Tulsidas Jayanti: Choosing Divine Love Over Worldly Attachment

Tulsidas Jayanti: Selecting Godly Love Over Earthly Attachment

Introduction

Tulsidas Jayanti on the seventh day of Shravan month is not only a saint’s celebration—something greater is involved here. It is a celebration of the vast change that occurs when human love is raised to divine love. Goswami Tulsidas, the greatest poet of Hindu mythology, is renowned for his epic Ramcharitmanas that embodied Lord Ram’s divine saga within the hearts of the people. But there lies a profoundly human tale—a tale of all-consuming passion of the heart, heartbreak, awakening, and divine surrender—beneath the laurels of poetry. As we celebrate Tulsidas’s life on this Jayanti, we are forced to consider a significant question: Are we opting for fleeting emotional bonds, or moving toward infinite bliss of divine love?

The Path of a Devotee

Tulsidas’s journey began in grief, loneliness, and yearning. Left an orphan just a short while after his birth, he spent his early years in uncertain environments and suffered from an intense longing for love and belonging. This emotional emptiness resulted in rabid attachment in his later years—particularly to his wife, whom he loved unconditionally. The peak was achieved when, in desperation, Tulsidas took a midnight swim across a river to be with her. Horrified by his actions, she scolded him, saying, “Had you loved Lord Ram this much, you would have attained salvation.” These were not rejection words—words of awakening.

And in that instant rejected the fantasy Tulsidas had cultivated about worldly love. It occurred to him that his fixation had obscured his vocation, chained his soul, and distracted him from God. With a wave of his hand, his craving was reversed—no longer personal but a force, no longer emotional attachment but spiritual knowledge. He abandoned home and luxury, and set out upon the way of bhakti—love. This was not flight, this was waking up.

Why Worldly Attachment Feels So Real

We all are very much like the original Tulsidas. We get so involved with individuals, relationships, and results, confusing intensity of the heart as divine connection. Break-ups, fear of losing someone, or fear of not being reciprocated can overwhelm us. We find ourselves at such times looking for reasons: Why am I aching so much? Why is this hurting so much?

The solution is attachment—a kind but potent illusion that causes us to believe that our happiness, peace, or sense of being is in the hands of another. Love is biological, but attachment binds. It begets fear, conditions, and emotional bondage. Tulsidas’s tale provides us with the courage to look within and tell ourselves—can we turn this attachment into devotion? Can we allow our longing carry us home to the divine source?

Bhakti: Unconditional Love

Tulsidas’s surrender to Lord Ram was not an abdication of love—it was a move ahead. Bhakti, or love devotion, is not a dry mechanical practice. It is an intimate, feeling, living relationship with God that expects nothing in return. It is unconditional love, yearning without ego, surrendering fearlessly. In Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas doesn’t recount the story of Ram—he puts his heart in every verse, making us sense the splendor of a love that releases rather than confines.

It is from his own words that we learn that real love has nothing to do with having the other but melting away the self. It has to do with being so immersed in the divine that our fears, our longings, and our attachments start to melt away. This is the peace-giving love, the love which Tulsidas lived—and the love we are all searching for, perhaps without even knowing it.

The Relevance Today

At a time of brief relationships, emotional exhaustion, and spiritual disorientation, Tulsidas’s life is no less immediate. How often do we roam lost in seeking the approval of another? How often do we sacrifice our own peace of mind in holding onto something that is crumbling beneath us? Like Tulsidas, we too are at the doorstep of awakening every time life shatters our heart or tests our ego. These aren’t acts of punishment—they’re invitations to expand.

This Tulsidas Jayanti, think about what you cling to. Is it in fact elevating you or holding you down? Consider whether your love is based on liberty or fear. This option that Tulsidas chose so many centuries ago is still ours—until the very last minute moment. When we change our reference from the world to the divine, we don’t leave life behind—we begin living it consciously, serenely, and with authenticity.

Conclusion

Tulsidas’s path from attachment to divine liberation isn’t merely a piece of history—yet a reflection on all of us. On this sacred day, pause, sit quietly, and feel your attachments, and release them at the lotus feet of the divine. If you catch yourself getting trapped in cycles of heartbreak, longing, or bafflement, think about participating in facilitated rituals such as Ram Bhakti Anushthan or spiritual guidance received through authentic providers such as Divine Talk Astrology. These heavenly instruments can enable you to move in the direction of clearing, mending, and restoration of your higher way.

Because ultimately, love isn’t a matter of comprehension—it’s a matter of ascending higher. And divine love, once embraced, never lets you fall.