The Ramayana
The Ramayana remains a living force in the lives of the Indian people. The Ramayana graphically depicts the so-called Vedic age, a time when great warrior kings ruled the world, guided by spiritually aware mystics and saints. It was an age when men lived in the understanding that they were eternal souls, passing from life to life towards a state of final emancipation. Thus the pursuit of virtue and truth was considered paramount and human life was seen as an opportunity to attain spiritual liberation, or freedom from the cycle of birth and death. A celebration of the victory of good over evil, this timeless epic recounts the legend of Rama, the exiled prince of Ayodhya, and his battle to vanquish the demon king Ravana. Exiled on the eve of his coronation, Rama enters the forests of Dandaka with his beautiful wife Sita and devoted brother Lakshmana. When Sita is abducted by Ravana, who takes her to his isolated kingdom on the far side of the southern ocean, the two brothers set out to rescue her. What follows is a heroic tale filled with intrigue and adventure, gods and demons, colossal battles and ancient wisdom. But the Ramayana is also an intensely personal story of love and loss, duty and honour, petty jealousies and destructive ambitions.
The Ramayana
Retold by Krishna Dharma
Valmiki Ramayanam
Translated by P. R. Ramachander
