Reference
- RamayanaThe Ramayana, the story of the “adventures” (ayana) of Rama, is one of the two great Hindu epics. It was composed originally in Sanskrit in an epic of about 25,000 verses. The author, Valmiki, is called the “first poet” of India and the Ramayana is considered the first long poem composed by humans (as opposed to the Vedas, which are much older and are considered to be eternal and uncreated)...
- RamayanaThe epic story of Rama has deeply and continually influenced Indian thought and letters throughout the ages. In its current form, the Ramayana is the earliest surviving poem in a language of India—Sanskrit. Commonly attributed to the poet Vālmīki (though also sometimes to Vyāsa), and sometimes called the Indian Iliad, the poem seems to have a factual basis in the ancient wars of conquest that Aryan invaders fought in southern India and Sri Lanka. The Ramayana is a long, verse epic containing some 50,000 lines in 25,000 slokas, or couplets, organized into four principal sections...
- RamaSeventh avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, whose purpose was to ensure that justice and peace (dharma) ruled. He is the hero of the epic Rāmāyana, and he is regarded as an example of morality and virtue.
Rama is shown with a bow in his hand, symbolizing his strength, because he won the hand of his wife, Sita, using a bow in a contest. He is usually depicted with his brother Lakshmana, his wife Sita, and Hanuman, the monkey king who helped Rama to rescue Sita from the wicked demon Ravana... - INDIA, POETRY OFThe term Indian poetry commonly refers to an immense and diverse body of poetry produced on the Indian subcontinent and by authors of subcontinental origin, since about 1200 BCE. Also known as South Asia, this region is now divided into seven nations (incl. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and is as large and varied as western Europe. Indian poetry does not belong to a unified, monolingual trad. but rather is a constellation of interacting trads. in about 25 major lit. langs., many of which are used widely for everyday communication in South Asia in mod. times...
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Epic Literature: Ramayana
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Delve into the first Indian epic: the Ramayana, which is a poem, a love story, a morality tale, and much more. Discover the story of Prince Rama, his faithful wife, Sita, and the gods that control their lives. It is also an important source for many of the historical details we have about the era.
Online Resources
- Ramayana: BritannicaRamayana, (Sanskrit: “Rama’s Journey”) shorter of the two great epic poems of India, the other being the Mahabharata (“Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”). The Ramayana was composed in Sanskrit, probably not before 300 BCE, by the poet Valmiki and in its present form consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books...
Perspectives
The Ramayana
The greatest Indian epic, one of the world's supreme masterpieces of storytelling A Penguin Classic A sweeping tale of abduction, battle, and courtship played out in a universe of deities and demons, The Ramayana is familiar to virtually every Indian. Although the Sanskrit original was composed by Valmiki around the fourth century BC, poets have produced countless versions in different languages. Here, drawing on the work of an eleventh-century poet called Kamban, Narayan employs the skills of a master novelist to re-create the excitement he found in the original. A luminous saga made accessible to new generations of readers, The Ramayana can be enjoyed for its spiritual wisdom, or as a thrilling tale of ancient conflict. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The Stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
First published in 1900, this volume reproduces the key events of the Ramayana and Mahabharata Indian epics. It emerged amongst significant academic interest in Indian culture and literature. Whilst many Indian histories had provided abstracts and full texts of the two epics presented here, this book provided reproductions of the main incidents and striking features of these two otherwise imposing, lengthy works. The volume deals with each text separately and presents several key excerpts along with a general introduction and introductory remarks for both texts.
A Woman's Ramayana
The Ramayana, an ancient epic of India, with audiences across vast stretches of time and geography, continues to influence numberless readers socially and morally through its many re-tellings. Made available in English for the first time, the 16th century version presented here is by (redacted);, a woman poet from Bengal. It is a highly individual rendition as a tale told from a woman's point of view which, instead of celebrating masculine heroism, laments the suffering of women caught in the play of male ego. This book presents a translation and commentary on the text, with an extensive introduction that scrutinizes its social and cultural context and correlates its literary identity with its ideological implications. Taken together, the narrative and the critical study offered here expand the understanding both of the history of women's self-expression in India and the cultural potency of the epic tale. The book is of interest equally to students and researchers of South Asian narratives, Ramayana studies and gender issues.
What Is Remembered - Epics
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowA second body of Hindu sacred writings encompasses literature, texts that explore the nature of dharma, the eternal laws and principles that give meaning and shape to life. Here, discover two great Indian epics: the Ramayana, a mythic narrative of kingship; and the Mahabharata, a complex story of familial bonds and discord.