Download Rāmāyaṇa (Khaṇḍas 1-7) of Valmiki

Ramayana (/rɑːˈmɑːjənə/; Sanskrit: रामायणम्, Rāmāyañam, pronounced [rɑːˈmɑːjəɳəm]) is an ancient Indian epic poem, which narrates the struggle of the divine prince Rama to rescue his wife Sītā from the demon king Rāvaṇa. Along with the Mahabharata, it forms the Sanskrit Itihāsa. The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Hindu sage Vālmīki, narrates the life of Rama, the legendary prince of Kosala Kingdom, his banishment from the kingdom by his father, King Daśaratha, his travels across forests in India with his wife Sītā and brother Lakṣmaṇa, the kidnap of his wife by Rāvaṇa, the demon king of Lanka, resulting in a war with him, and Rama's eventual return to Āyodhya to be crowned king. The Ramayana is one of the largest ancient epics in world literature. It consists of nearly 24,000 verses (mostly set in the Śloka meter), divided into seven Kāṇḍas (books) and about 500 sargas (chapters). In Hindu tradition, it is considered to be the adi-kavya (first poem). It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. The Ramayana was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. Like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and ethical elements. The characters Rama, Sītā, Lakṣmaṇa, Bhārata, Hanuman and Rāvaṇa are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and south-east Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. There are many versions of the Ramayana in Indian languages, besides Buddhist and Jain adaptations; and also Cambodian, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Lao, Burmese and Malaysian versions of the tale.

On the basis of the text entered by Muneo Tokunaga et al., revised by John Smith, Cambridge

Added by: Balarama Dasa
Credits:
Text version: 1.00 (legend)
Keywords: itihasa, purana, ramayana, valmiki

Spotted a mistake, have a question or a comment to make on this text?
Email a report to us

Additional notes from the editors' research and selected discussion forum contributions.