211About the bookHere is an interesting study of Tulsi Das' views on the inter-action of love of God and social duty as expressed in the Ramcaritmanas. The author has dwelt briefly upon the life and works of the Tulsi Das and elaborated the three distinct types in the context of Hindu tradition - Orthodox theism, Vedic Orthodoxy and Antinomian Theism which emphasizes love of God to the negligence of traditional duties. Studying the literary characteristics of the Ramcaritmanas, Social duty and Love of God in the text are discussed at length, giving way to the will of God as the ultimate in resolving the tension in both. The nature and characteristics of the ideal devotee are exemplified. Contains select Bibliography and Index. IntroductionTHE Ramcaritmanas is the most popular religious text of North India, and its excellence is generally acknowledged among Hindus of the whole sub-continent. In order to read it in proper perspective, it is important to bear in mind that it was meant to of the Valmiki Ramiiyana, written approximately twenty centuries earlier. That is, in rewriting the story of Rama, Tulsi Das felt free to make a number of alterations allowing him to present his own religious views and inclinations. The most consequential change that Tulsi Das introduced in his new version of the Rcimayana is the importance given to the interaction of love of God and social duty. It will be argued in this study that the attempt to relate these two competing claims is shown in the Ramcaritmanas to result in a state of tension in the sense that the intensity of the devotee's love of God causes a dilemma vis--vis his obligation to perform his normal social duties : whether to endure physical separation from the Lord in order to fulfill his obligation, or