Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan
श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण
Also known as: varnanam arthasanghanam · ramcharitmanas mangalacharan · balkand mangalacharan · vande vani vinayakau · ramcharitmanas opening shlokas · manas mangalacharan
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✦ Meaning
These are the opening Sanskrit invocatory shlokas (Mangalacharan) of the Bala Kanda, with which Goswami Tulsidas begins the Ramcharitmanas. In them he salutes Saraswati and Ganesha, Parvati and Shiva as faith and conviction, the Guru, Valmiki and Hanuman, mother Sita, and finally Lord Rama himself as the supreme Brahman beyond all causes. Recited before any reading of the Ramcharitmanas, they invoke auspiciousness, wisdom and the removal of obstacles.
Origin & Story
Ramcharitmanas, Bala Kanda — opening Mangalacharan (Goswami Tulsidas) · Goswami Tulsidas · 16th century CE (c. 1574)
Goswami Tulsidas opened his Ramcharitmanas at Ayodhya in 1574 with a sequence of Sanskrit benedictory shlokas before turning to Awadhi. Following the tradition of mangalacharan, he first invokes Saraswati and Ganesha (sound and meaning, and remover of obstacles), then Shiva and Parvati as faith and conviction, the Guru as embodied knowledge, Valmiki and Hanuman as the lords of poetry and devotion, mother Sita as the power behind creation, and finally Lord Rama as the supreme Brahman beyond all causes — thereby consecrating the entire work and the act of its reading.
✦ As told in scripture
Reciters of the Ramcharitmanas hold that beginning a parayan without the mangalacharan leaves it incomplete, whereas opening with these verses removes obstacles so that the reading proceeds smoothly to its fruitful end; the very first shloka invoking Saraswati and Ganesha is also chanted by students to bless learning and eloquence.
Complete Text with Meaning
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वर्णानामर्थसंघानां रसानां छन्दसामपि। मङ्गलानां च कर्त्तारौ वन्दे वाणीविनायकौ॥1॥
varṇānām arthasaṃghānāṃ rasānāṃ chandasām api maṅgalānāṃ ca karttārau vande vāṇīvināyakau (1)
Meaning:I bow to Vani (Saraswati) and Vinayaka (Ganesha), the makers of the sounds and the meanings, the sentiments and the metres, and the authors of all that is auspicious. (1)
भवानीशङ्करौ वन्दे श्रद्धाविश्वासरूपिणौ। याभ्यां विना न पश्यन्ति सिद्धाः स्वान्तःस्थमीश्वरम्॥2॥
bhavānīśaṅkarau vande śraddhāviśvāsarūpiṇau yābhyāṃ vinā na paśyanti siddhāḥ svāntaḥsthamīśvaram (2)
Meaning:I bow to Bhavani and Shankara, the very embodiments of faith and conviction, without whom even the perfected ones cannot behold the Lord seated within their own hearts. (2)
वन्दे बोधमयं नित्यं गुरुं शङ्कररूपिणम्। यमाश्रितो हि वक्रोऽपि चन्द्रः सर्वत्र वन्द्यते॥3॥
vande bodhamayaṃ nityaṃ guruṃ śaṅkararūpiṇam yamāśrito hi vakro'pi candraḥ sarvatra vandyate (3)
Meaning:I bow to the eternal Guru, the embodiment of pure knowledge in the form of Shankara, resting on whom even the crooked crescent moon is honoured everywhere. (3)
सीतारामगुणग्रामपुण्यारण्यविहारिणौ। वन्दे विशुद्धविज्ञानौ कवीश्वरकपीश्वरौ॥4॥
sītārāmaguṇagrāmapuṇyāraṇyavihāriṇau vande viśuddhavijñānau kavīśvarakapīśvarau (4)
Meaning:I bow to Valmiki, the lord of poets, and Hanuman, the lord of monkeys, both of pure and perfect wisdom, who ever roam in the holy forest of Sita-Rama's virtues. (4)
उद्भवस्थितिसंहारकारिणीं क्लेशहारिणीम्। सर्वश्रेयस्करीं सीतां नतोऽहं रामवल्लभाम्॥5॥
udbhavasthitisaṃhārakāriṇīṃ kleśahāriṇīm sarvaśreyaskarīṃ sītāṃ nato'haṃ rāmavallabhām (5)
Meaning:I bow to Sita, the beloved of Rama, who causes the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the world, who removes all afflictions, and who bestows every blessing. (5)
यन्मायावशवर्ति विश्वमखिलं ब्रह्मादिदेवासुरा यत्सत्त्वादमृषैव भाति सकलं रज्जौ यथाहेर्भ्रमः। यत्पादप्लवमेकमेव हि भवाम्भोधेस्तितीर्षावतां वन्देऽहं तमशेषकारणपरं रामाख्यमीशं हरिम्॥6॥
yanmāyāvaśavarti viśvam akhilaṃ brahmādidevāsurā yatsattvād amṛṣaiva bhāti sakalaṃ rajjau yathāher bhramaḥ yatpādaplavam ekam eva hi bhavāmbhodhes titīrṣāvatāṃ vande'haṃ tam aśeṣakāraṇaparaṃ rāmākhyam īśaṃ harim (6)
Meaning:I bow to that Lord Hari, named Rama, who is the supreme cause beyond all causes — by whose Maya the entire universe, with Brahma and the other gods and demons, is controlled; by whose reality alone all this appears real, as a rope is mistaken for a snake; and whose feet are the one and only raft for those longing to cross the ocean of worldly existence. (6)
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan
Invokes Saraswati, Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati and the Guru for wisdom and an auspicious start
Traditionally recited before reading any portion of the Ramcharitmanas
Removes obstacles (vighna) and bestows success on study, recitation and new works
Establishes shraddha (faith) and vishvasa (conviction) needed for spiritual realization
Salutes Sita and Rama as the Supreme — fixing the mind on Brahman before the epic
Grants clarity of intellect and purity of speech to the reciter
How to Chant Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan
Recite these six Sanskrit shlokas slowly and clearly at the very start of any Ramcharitmanas reading or recitation, with folded hands and a focused mind. They form the prescribed mangalacharan (auspicious invocation) of the Bala Kanda. Pronounce the Sanskrit carefully, pausing at each shloka, before continuing into the Awadhi text. Many devotees recite the full set once at the opening of a daily or ceremonial parayan.