Tulsidas

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

1. Courage, virtue, a friend and a wife are tested in hard times.

   Tulsidas names four things you only truly know when trouble comes: your own steadiness, your principles, your friends and your partner. Easy times flatter everyone. When things go wrong, pay attention to who and what holds.

   Ramcharitmanas, Aranya Kanda 5, our translation from the Greek

2. Action rules the world. As you do, so you taste.

   The world was set up with action at its center, and everyone eats the fruit of what they did. There is no shortcut around this. If you want different fruit, change the work.

   Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhya Kanda 219, our translation from the Greek

3. 'Fate, fate,' cries the lazy man.

   Lakshman says that leaning on fate is the one support a coward has, and that 'it is destiny' is the cry of the idle. Blaming fate is easier than trying. When you hear yourself say it, take it as a signal to act.

   Ramcharitmanas, Sundara Kanda 51, our translation from the Greek

4. Without fear, there is no regard.

   Rama pleads with the ocean for three days to let his army cross, gets no answer, and only then raises his bow. The line says that without a little fear there is no regard. Kindness works best when people know you also have limits.

   Ramcharitmanas, Sundara Kanda 57, our translation from the Greek

5. No duty like doing good to others. No sin like hurting them.

   Tulsidas boils religion down to two sides of one rule. Helping others is the highest duty, and causing pain is the lowest act. When doctrine gets confusing, this is the line to come back to.

   Ramcharitmanas, Uttara Kanda 41, our translation from the Greek

6. Many are skilled at advising others. Few live it.

   Plenty of people give excellent advice, and very few follow it themselves. Tulsidas is pointing at the gap between knowing and doing. Before you hand out counsel, check whether your life backs it up.

   Ramcharitmanas, Lanka Kanda 78, our translation from the Greek

7. The brave do the work in battle. They don't announce themselves.

   Real fighters act on the field and do not advertise. It is the coward, facing an enemy, who brags about his strength. Let your work be the loud part.

   Ramcharitmanas, Bala Kanda 274, our translation from the Greek

8. What use is rain when the crop has already died?

   Rain after the field has withered saves nothing. Help, apology or effort that comes too late is like that. Do the thing while it can still make a difference.

   Ramcharitmanas, Bala Kanda 261, our translation from the Greek

9. Let life go, but never your word.

   King Dasharath recalls his family's rule: a promise is kept even at the cost of life. It is an extreme standard, and that is the point. Give your word rarely, and then treat it as unbreakable.

   Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhya Kanda 28, our translation from the Greek

10. Courage and patience are the wheels. Truth and character are the flag.

    Facing Ravana's war chariot, Rama describes the chariot that really wins: valor and endurance for wheels, truth and good conduct for its banner. Strength without character goes nowhere, and character without grit never moves. Build both.

    Ramcharitmanas, Lanka Kanda 80, our translation from the Greek

11. Without contentment, desire never ends.

    Desire does not die by being fed, only by contentment. And while desire is intact, Tulsidas says, happiness does not come even in dreams. Practice being satisfied, and the chase loosens its grip.

    Ramcharitmanas, Uttara Kanda 90, our translation from the Greek

12. Rub even sandalwood too hard and it catches fire.

    Sandalwood is cool and fragrant, yet enough friction will set it alight. The gentlest person also has a limit. Do not mistake patience for something you can grind on forever.

    Ramcharitmanas, Uttara Kanda 111, our translation from the Greek

13. What use is a salve that blinds the eye?

    Eye-salve is meant to help you see; if it ruins the eye, throw it away no matter how precious it is. Tulsidas applies this to relationships that pull you away from what is good. Something that damages you is not a gift, however dear it seems.

    Vinay Patrika 174 (quoted in Ramchandra Shukla, Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas, 1929), our translation from the Greek