Question

Which of the following is not a composition of Saint Tulsidas?
1. Gitawali
2. Kavitawali
3. Vinay Patrika
4. Sahitya Ratna

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 4 : Sahitya Ratna

The correct answer is Sahitya Ratna.

• Tulsidas:
  • Gosvami Tulsidas was an Awadhi poet and philosopher.
  • He was born in Rajapur, in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh, during the reign of Akbar.
  • Tulsidas wrote twelve books and is considered the greatest and most famous of Hindi poets.
  • He is regarded as an incarnation of Valmiki, the author of Ramayana written in Sanskrit.
  • He wrote Ramacaritamanasa ("The Lake of the Deeds of Rama"), an epic devoted to Lord Rama.
  • This Awadhi version of Ramayana, like many translations of the original Sanskrit Ramayana, is read and worshipped with great reverence in many Hindu homes in northern India.
  • It is an inspiring book that contains sweet couplets in beautiful rhyme called chaupai.
  • Vinaya Patrika, Gitawali, and Kavitawali are other important books written by Tulsidas.
  • He is considered one of the northern Indian Saints.
• Saint Surdas composed Sahitya Ratna.

• Tulsidas started composing poetry in Sanskrit in Varanasi on the Prahlada Ghat.
• Tradition holds that all the verses that he composed during the day, would get lost in the night.
• This happened daily for eight days.
• On the eighth night, Shiva – whose famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Varanasi is believed to have ordered Tulsidas in a dream to compose poetry in the vernacular instead of Sanskrit.
• Twelve works are widely considered by biographers to be written by Tulsidas, six major works and six minor works.
• Based on the language of the works, they have been classified into two groups as follows Awadhi works includes Ramcharitmanas, Ramlala Nahachhu, Barvai Ramayan, Parvati Mangal, Janaki Mangal, and Ramagya Prashna.
• Braja works includes Krishna Gitavali, Gitavali, Sahitya Ratna, Dohavali, Vairagya Sandipani, and Vinaya Patrika.
• Besides these twelve works, four more works are popularly believed to be composed by Tulsidas which include Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman Ashtak, Hanuman Bahuk, and Tulsi Satsai.