ramatulsidasramcharitmanasbalkand

Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan

श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Before beginning any reading, parayan or path of the Ramcharitmanas; mornings·📜 Ramcharitmanas, Bala Kanda — opening Mangalacharan (Goswami Tulsidas)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ 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.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 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)

Verse 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)

Verse 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)

Verse 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)

Verse 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)

Verse 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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varṇānām🔊of letters/sounds (of the alphabet)

arthasaṃghānām🔊of groups of meanings

rasānām🔊of poetic sentiments (rasas)

chandasām api🔊and of metres also

maṅgalānāṃ ca karttārau🔊and the two authors/makers of all auspiciousness

vande vāṇīvināyakau🔊I bow to Vani (Saraswati) and Vinayaka (Ganesha)

bhavānīśaṅkarau🔊to Bhavani (Parvati) and Shankara (Shiva)

śraddhāviśvāsarūpiṇau🔊who are the embodiments of faith (shraddha) and conviction (vishvasa)

svāntaḥstham īśvaram🔊the Lord seated within one's own heart

bodhamayaṃ nityaṃ gurum🔊the Guru who is eternal and the embodiment of pure knowledge

śaṅkararūpiṇam🔊who is in the form of Shankara (Shiva)

vakraḥ api candraḥ🔊even the crooked (crescent) moon

sarvatra vandyate🔊is honoured/worshipped everywhere (because it rests on Shiva's head)

kavīśvarakapīśvarau🔊the lord of poets (Valmiki) and the lord of monkeys (Hanuman)

kleśahāriṇīm🔊remover of afflictions and sorrows

rāmavallabhām🔊the beloved consort of Rama (Sita)

yanmāyā vaśavarti viśvam🔊by whose Maya the whole universe is governed

rajjau yathā aheḥ bhramaḥ🔊as the illusion of a snake (appears) on a rope

bhavāmbhodhes titīrṣāvatām🔊for those who wish to cross the ocean of worldly existence

rāmākhyam īśaṃ harim🔊to the Lord Hari known by the name Rama, I bow

Benefits of Chanting श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण

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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

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Establishes shraddha (faith) and vishvasa (conviction) needed for spiritual realization

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Salutes Sita and Rama as the Supreme — fixing the mind on Brahman before the epic

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Grants clarity of intellect and purity of speech to the reciter

How to Chant श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण

Repetitions1times

Best TimeBefore beginning any reading, parayan or path of the Ramcharitmanas; mornings

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is the set of opening Sanskrit invocatory verses (mangalacharan) at the very beginning of the Bala Kanda of Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, before the Awadhi chaupais start. In them the poet salutes the deities, the Guru, the sages and finally Lord Rama to invoke an auspicious beginning.

Although Tulsidas wrote the bulk of the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi for the common people, he composed the benedictory invocations and several key shlokas in classical Sanskrit, following tradition, to formally invoke the deities and the Guru at the outset.

'Varnanam Arthasanghanam...' salutes Saraswati (Vani) and Ganesha (Vinayaka) as the source of letters, meanings, poetic sentiments and metres, and as the authors of all auspiciousness — a fitting invocation before composing or reciting poetry.

They are recited at the start of any Ramcharitmanas parayan (continuous reading) or daily path, and are an excellent invocation before beginning study, learning, or any auspicious undertaking.