Tulsidas and Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman Chalisa - "Forty chaupais on Hanuman", a devotional song on Lord Hanuman as the model devotee is one of the most recited slokams in Indian households.

Tulsidas, who was acclaimed in his lifetime as an reincarnation of Valmiki, was the composer of this great slokam. He is best known for the great epic Ramcharitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa amongst other great literary works - Both were composed in the vernacular Awadhi.

 

Legend goes that Tulsidas was born after staying in the womb for twelve months, he had all thirty two teeth in his mouth at birth, his health and looks were like that of a five-year old boy, and he did not cry at the time of his birth but uttered "Rama" instead. He was named "Rambola" - literally, who uttered Rama, as Tulsidas himself states in Vinayapatrika. Tulsidas wrote twelve books and the most famous one is his Ramayan "Ram-charit-manas" —in Hindi. He wrote this book under the directions of Hanuman and this is read and worshipped with great reverence in every Hindu home in North India.The greatest of poets in Hindi and Indian literature, hints at several places in his works, that he had met Hanuman and Rama face to face.

According to this reference, Tulsidas used to visit the woods outside Varanasi for his morning ablutions with a water pot. On the way back, he used to splash the remaining water to a certain tree, which quenched the thrist of a "Preta" or a ghost in that tree, thristy for water! The ghost offered a boon to Tulsidas and he said that he wished to see Rama with his eyes.. The Preta guided Tulsidas to Hanuman, who could grant the boon he asked for. The Preta told that Hanuman comes everyday disguised as a leper to listen to Ramayana in the spot - where the famous "Sankat Mochan" temple at Varanasi stands today. At the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas bows down to this particular Preta and asks for his grace  in Doha 1.7!