Ramayana
Also known as: Valmiki Ramayana, Ramayanam, Sri Ramayana, The Ramayana of Valmiki
The Ramayana narrates Prince Rama’s exile, the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon-king Ravana, and the ensuing quest culminating in a great war and Rama’s restoration to kingship.
Description
Traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki, the Ramayana is a Sanskrit epic of roughly 24,000 ślokas across seven books (kāṇḍas). It follows Rama—an incarnation of Viṣṇu—who accepts exile to uphold dharma, accompanied by Sita and his brother Lakshmana. After the rakshasa Ravana abducts Sita, Rama allies with the vānaras under Sugriva; Hanuman’s leap to Lanka, the building of the ocean bridge, and the climactic battle restore Sita. The epic explores kingship, duty, devotion, and the complexities of righteous conduct. The often-debated Uttara Kāṇḍa recounts Sita’s trial, banishment, the upbringing of Lava and Kusha, and Rama’s final departure.
Historiography
Preserved in multiple Sanskrit recensions (Northern and Southern) with extensive vernacular retellings across South and Southeast Asia. A critical edition was compiled in the 20th century synthesizing manuscript traditions. The authorship and unity of the seventh book (Uttara Kāṇḍa) remain debated; many scholars view it as a later addition. The poem’s transmission influenced temple arts, performance traditions, and court literatures from India to Cambodia, Java, and Thailand.
Date Notes
Epic likely formed over centuries from oral bardic materials; traditional authorship ascribed to Valmiki. Northern and Southern recensions; the Uttara Kanda often viewed as later.
Archetypes
Major Characters
- Rama
- Sita
- Lakshmana
- Hanuman
- Ravana
- Bharata
- Sugriva
- Vibhishana
- Kaikeyi
- Jatayu
Myths
- Rama’s Exile
- Abduction of Sita
- Alliance with Sugriva and Hanuman
- Siege of Lanka and Death of Ravana
- Trial by Fire and Return to Ayodhya
Facts
- Traditionally counted at ~24,000 ślokas organized into seven kāṇḍas and ~500 sargas.
- The poem is in Sanskrit, predominantly in the anuṣṭubh (śloka) meter.
- Northern and Southern Sanskrit recensions preserve divergent readings and episode orders.
- The Uttara Kāṇḍa’s unity with the core epic is frequently questioned in modern scholarship.
- A 20th-century critical edition collated major manuscripts to establish a base text.
- The narrative underpins temple ritual, performance, and polity models across South and Southeast Asia.
- Hanuman’s leap and the ocean bridge (Rāmasetu) are central symbolic episodes of devotion and engineering prowess.
- Ravana’s epithet Meghanada refers to Indrajit, famed for serpent-weapon stratagems.
- Rama is revered as an avatara of Viṣṇu, framing the epic’s theology of dharma.
- Vernacular retellings include Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas and Kamban’s Tamil Ramavataram.