The Petition to Ram

First published in 1966, The Petition to Ram, Vinaya-Patrika is a collection of devotional hymns and was primarily intended for singing. It is, however, a work of outstanding poetic beauty, and both its language and contents are unsurpassed in Tulsi Das’s other writings. Tulsi Das, a contemporary of George Herbert and Donne is best known for his Hindi version of The Ramayana, a devotional work whose popularity in northern India has earned it a reputation comparable to that of the Bible or Bhagavad Gita.

The main body of the text is addressed not to the reader so much as to God or to the poet himself. It thus belongs to a special form of self-communings which developed in the vernacular literatures of north India from the 13th century onwards. Not without reason has the present work been compared to the book of the Psalms. The translator has prefaced the text with an introduction to the life and works of the poet, the sources and contents of Vinaya Partika, and discussion of the main elements of Tulsi Das’s devotional religion. Short explanatory notes and a glossary have been added to help the reader understand the many references and allusions to Indian thought and tradition. This work is a must read for scholars and researchers of Indian philosophical thought, Indian literature, and literature in general.