ढोल गवार शूद्र पशु नारी सकल ताड़ना के अधिकारी!!

Dhol Gawar Shudra Pashu Nari Sakal Tadna key Adhikari

This “chaupai” (quatrains) is cited in Sundarkand where Lord Rama is requesting with the vast and mighty sea for a pass-through to Ravana's Lanka. This is probably the most misunderstood “chaupai” of Goswami Tulsidas Ji (1532-1623). The word “ताड़ना” might mean “तारना” or “ताडयेत्” or simply “ताड़ना”. Never a single word has caused such damage to someones reputation as it has done to Tulsidas Ji's.

Depending upon the choice of the meaning of the word “ताड़ना” entire context of the sentence changes. Lets establish how?

If we choose the meaning to be “तारना”, then the meaning of the "chaupai" translates beautifully to:

A Drum, an Illiterate, Poor people (I would not interpret it as Dalit’s), Animals and Women all have the rights to be uplifted.

Considering the ills of society in 15th century it seems apt that Tulsidas ji comapared women with poor people, animals, drum and illiterates, as all of them did not have say over their wishes and destiny. But lot of the modern people would not be happy with Tulsidas ji’s example, but we should keep in mind that the society in 15th century was not what we see today and woman did not have same rights as man (for that matter not even today!!).

The second interpretation by some people is based on ताडयेत् which in Sanskrit means strict discipline or even beating. So the meaning gets transformed entirely.

A Drum, an Illiterate, Poor people, Animals and Women all require a beating to get the best out of them!!!
This interpretation is popular amongst people who are vehement opposes of Tulsidas Ji. This meaning has never made sense to me because Tulsidas ji regarded women in high esteem and advocated for equal rights for both man and woman which is evident from the "dohey" (couplets) and "chaupais" in Ramcharitmanas or otherwise. People should bear in mind that he loved his wife a lot and her shaming him publicly was the reason he abandoned all worldly matters and wrote Ramcharitmanas.

The third interpretation is some work of a genius guy!!!

ढोल, गवार शुद्र, पशु नारी, सकल ताड़ना के अधिकारी!!
Dhol, Gawar Shudra, Pashu Nari, Sakal Tadana key Adhikari
Interpretation becomes A Drum, an Illiterate Poor and Bad Women (a woman full of vices) all require a beating to get the best out of them!!! The specialty about this interpretation is that the words "Gawar" and "Pashu" are adjectives to "Shudra" and "Nari" respectively.

Jai Shree Ram

On a lighter note “ताड़ना” also means a sincere stare (not groping), therefore all women deserve a look by all means!!


PostScript

Ramcharitmanas was composed by Tulsidas Ji in Awadhi, a common mans language. Ramayana until then was available in Sanskrit which was considered a difficult language to learn.

Sundarkand is the penultimate Chapter/Episode of Ramcharitmanas. The Rāmcaritmānas consists of seven books, of which the first two, entitled Childhood Episode (Bal Kaand) and Ayodhya Episode (Ayodhya Kaand), make up more than half the work. The later books are Forest Episode (Araanya Kaand), Kishkindha Episode (Kishkindha Kaand), Pleasant Episode(Sunder Kaand), Lanka Episode (Lanka Kaand), followed by an epilogue titled Uttar Kaand. The work is composed in quatrains called chaupais, broken by dohas or couplets, with an occasional sortha and chhand, the latter being a hurried metre of many rhymes and alliterations.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramcharitmanas

Complete Chaupai(quatrains) is

प्रभु भल कीन्ह मोहि सिख दीन्हीं। मरजादा पुनि तुम्हरी कीन्हीं॥
ढोल गवाँर शूद्र पसु नारी। सकल ताड़ना के अधिकारी॥