana-suvana! ripu-davana! bharatalāla! lakhana! dīnakī. nija nija avasara sudhi kiyē, bali jā'um̐, dāsa-āsa pūji hai khāsakhīnakī. 1. rāja-dvāra bhalī saba kahaiṁ sādhu-samīcīnakī. sukṛta-sujasa, sāhiba-kṛpā, svāratha-paramāratha, gati bhayē gati-bihīnakī. 2. 898 samaya sam̐bhāri sudhāribī tulasī malīnakī. prīti-rīti samujhā'ibī natapāla kṛpāluhi paramiti parādhīnakī. 3. Verse no. 278—[In verse no. 277 we have read that Tulsidas has petitioned Lord Ram. Then he had a second thought. Others in the royal court of the Lord, especially those who were very close to him and were always consulted and taken into confidence by the Lord in all matters, were watching everything closely, and Tulsidas intuitively realised that it would not be proper and wise to for him to by-pass them as it might prove counter-productive for him. He wanted to join the great legion of the Lord’s devotees and followers, and so it would seem odd and haughty on his part to stand alone separately in the court where other devotees of the Lord were also present, instead of striking a cordial and friendly relationship with them in the very beginning itself. After all, he would soon join them, and though the Lord knew him very well for long but as of now he was a newcomer for the rest of the members of the Lord’s court. It would not seem courteous and polite on his part to neglect them and not even say a ‘hello’ to them while expecting them to accept him warmly when he joins their ranks soon. So, the wise and erudite saint immediately rectified himself and turned to Hanuman (the most trusted devotee of Lord Ram and who always goes out of his way to help others to become devotee of the Lord), and the Lord’s three brothers, Shatrughan, Bharat and Laxman, asking their help in supporting him to be accepted by the Lord. The response was positive and enthusiastic as expected. There is another important and remarkable point to note here. Tulsidas has cleverly first directly approached Lord Ram and handed him his petition for mercy by hand to him. Then he turns to others, seeking their cooperation and help. He wanted to prempt any chances of their opining negatively against him, thereby compelling the Lord to defer any decision in his favour, because these courtiers would have surely observed the facial expressions of Lord Ram when Tulsidas had handed his petition to the Lord directly as done in verse no. 277, and it must have been obvious to them by now that the Lord is highly favourable towards Tulsidas and is most willing to accept him as his devotee, both in a standalone capacity as well being a member of the great legion of the Lord’s followers and devotees. Thus, even if they had certain reservations against Tulsidas, they would keep it to themselves, and instead publicly support his candidature. Refer verse no. 279, stanza no. 2 below. From the language of the following verse it appears that the Lord took Tulsidas’ petition and kept it aside for consideration, perhaps seeking time to consult members of his court listed herein below. Tulsidas picked up the hint, and so he immediately turned towards them and prayed to them to support his petition when the Lord puts it before them for advice. This idea is evident in the very first stanza below.] ‘Oh the Son of Wind-God (“pavana-suvana”—i.e. Hanuman)! Oh the Vanquisher of Enemies (“ripu-davana”—i.e. Shatrughan)! Oh Bharat (bharatalāla)! Oh Laxman (lakhana)! Whenever the oppurtune time arrives and as soon as it is possible (nija nija avasara sudhi kiyē), remember this poor, humble, meek, lowly and wretched Tulsidas (dīnakī). 899 I invoke your kind and helpful nature to plead before you in the most humble, sincere and urgent way I can (bali jā'um̐). [To wit, I most earnestly beg of you to intercede on my behalf when your turn comes to give your opinion on my petition to Lord Ram.] If you show kindness and are gracious enough to do so, then the hopes of this most weak and resourceless servant called Tulsidas will be fulfilled and he would feel accomplished (when Lord Sri Ram would endorse this ‘Vinay-Patrika’ by putting his signature on it, and for this kind gesture of all of you I shall forever remain indebted and obliged to you) (dāsa-āsa pūji hai khāsakhīnakī) (1). In the royal court, acclaimed saints and those with pious and pure heart are always praised, revered and honoured, and welcomed—what is new in it, for it is the norm (rāja-dvāra bhalī saba kahaiṁ sādhu-samīcīnakī)? But if you all recommend the case of this shelter-less, desolate, destitute, poor and resourceless fellow (Tulsidas) (gati-bihīnakī), then he shall get refuge in the holy feet of the Lord and find an eternal destination for rest and peace in his life (gati bhayē). In return you would get excellent fame and great renown for your kind heartedness and charitable act (sujasa), you will derive immense personal satisfaction and happiness by doing good to a helpless soul who needed your help in his times of distress (sukṛta), and your Lord (Ram) would also be exceedingly pleased with you for this kind act by showing his pleasure and blessing you for your noble act (because the Lord gets naturally and habitually pleased on those who show mercy and compassion on others who are lowly, meek, weak, distressed, humble, downtrodden and miserable) (sāhiba-kṛpā). In this way, many purposes would be served for your own good and welfare by this one single kind act of yours: for instance, your worldly interest as well as your spiritual well-being would be ensured (svāratha-paramāratha) 1 . [ 1 To wit, by helping me get my petition approved by Lord Ram and thereby providing a buoy to my sinking spirits, you would get excellent fame and honour in this world for helping a destitute and suffering person find shelter, solace and succour, and the attendent contentedness and joy that this charitable act would bestow upon you would help you further in your spiritual pursuit as all good and meritorious deeds always do to their doer.] (2). So, as soon as you get the right opportunity (samaya sam̐bhāri), remember and take care of the work of this sinful, humble, meek and wretched Tulsidas (who has pleaded before you so earnestly and tearfully) (sudhāribī tulasī malīnakī). Explain carefully the sincerity, the enormity, the depth and the gravity of the love, affection, conviction, faith and devotion (prīti-rīti samujhā'ibī -- paramiti) that this dependant (servant or devotee) of the Lord, who has surrenderd himself before the Lord, has for him (natapāla -- parādhīnakī), and remind the Lord of his nature and reputation of being merciful, compassionate, gracious and kind (kṛpāluhi paramiti) to such persons who have come to seek refuge and shelter in his holy feet, 900 no matter how fallen and sinful the seeker may be (prīti-rīti samujhā'ibī natapāla kṛpāluhi paramiti parādhīnakī).’ (3). Lord Rāma’s Acceptance of Tulasīdās’ Prayers & Endorsement of his Devotion: Tulasīdās’ Final Redemption ¼279½ ek#fr&eu] #fp Hkjrdh yf[k y"ku dgh gSA dfydkygq ukFk! uke lksa ijrhfr&izhfr ,d fdadj dh fucgh g SAA1AA ldy lHkk lqfu yS mBh] tkuh jhfr jgh gSA d`ik xjhcfuoktdh] ns[kr xjhcdks lkgc ck¡g xgh gSAA2AA fcg¡fl jke dáks ^lR; g S] lqf/k e Sag w¡ ygh gS*A eqfnr ekFk ukor] cuh rqylh vukFkdh] ijh j?kqukFk@j?kqukFk gkFk lgh gSAA3AA (279) māruti-mana, ruci bharatakī lakhi laṣana kahī hai. kalikālahu nātha! nāma sōṁ paratīti-prīti ēka kiṅkara kī nibahī hai. 1. sakala sabhā suni lai uṭhī, jānī rīti rahī hai. kṛpā garībanivājakī, dēkhata garībakō sāhaba bām̐ha gahī hai. 2. biham̐si rāma kahyō ‘satya hai, sudhi mainhūm̐ lahī hai’. mudita mātha nāvata, banī tulasī anāthakī, parī raghunātha/raghunātha hātha sahī hai. 3. Verse no. 279—[The royal court of Lord Ram is in session. Tulsidas’ petition comes up for hearing. Laxman spoke on behalf of the others as follows—] Laxman observed that Hanuman was internally aggreable to Tulsidas’ prayers of acceptance by the Lord, and Bharat was also favourably inclined. So Laxman took the initiative and spoke for all of them (māruti-mana, ruci bharatakī lakhi laṣana kahī hai): ‘Even in this depraved, pervert, sinful and corrupt age of Kaliyug, oh Lord (kalikālahu nātha), there is this one humble servant of yours (i.e. Tulsidas) who has been successful in having abiding love, affection, faith and devotion for you inspite of all the odds stacked against him (nāma sōṁ paratīti-prīti ēka kiṅkara kī nibahī hai) 1 .’ [ 1 To wit, inspite of being surrounded by sins and worldly perversions all around him, Tulsidas has managed to be pious and saintly; he has managed to be devoted to Lord Ram when all the world was morally and spiritually degraded.] When Laxman made this submission, the whole court got up to unanimously approve of it (sakala sabhā suni lai uṭhī), saying: ‘Yes indeed. This is the truth, and we all endorse it because we are aware of his undiluted devotion, faith and affection for the Lord (jānī rīti rahī hai). Indeed and without gainsay, the merciful Lord (Sri Ram), who takes care of the poor and the wretched (kṛpā garībanivājakī), too thinks highly of him and is very favourably inclined towards him. Even as everyone was 901 watching, the Lord had held him by the arm, welcomed him and accepted him (dēkhata garībakō sāhaba bām̐ha gahī hai).’ (2). When Lord Sri Ram saw that the entire assembly was in favour of Tulsidas, he smiled happily and said, ‘Yes, it is true. I am aware of this fact.’ (biham̐si rāma kahyō ‘satya hai, sudhi mainhūm̐ lahī hai’). What more was left to be done and expected. Lord Ram instantly signed the petition of Tulsidas in his own hand and put his seal as a token of approval (parī raghunātha/raghunātha hātha sahī hai)! Tulsidas was overwhelmed with joy at the Lord's grace and mercy for accepting him; he was exhilarated and bowed his head before the Lord for now Tulsidas’ destiny and fate were mended forever for good (mudita mātha nāvata, banī tulasī anāthakī)!! (3).