Shri RamachAritramanjari

By: Shri Kesava Rao Tadipatri

Art by Chi: Ananya Ravi

Sri Valmiki R^ishi has condensed (what is believed to be) one hundred crore verse mUla rAmAyana into a work of twenty-four thosand shlokas. It is believed that the power of gAyatri mantra is contained in this work. Sri Raghavendra swamy condensed this further into 11 verses to enable the devotees, who wish to do daily pArAyana of Ramayana, perform that task with a lot more ease. The faith is that this stotra comprising eleven shlokas will destroy the sins committed by the eleven indriyas (five j~nAnendriyas, five karmendriyas and Mind).

Each shloka lists chronologically the Ramayana and also is in the form of a prayer, pleading for His blessings. 

For the encoding of shrIrAmachAritramaJNjarI, please visit

Sanskrit version - Rama charitra manjari

Roman version- Rama charitra manjari

Such a task has been nicely described by Sri Vadindra tiirtha in "Guru Guna Stavana" as follows.

"vAchA saN^shiptayA yadbahucharitamupAvarNayastvaM  murAreH

kiJNcha shrIrAghavendra vratipa raghupatestena no vismaye.aham.h |

kiM vA duHsAdhyamasti trijagati mahatAmatmanaH pANipadme

pashyAmando marandaH kilaghaTajanushhA cholirAkAri sindhu"

It is not at all surprising that Sri Raghavendra tiirtha condensed the Ramayana into "shrIrAmachAritramaJNjarI" and Sri Krishna charitra into "shrIkR^ishhNachAritramaJNjarI", because nothing is impossible for the lotus hands of great persons. Sage Agastya, who was born out of a pot (that can hold only small amount of water) could hold the entire ocean in his palm and drink it all.

Verse 1:

śrīmānpūrvaṃ prajāto daśarathanṛpate rāmanāmā’tha nīto

viśvāmitreṇa mantrāhṛdanujasahitastāṭakāṃ ghātako’stram |

brahmādyaṃ prāpya hantvā niśicaranikaraṃ yajñapālo vimocyā-

halyāṃ śāpācca bhañktvā śivadhanurupayan jānakīṃ naḥ prasīdet || 1 |

The first verse says "(At the request of gods like Brahma), Lord Narayana incarnated as the son of Dasharatha, accompanied Vishvamitra along with Laxmana, killed Tataka, acquired Brahmastra, etc. from Vishvamitra, killed the demons, saved the sacrifice, freed Ahalya from the curse, broke the bow of Shiva and married Sita devi. May such Lord save us".

Verse 2: 

āyan rāmaḥ sabhāryo’dhvani nijasahajairbhārgaveṣvāsaropāt

tadgaṃ hatvā surāriṃ puraga uta nutastāpasairbhūpapṛṣṭaiḥ |

kalyāṇānantadharmo’guṇalavarahitaḥ prāṇināmantarātmet-

yādyuktaścābhiṣeke purajanamahito mahyatāṃ me vacobhiḥ || 2 |

The second verse says "While Rama was returning to Ayodhya along with his wife and brothers, killed the demon (Atula) residing in Lord Parashurama [with the pretext] of sending an arrow against Parashurama, reached Ayodhya. He was praised by sages and kings as full of all auspicious qualities and devoid of all flaws and the innner prompter of all beings and was approved by them and the citizens to be coronated as king. May such Lord be pleased with my stotra".

Verse 3:

kaikeyīprītihetoḥ sasahajanṛpajo valkalī yānaraṇyaṃ

gaṅgātārī guhārcyaḥ kṛtarucirajaṭo gīṣpateḥ putramānyaḥ |

tīrtvā kṛṣṇāṃ prayāto’vatu nijamamalaṃ citrakūṭaṃ prapannaṃ

svāmbābhibhrātaraṃ taṃ śrutajanakagatiḥ sāntvayan vyuptatīrthaḥ || 3 |

In order to please Kaikeyi, Sri Rama, along with Sita and Laxmana, wore saintly garb, went to the forest and crossed river Ganga. He was worshipped by Guha. He changed His hair into effulgent "jaTa"(locked hair). He was meditated upon by Brihaspathi's son Bharadvaja. He reached Chitrakuta by crosing Krishna river, heard about his father's death through his brothers and mothers, performed the last rites after consoling everyone. May such Lord Rama protect us.

Verse 4:

dattvā’smai pāduke sve kṣitibharaṇakṛtau prepya taṃ kākanetraṃ

vyasyārādyo’trināmnā vanamatha samito daṇḍakaṃ tāpaseṣṭam |

kurvan hatvā virādhaṃ khalakuladamanaṃ yācitastāpasāgrai-

steṣāṃ datvā’bhayaṃ svānasidhanuriṣudhīn yānagastyātsa pāyāt || 4|| 

Lord Rama gave his pAduka to Bharata, entrusted the welfare of the kingdom to him and destroyed Kakasura residing in [Jayanta's] eye (#). He was worshipped by Atri, reached Dandakaranya, the favourite place of rishis, killed Virata, gave "abhaya" to the rishis, who pleaded Him to kill evil demons. He retrieved his sword, bow, arrows and quiver from Agastya maharshi. May such Rama protect us.

Verse 5:

āsīnaḥ pañcavaṭyāmakuruta vikṛtāṃ rākṣasīṃ yo dvisapta-

kravyādānāmapyanekānatha kharamavadhīd dūṣaṇaṃ ca triśīrṣam |

mārīcaṃ mārgarūpaṃ daśavadanahṛtāmākṛtiṃ bhūmijāyā

anviṣyannārtagṛdhraṃ svagatimatha 

nayan māmavet ghnan kabandham || 5 ||

Rama, who stayed at Panchavati, deformed Shurpanakha through Laxmana, killed 14,000 rakshasas along with Khara, Dushhana and Trishira. He also killed Maricha, disguised as deer, searched the "image of Sita", who was abducted by Ravana. He was informed of that news by Jatayu, who was hurt [by Ravana]. He [gave mukti to Jatayu and] killed Kabandha. May such Rama protect us.

Verse 6:

pampātīraṃ sa gacchanniha kṛtavasatiḥ bhaktituṣṭaḥ śabaryai

dattvā muktiṃ prakurvan hanumata uditaṃ prāptasugrīvasakhyam |

sapta chitvā’tha tālān vidhivarabalino vālibhit sūryasūnuṃ

kurvāṇo rājyapālaṃ samavatu nivasan mālyavatkandare’sau || 6 ||

Lord Rama went to Pampa tIra, stayed there. He was pleased with Shabari's devotion and granted moxa to her. After meeting Hanuman, He befriended Sugriva, felled seven palm trees [there by killing the mighty demons hiding in them]. He killed mighty Vali, coronated his brother Sugriva. May that Shri Rama, who stayed in the cave of Malya mountain, protect us.

Verse 7:

nītvā māsān kapīśāniha daśa haritaḥ preṣya sītāṃ vicintyā’’-

yātaśrīmaddhanūmadgirimatha samanuśṛtya gacchan kapīndraiḥ |

sugrīvādyairasaṅkhyairdaśamukhasahajaṃ mānayannabdhivācā

daityaghnaḥ setukārī ripupurarudaved vānarairvairighātī || 7 ||

[Lord Rama] spent some months [at Malya cave], sent vAnarAs in all ten directions in search of Sita and heard from Sri Hanuman the whereabouts of Sita, went with Sugriva and other vAnarAs, gave refuge to Vibhishna, brother of Ravana, killed some demons on the words of god of ocean, built a bridge [across the ocean] and besieged Lanka, the city of the enemies with the help of the vAnarAs. May that Lord Rama, protect us.

Verse 8: 

bhagnaṃ kṛtvā daśāsyaṃ gurutaravapuṣaṃ kumbhakarṇaṃ nihatya

pradhvastāśeṣanāgaṃ padakamalanataṃ tārkṣyamānandya rāmaḥ |

sarvānujjīvayantaṃ giridharamanaghaścāñjaneyāt kapīn svān

vijñānāstreṇa rakṣan samavatu damayan lakṣmaṇācchakraśatram || 8 ||

Lord Rama created fear in Ravana, killed the gigantic Kumbhakarna, destroyed all the nagastras discharged by Indrajit, pleased Garuda who came to worship the Lord Rama, brought back to life all the vanaras through Hanuman who brought Sanjivini mountain. may such Lord Rama, who is free from all flaws and bondage, who saved all the vanaras with vij~nanastra and killed Indrajit through Laxmana, protect us.

Verse 9:

kravyādān ghnannasaṅkhyānapi daśavadanaṃ brahmapūrvaiḥ sureśaiḥ

puṣpairākīryamāṇo hutavahavimalāmāpya sītāṃ vidhāya |

rakṣonāthaṃ svabhaktaṃ svapuramatha gataḥ puṣpakasthaiḥ samastaiḥ

sāmrājye cābhiṣikto nijajanamakhilaṃ mānayan me gatiḥ syāt || 9 ||

Lord Rama killed countless demons including Ravana. He was showered with flowers by Brahma and all the gods. He made the flawless Sita enter the fire, coronated His devotee Vibhishana as the king of rakxasas, reached Ayodya with his devotees in Pushpaka vimana, got coronated and thereby pleased all His devotees. May such Lord Rama be my refuge.

Verse 10:

rakṣan kṣoṇīṃ mamṛddhāṃ nuta uta munibhirmānayan vāyusūnuṃ

preṣyādityātmajādīn vyatanuta bharataṃ yauvarājye’numānya |

kārye saumitrimārtaśvagaditakṛdarighno’tha śatrughnato yo

hatvā’sau duṣṭaśūdraṃ dvijasutagubavet kumbhajānmālabhārī || 10 ||

Lord Rama ruled and protected the earth with abundance. He was extolled by the sages. He specially blessed Vayu putra Sri Hanuman and sent back Sugriva and other vAnarAs to their respective places, made Bharata the crown prince, appointed Laxmana as His assistant, fulfilled the desire of a sad dog [who prayed that the person who beat him for no fault should be made as a 'bell man' at the temple], killed the enemies through Shatrughna, killed the wicked shudra tapasvi and rescued the brahmin's son, wore the garland given by Agastya R^ishi. May such Rama protect us.

Verse 11:

yajñaṃ tanvan trikoṭīn vyatudata bharatādyo’surānīśavākyād

yāsyan dhāmātriputraṃ bhujimatha sa nayannātmasūnū svarājye |

kṛtvā śrīhrīhanūmaddhṛtavimalacalaccāmarachatraśobhī

brahmādyaiḥ stūyamāno nijapuravilasatpādapadmo’vatānmām || 11 ||

Lord Rama performed Ashwameda Yaga, destroyed three crore demons (#) through Bharata, while going to Vaikunta as per the wish of Lord Shiva, fed Atri's son Durvasa, coronated His Sons Lava and Kusha. May such Lord, who is served with chowrie (chAmara) and parasol (chhatra) by shrI devi, bhU devi and Hanumantha, extolled by Brahma and others. May the effulgent lotus feet of such Lord in Vaikuntha protect me.

# [assisted three crore gods] is alternate reading.

Note: This concludes a simple gist of shrIrAmachAritramaJNjarI.

Shri KrishnArpaNamastu..

Link to Shri Krishnacharitra Manjari

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