Originally posted by: godisone
I personally feel that Valmiki Ramayana and Tulsidas Ramayana are the same only, but written with different perspectives. For example, what we are experiencing today will be ancient history in the future, and the only guide people will have are books written by us. Let's take two people who write about the same thing, but with different perspectives. Not everyone thinks the same.
Similarly, Saint Valmiki wrote down his perspective on the Ramayana, which was that Lord Ram did not know he was God until after he had defeated Ravan and Lord Brahma told him, or that the Sita who suffered was the real Sita. Valmiki Ramayana characterizes Sitaji as a patient woman who refused to break down when in trouble, and always in her heart of hearts knew that her swami would resuce her.
Tulsidas Ramayana, which is said to have been narrated by Hanumanji to Tulsidas, tells of the Ramayana through the perspective of Hanuman (since he narrated it to Tulsidas). Tulsidas believed that Lord Ram knew he was Vishnu, but never declared it like Lord Krishna, and suffered like a human being to teach us the ideal way to live. Tulsidasji's Sita is a patient woman also, but he showed her suffering through tears and laments to Trijata while Valmikiji hardly had her crying. In Ramcharitmanas, it is Chaya Sita who is captured by Ravan, because if Ravan had touched the real Sita, he would have died on the spot due to the power of Sitaji gained through her chastity and virtue. How then would warriors like Indrajit and Kumbhakarn have been killed, along with all the other warriors of Lanka who died in the war.
I believe in both Ramayans, because the overall story is the same. The differences in there are due to different perspectives only, not because one is "more authentic" than the other. I believe both are equally authentic.
As for Lord Rama, I personally believe that he knew he was Lord Vishnu, because how could one who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu not know of his divinity? That's just my personal opinion, and I mean no insult to Valmikiji by it.
As for the Chaya Sita concept, I really don't know what to believe. I'd rather believe Valmikiji's perspective on that, because the suffering of sita Ma during monsoon and her 10 month stay in Lanka has to be genuine. In the old Ramayan serial, during the monsoons season they show Sita being nostalgic about good times in Ayodhya, her swayamvara, and all. Why would she remember all that if she wasn't the real Sita?
but then, the Chaya Sita concept also seems valid to me, because it makes sense that if an Adharmi like Ravan had laid hands on a Mahasati like Sita, he would be burned in an instant. How then would Indrajit and Kumbhakarn die among many others?
Oh God, I'm so confused!