The Rama of Valmiki and the Rama of Tulsidas are the one and the same Rama, except that both see from a different vantage point. Valmiki is a seer straight from the Vedic Age, hence he sees Rama from the spiritual heights. There is also the consideration of the Age that Valmiki lived in, which is, as the narrative goes as a contemporary of Rama himself. The story is therefore more focused on historical aspects with profound spiritual truths inbuilt within it.
Tulsidas, on the other hand, belongs to the Age of Bhakti when the Society is going through different kinds of challenges. Being a little distance from the Age of Rama, Tulsidas sees the hero of Valmiki with his psychic vision, drawing the deepest truth of Rama, his Divine Soul, suddenly close to us. He is a saint and hence pours his heart of devotion into Rama, bringing out certain aspects that one misses in Valmiki. The Ramacharitmanas is therefore not just Itihasa but a portrayal of the main protagonist, the high noble character and the divine truth of Rama. It naturally appeals much more to the bhakta in us and feels more contemporary and contextual in our times.
Affectionately,
Alok DA
