• वाल्मीकिस्तुलसीदासः कलौ देवि भविष्यति ।
• रामचन्द्रकथामेतां भाषाबद्धां करिष्यति ।।

-Bhavishyottar Purana, Pratisarga Parva, 4.20

In Bhavishyottar Purana, Lord Shiva tells mother Parvati how Maharshi Valmiki got a boon from Lord Hanuman to sing Shri Ram Katha in vernacular language in the age of Kaliyuga. This prophecy of Lord Shiva materialised on the Shraavan Shukla Saptami, Vikrami Samvat 1554 when Maharshi Valmiki took birth as Tulsidas ji in a Saryuparin Brahmin family in a village named Rajapur situated on the banks of the river Yamuna.

• पन्द्रह सौ चौवन बिसै कालिन्दी के तीर ।
• श्रावण शुक्ला सप्तमी तुलसी धरे शरीर ।।

His parents were Atmaram Dubey and Hulasi. At the time of birth, Goswamiji was as healthy as a five-year old boy and instead of crying, He uttered the word "Raam". At this moment, Lord Rama made an aakaashvaani and named the divine child as "Rambola" (one who uttered Raam). Goswamiji Himself attests this.

राम को गुलाम नाम रामबोला राख्यो राम ।

-Vinaypatrika, 76

At this auspicious event, gods started playing celestial instruments to celebrate the birth. Becoming apprehensive and unable to understand the strangeness of events, Shri Atmaram Dubey abandoned his son. Goswamiji writes.

जायो कुलमंगन बधावनो बजायो सुनि । भयो परिताप पाप जननी जनक को ।।

-Kavitavali, 7.73

Ameans the paranormal events caused grief (परिताप) to mother and sinful feeling (पाप) to father and that is the reason the child could not get parental care, as he says.

मातु पिता जग जाइ तज्यो । बिधि हूँ न लिखी कछु भाल भलाई ।।

-Kavitavali, 7.56

In the last eight stanzas of Vinaypatrika, Goswamiji has repeatedly described His miserable condition.

Expecting bad behaviour from father towards the son, mother Hulasi sent the child away to Haripur with her servant (daasi) named Muniya. Haripur was Muniya's own village. Very soon mother Hulasi also went to "Haripur", i.e. she left the world. Goswamiji remembers Haripur in His literature.

हरिपुर गयेउ परम बड़भागी ।

- Ramcharitmanas, 4.27.8

सुखी हरिपुर बसत होत परीक्षितहिं पछताव ।

-Vinaypatrikaa, 220

Mata Hulasi had love for her son, which is why Goswamiji pays tribute to her by mentioning her name in Ramcharitmanas.

Soon Muniya also left the world, leaving the boy on His own fate. Now, mother Parvati Herself started nurturing the boy. Goswamiji remembers this.

रामहिं प्रिय पावनि तुलसी सी । तुलसिदास हित हिय हुलसी सी ।।

-Ramcharitmanas, 1.31.12

गुरु पितु मातु महेश भवानी ।

-Ramcharitmanas, 1.15.3

मेरे गुरु मातु पितु शंकर भवानियै ।

-Kavitavali, 7

After five years, there occurred a dramatic event in Rambola's life. When He was living under the trees just outside Haripur, Lord Shiva inspired Shri Narharidas ji to meet Rambola. Shri Narharidas ji or Shri Narharyanand ji was the fourth disciple among the twelve chief disciples of Adya Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Ji and also an incarnation of four Sankadik sages. A little conversation took place when Shri Narharidas ji met the boy.

• Narharidasji : Boy! What is your name?
• Tulsidasji : Rambola.
• Narharidasji : Why?
• Tulsidasji : Because "Ram" was the first word that came out from my mouth when I was born.
• Narharidasji : Who gave you this name?
• Tulsidasji : Lord Ram Himself.
• Narharidasji : What do you do?
• Tulsidasji : I utter "Ram-Ram" sometimes.
• राम को गुलाम नाम रामबोला राख्यो राम ।
• काम यहै नाम द्वै हों कबहुँ कहत हौं ।।

-Vinaypatrika, 76.1

• Narharidasji : What will you do?
• Tulsidasji : I will become your disciple.
• Narharidasji : Is anybody there in your family?
• Tulsidasji : Nobody.
• Narharidasji : What about marriage?
• Tulsidasji : Not interested.

That was it. Shri Narharidas Ji showered divine grace on the boy and gave Him the Virakta Shri Vaishnav Diksha in Shri Ramanandi Parampara, i.e. initiated Him in the Ramanandi sect with due rituals, and presented Him the name "Tulsidas". Goswamiji describes His Diksha and the above conversation in the following verses.

• बूझ्यो ज्यों ही कह्यौं मैं हूँ चेरा ह्वैहौं रावरो जू,
• मेरो कोउ कहूँ नहिं चरण गहत हौं ।
• मींज्यो गुरु पीठि अपनाई बोलि बाँह गहि,
• सेवक सुखद बाँको बिरुद बहत हौं ।
• लोग कहें पोच, सो न सोच न संकोच मेरे,
• ब्याह न बरेखी जात पाँत न चहत हौं ।
• तुलसी अकाज काज राम ही के रीझे खीझे,
• प्रीति की प्रतीति ताते मुदित रहत हौं ।

-Vinaypatrika, 76

ब्याह न बरेखी जात पाँत न चहत हौं ।

These words of Tulsidas Ji clearly affirm the fact that He never married. He was an ascetic right from childhood and did not marry ever in His life. The popular belief that He married a woman named Ratnavali is nothing more than a myth. In Hanumaan Baahuka too, Goswamiji affirms He's been an ascetic since childhood

बालपने सूधमन रामसनमुख भयो । रामनाम लेत माँगि खात टूक टाक हौं ।।

-Hanuman Bahuk, 40

Gurudev Shri Narharidasji took Tulsidasji to a place called Sookar (सूकर), now known as Soron. There He narrated the ShriRamcharitmanas Katha to Tulsidasji several times which He had received in tradition from Maharshi Yajnavalkya ji. Shri Narharidasji had received the Katha from Maharshi in the form of the four Sankadik sages. Goswamiji writes.

• मैं पुनि निज गुरु सन सुनी कथा सो सूकर खेत ।
• समझी नहिं तस बालपन तब अति रहेउँ अचेत ।।

-Ramcharitmanas, 1.3. क

Goswamiji remembers His Guruji's name figuratively in the Manas.

बन्दउं गुरुपद कंज कृपासिन्धु नररूप हरि ।

-सो. Ramcharitmanas, 1.5

With the grace of Gurudev, Tulsidasji easily mastered all Puranas, Nigamas, Agamas and other scriptures.