The Seven Questions of Garuda
(from Śrī Rāmacaritamānasa)
Tulasidasa concludes his Ramacharitamanasa with a conversation between Garuda, the king of birds, carrier of Shri Vishnu and Kakabhushundi, the enlightened sage in the body of a crow. Kakabhushundi stands outside of normal time, can travel to any universe and sees all, past-present-and future. He is living for 27 cycles of creation, has witnessed the Ramayana 11 times with different outcomes and seen Mahabharat 16 times with different results. He is also a ‘Chiranjeevi’ – one having the powers to survive for aeons of time and even retain the memories thereof. Lord Shiva told Garuda to take instructions from a crow, considered the lowest among birds, to remove Garuda's pride. He heard from him the glory of Sri Rama for many years and all kinds of doubts went away. Kakabushundi is an exalted devotee of Lord Rama and also narrator of the first Ramayana, much before the Adhyatma Ramayana, Valmiki and Tulsidas Ramayana.
In Tamil Nadu He is also worshipped as Kagabujandar, an Author of the famous Palm Leaf Libraries, where the future of visitors is foretold in Kali-Yuga.
| Q1 | Which form of all is the most difficult to obtain? |
| A1 | There is no other form as good as the human body, every living creature, whether animate or inanimate, craves for it. |
| Q2 | Which is the greatest misery? |
| A2 | There is no misery in this world as terrible as poverty. Poverty of resources, poverty of love and poverty of wisdom. |
| Q3 | Which is the highest pleasure? |
| A3 | There is no blessing as great as communion with saints and sages. |
| Q4 | What are the innate dispositions of, or the essential characteristics of the saints and of the evil-minded? |
| A4 | Beneficence in thought, word and deed is the innate disposition of saints. The saints undergo suffering in the interest of others while impious wretches do so with a view to tormenting others. |
| Q5 | Which is the highest religious merit made known in the Vedas? |
| A5 | A vow of non-violence is the highest religious merit known to the Vedas. |
| Q6 | Which is the most terrible sin? |
| A6 | There is no sin as grievous as speaking ill of others. |
| Q7 | What is the disease of the mind? |
| A7 | Infatuation is the root of all ailments and from these again arise many other troubles. Lust is a counterpart of wind and inordinate greed corresponds to an abundance of phlegm. While anger represents bile, which constantly burns the breast. |
 Shri Kagabujandar |
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Shri Ramacharitamanasa by Gita Press 1968 edition |
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Shri Ramacharitamanasa by Gita Press 2012 edition |
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The seven questions of |