First published in 1966, The Petition to Ram, Vinaya-Patrika is a collection of devotional hymns and was primarily intended for singing. It is, however, a work of outstanding poetic beauty, and both its language and contents are unsurpassed in Tulsi Das’s other writings. Tulsi Das, a contemporary of George Herbert and Donne is best known for his Hindi version of The Ramayana, a devotional work whose popularity in northern India has earned it a reputation comparable to that of the Bible or Bhagavad Gita.