Balakanda – The First Step

Invocation Verses

I bow to Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, and to Ganesa, the remover of obstacles—creators of all letters, meanings, flavors, meters, and auspiciousness.

I bow to Bhavani and Shankara, who are the very forms of faith and trust. Without them, even the perfected ones cannot perceive the Lord dwelling within their hearts.

I bow always to the Guru, the embodiment of wisdom and Shankara himself. Even the crooked moon, by resting on him, becomes worshipped everywhere.

I bow to Sita and Rama, who wander the sacred forest of virtues, whose pure wisdom is like a clear stream—Rama, Lord of the Raghu clan, and Hanuman, Lord of the monkeys.

I bow to Sita, beloved of Rama, who creates, sustains, and dissolves the worlds, who removes all suffering, and bestows every blessing.

I bow to Rama, the supreme cause of all, whose divine illusion makes the entire universe—gods, demons, and even Brahma—dance to its tune. By whose reality alone the world appears, as a rope seems a snake in the dark. His feet are the only raft for those who wish to cross the ocean of existence.

What is approved by the many Puranas, Vedas, and Agamas, what is told in the Ramayana and elsewhere, Tulsidas now composes in sweet language—the story of Raghunatha—for the joy of his own heart.

By remembering Ganesa, Lord of the hosts, with the elephant’s face, all success is attained. May he, the storehouse of wisdom and virtues, show me his grace.

By whose mercy the mute become eloquent, the lame scale the highest mountains—may that compassionate Lord, who burns away all the sins of Kali Yuga, melt with kindness toward me.

May the dark-blue, lotus-like, youthful Lord, with eyes like red lotuses, who rests upon the ocean of milk, make my heart his eternal abode.

May Uma’s beloved, whose body is fair as jasmine and the moon, who is the very fountain of compassion, who loves the meek—may he, the destroyer of Cupid, show me his grace.

I bow to the Guru’s lotus feet, the ocean of mercy, Hari in human form, whose words are like the sun’s rays, dispelling the dense darkness of delusion.

I bow to the dust of the Guru’s lotus feet—so fragrant, so lovely, so full of sweet affection. Like nectar’s powder, it cures the diseases of worldly life and its sorrows.

Born of good deeds, the pure glory of Shiva, it is the source of all happiness and auspiciousness. It cleanses the mirror of the mind, and by its touch, the virtues are drawn to us.

The radiance of the Guru’s toenails, like a cluster of jewels, brings divine vision to the heart. It dispels the darkness of ignorance—blessed is the one in whose heart it shines.

The eyes are opened, their vision made pure; the stains and sufferings of the night of worldly life are erased. The hidden and the revealed gems of Rama’s story shine forth, each according to