Goswami Tulsidas (c. 1532 – 1623) was a Ramanandi Vaishnava Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi, but is best known as the author of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana based on Rama's life in the vernacular Awadhi language.
Tulsidas spent most of his life in the city of Varanasi and Ayodhya. The Tulsi Ghat on the Ganges River in Varanasi is named after him. He founded the Sankatmochan Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where he had the sight of the deity.
The Ram Shalaka Prashnavali
The Ram Shalaka Prashnavali is a divine oracle created by Goswami Tulsidas. It is found in the Ramcharitmanas and is used by devotees to seek answers to their life's questions and dilemmas through divine guidance from Lord Rama.
The grid is composed of letters that, when combined according to a specific method of selection, form a verse (chaupai) from the Ramcharitmanas. Each verse carries a specific meaning and provides guidance, solace, or an answer to the devotee's question.
How it works
The seeker prays to Lord Rama and Sri Hanuman, focuses on their question, and blindly selects a square on the grid. Starting from the chosen square, every ninth letter is collected until a complete verse is formed. The meaning of this verse serves as the answer to the seeker's query.