Rāmāya A: This Article Is About The Sanskrit Epic. For Other Uses, See

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Sanskrit epic. For other uses, see Ramayana (disambiguation).
Rāmāyaṇa
Rāma slaying Rāvaṇa, from a royal Mewar manuscript, 17th century
Information
Religion Hinduism
Author Valmiki
Language Sanskrit
Chapters 500 Sargas, 7 Kandas
Verses 24,000
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The Rāmāyaṇa (/rɑːˈmɑːjənə/;[1][2] Sanskrit: रामायणम्,[3] IAST: Rāmāyaṇam) is
a Sanskrit epic from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism, known as
the Itihasas (history), the other being the Mahābhārata.[4] The epic, traditionally ascribed to
the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, a legendary prince of Ayodhya in the kingdom
of Kosala. The epic follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha,
on the request of Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across forests in the Indian
subcontinent with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana – the king
of Lanka, that resulted in war; and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king amidst
jubilation and celebration.
The scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, [5]
[6]
and later stages extending up to the 3rd century CE,[7] although original date of composition is
unknown. It is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature and consists of nearly
24,000 verses (mostly set in the Shloka/Anustubh meter), divided into seven Khanda (parts) the first
and the seventh being later additions.[8] It belongs to the genre of Itihasa, narratives of past events
(purāvṛtta), interspersed with teachings on the goals of human life.
There are many versions of Ramayana in Indian languages,

besides Buddhist, Sikh and Jain adaptations. There are
also Cambodian (Reamker), Indonesian, Filipino, Thai (Ramakien), Lao, Burmese and Malay version
s of the tale.[note 1]
The Ramayana was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and the Hindu life and culture,
and its main characters were fundamental to the cultural consciousness of a number of nations, both
Hindu and Buddhist. Its most important moral influence was the importance of virtue, in the life of a
citizen and in the ideals of the formation of a state (from Sanskrit: रामराज्य, IAST: Rāmarājya - a
utopian state where Rama is king) or of a functioning society.
Etymology[edit]
The name Rāmāyaṇa is composed of two words, Rāma and ayaṇa. Rāma, the name of the central
figure of the epic, has two contextual meanings. In the Atharvaveda, it means 'dark, dark-coloured,
black' and is related to the word rātri which means 'darkness or stillness of night'. The other
meaning, which can be found in the Mahabharata, is 'pleasing, pleasant, charming, lovely, beautiful'.
[14][15]
The word ayana means travel or journey. Thus, Rāmāyaṇa means "Rama's progress",
with ayana altered to ayaṇa due to the Sanskrit grammar rule of internal sandhi.[16][17]
Textual characteristics[edit]
An artist's impression of sage Valmiki composing the Ramayana
Genre[edit]
The Ramayana belongs to the genre of Itihasa, narratives of past events (purāvṛtta), which includes
the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and the Ramayana. The genre also includes teachings on the goals
of human life. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father,
the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal husband, and the ideal king. Like
the Mahabharata, Ramayana presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in the
narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and ethical elements.
Structure[edit]
In its extant form, Valmiki's Ramayana is an epic poem of some 24,000 verses, divided into
seven kāṇḍas (Bālakāṇḍa, Ayodhyakāṇḍa, Araṇyakāṇḍa, Kiṣkindakāṇḍa, Sundarākāṇḍa,
Yuddhakāṇḍa, Uttarakāṇḍa), and about 500 sargas (chapters).[8][18]
Dating[edit]
Rama (left third from top) depicted in the Dashavatara, the ten avatars of Vishnu. Painting from Jaipur, now at
the Victoria and Albert Museum
According to Robert P. Goldman, the oldest parts of the Ramayana date to the mid-8th century BCE.
[19]
This is due to the narrative not mentioning Buddhism nor the prominence of Magadha. The text
also mentions Ayodhya as the capital of Kosala, rather than its later name of Saketa or the
successor capital of Shravasti.[5] In terms of narrative time, the action of the Ramayana predates
the Mahabharata. Scholarly estimates for the earliest stage of the available text range from the 7th
to 4th centuries BCE,[6][5] with later stages extending up to the 3rd century CE.[7]
Books two to six are the oldest portion of the epic, while the first and last books (Bala Kanda and
Uttara Kanda, respectively) seem to be later additions. Style differences and narrative contradictions
between these two volumes and the rest of the epic have led scholars since Hermann Jacobi to the
present toward this consensus.[20]
Recensions[edit]
The Ramayana text has several regional renderings, recensions, and sub-recensions. Textual
scholar Robert P. Goldman differentiates two major regional revisions: the northern (n) and the
southern (s). Scholar Romesh Chunder Dutt writes that "the Ramayana, like the Mahabharata, is a
growth of centuries, but the main story is more distinctly the creation of one mind."
A Times of India report dated 18 December 2015 informs about the discovery of a 6th-century
manuscript of the Ramayana at the Asiatic Society library, Kolkata.[21]
There has been discussion as to whether the first and the last volumes (Bala Kanda and Uttara
Kanda) of Valmiki's Ramayana were composed by the original author. The uttarākāṇḍa, the
bālakāṇḍa, although frequently counted among the main ones, is not a part of the original epic.
Though Balakanda is sometimes considered in the main epic, according to many Uttarakanda is
certainly a later interpolation and thus is not attributed to the work of Maharshi Valmiki. [8] This fact is
reaffirmed by the absence of these two Kāndas in the oldest manuscript.[21] Many Hindus don't
believe they are integral parts of the scripture because of some style differences and narrative
contradictions between these two volumes and the rest.[22]
Characters[edit]
Main article: List of characters in Ramayana
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rāma slaying Rāvaṇa, from a royal Mewar manuscript, 17th century

Chapters 500 Sargas, 7 Kandas

Part of a series on

Gurus, sants, philosophers

There are many versions of Ramayana in Indian languages,

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