Saint poet Tulsidas was a devotee of Rama. He is well known for his epic poem Ramacharitmanasa which narrates the life and deeds of his lord. It is the most widely read book by the Hindus. Tulsidas also wrote a large number of devotional poems dedicated to Rama.
In folklore, there is a story describing a visit Tulsidas had once made to a Krishna temple. Tulsidas stood before the idol and looked at it– Krishna was standing there in full splendor, with his characteristic peacock feather tucked in his curly hair and a flute in his hands. Tulsidas smiled, and impromptu recited a couplet which expressed his first impressions and heartfelt emotions.
With flute in hands and peacock feather in your hair,
O lord, you present yourself very well.
But before Tulsi bows his head,
Please take the bow and arrow in your hands.
Then he bowed before the idol.
Rama is always visualized by his devotees, and depicted in paintings and idols, holding a bow in his left hand and a quiver of arrows behind his right shoulder. Tulsidas’s prayer was, “O Lord, please show me yourself as Rama.” The story goes that the idol transformed itself and when Tulsidas raised his head after bowing, it was Lord Rama standing there holding his bow and quiver of arrows.
Why did Tulsi do that? Krishna is also a god and as popular as Rama is; what is more, He also is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as Rama is. Why did Tulsi insist that he would see the God only as he had always visualized Him, and not in another attire? And why did God listen to him?
The story brings out two important concepts of the Hindu religion.
First is the oneness of the Divine- God is only one, he is called Brahman, and He manifests in many forms. He playfully chose to change his persona and granted the devotee’s wish.
Secondly, the story highlights the concept of ‘Istdevta’.
There are three hundred thirty-three million gods in the Hindu mythology. A Hindu is at liberty to focus of his devotion on anyone of them. The chosen god would his ‘Istdevta’, meaning ‘guardian god’, more simply ‘personal god’. But choosing an Istdevta is not obligatory; it is a matter of choice and inclination.
Having chosen a personal god, the devotee shares his thoughts, desires, worries and aspirations with his Istdevta and looks to Him for guidance and help. It is a personal relationship, on a one-to-one basis. No rules or dictums of scriptures apply to this relationship.
The concept of Istdevta is unique to Hinduism; it is sublime and beautiful. It bridges the gap between god and the humans and establishes a personal relationship between the divine and the mortal.
Choosing an Istdevta does not mean that a Hindu shall ignore the other gods or not be respectful towards them. It is not so; he would continue to revere and worship all gods, but he shall have his Istdevta always in focus. A devotee of Hanuman would run to Hanuman when in distress. He may know that Hanuman was Rama’s attendant, but the thought of going to Rama who, being the master should logically be more resourceful, does not cross his mind. He would surrender only to Hanuman for all his troubles, not to Rama or any other god.
How does one choose an Istdevta? A short answer is: one decides on a god one can easily relate to. Let me elaborate the point.
The pantheon of Hindu gods is very large and diverse. The Brahman, the supreme God, manifests into various gods who perform different functions to keep the creation moving on and have different personalities, and conduct themselves differently.
Vishnu for example is the administrator of the universe and so he is depicted as a great king. He has a majestic personality: he is fair and handsome, he inspires confidence and his personality demands obedience. He lives in a palace and is attired in royal robes and wears jewels.
Kali is on the other side of the spectrum. She is very dark and emaciated. She wears a garland of skulls and holds in one hand a freshly severed head from which blood keeps dripping. Kali emerged as a manifestation of Devi for the sole purpose of destroying demons; her very demeanor is thus to instill fear amongst sinners.
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