Ramayana

The Ramayana

The Ramayana is a very old and special story from India. It is one of the two big stories in Hinduism, called Itihasas, with the other being the Mahabharata.

The Ramayana tells about a prince named Rama. People believe he is also one form of the god Vishnu.

Rama had to leave his home for fourteen years because of a promise his father made. While he was away, his wife Sita was taken by Ravana, the king of Lanka. Rama, with his brother Lakshmana, worked hard to bring Sita back. After this, Rama returned home to become king. People were very happy when he came back.

The story of the Ramayana was written in a very old language called Sanskrit. It has been told in many ways in many languages across Asia. It teaches important lessons about good behavior and leadership.

The name Ramayana comes from two words: Rama and ayana, which means "journey." It tells the story of Rama's journey.

The oldest parts of the Ramayana were written between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE. Scholars believe it was written around 500 BCE.

The Ramayana is part of a special group of stories called Itihasa. These stories share lessons about life’s important goals. They show good examples of how people should behave.

The Ramayana is a long poem with over 24,000 verses. It’s split into seven main parts and has about 500 chapters.

The Ramayana has many different versions. Scholars talk about two main types: one from the north and one from the south. Some believe the first and last parts might not have been written by the same person who wrote the rest.

The Ramayana is a story about Rama, a prince from Ayodhya. He is the seventh form of the god Vishnu. Rama had to leave his home for fourteen years and go live in the forest. This was because of a promise his father, the king, made to Rama's stepmother.

While Rama was in the forest with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana, Sita was taken away by Ravana, the ruler of Lanka. Rama worked hard to bring Sita back. After this, Rama returned to Ayodhya and became king. Everyone was happy again.

Many different versions of the Ramayana exist. In north India, the story is different from versions in south India and southeast Asia. There is a strong tradition of oral storytelling based on the Ramayana in Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, and Maldives.

The Ramayana has greatly influenced art and culture in the Indian subcontinent and many parts of southeast Asia. The story has inspired many writers to create new books in different languages. Examples include Kambaramayanam by the Tamil poet Kambar, and stories by poets from Telugu language, Kannada, Bengali, and Awadhi.

Artists have shown scenes from the Ramayana in many ways, such as through terracottas, stone sculptures, bronzes, and paintings. The story has been popular in southeast Asia since the 8th century, appearing in books, temples, dances, and plays. Today, people all over the world perform dramatic shows of the Ramayana called Ramlila.

In places like Java and Bali, the Ramayana is often shown in special dances and puppet shows. In Indonesia, these performances are a big part of their culture. Artists from Bali have also painted scenes from the Ramayana, and these paintings can be found in museums.

The Ramayana has inspired many modern stories, plays, movies, and TV shows. Famous authors have written new versions of the epic in different styles. The story has also been turned into many plays and performances around the world.

The Ramayana continues to influence culture today. Many places in India are named after characters or ideas from the story. The name "Rampur" is very common for villages and towns, especially in regions like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. People in these areas often use "Ram Ram" as a friendly greeting.

You can read the Ramayana in many ways because of many translations. Some well-known English translations include:

• Griffith, Ralph T. H. (1870–1874). The Ramayan of Valmiki.
• Dutt, Romesh Chunder (1898). The Ramayana and Mahabharata Condensed into English Verse) 978-0-486-14352-1.
• Johnson, Helen M. (1931). "Book VII - Jain Ramayana (Rāmāyaṇa)". Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra.
• Shastri, Hari Prasad (1952). The Ramayana of Valmiki. Shanti Sadan.
• Narayan, R. K. (1973). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. Chatto and Windus. ISBN 978-0-7011-1990-4.
• Buck, William (1976). Ramayana. University of California Press. 35th Anniversary Edition. 2012. ISBN 978-0-520-27298-9
• Raghunathan, N. (1981). Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam. Madras: Vighneswara Publishing House.
• Goldman, Robert P. (1990). The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India: Balakanda. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-01485-2.
• ————————— (1994). The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India: Kiskindhakanda. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-06661-5.
• ————————— (1996). The Ramayana of Valmiki: Sundarakanda. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-06662-2.
• Sattar, Arshia (1996). The Rāmāyaṇa by Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India. Viking. ISBN 978-0-14-029866-6.
• Brockington, J. L.; Brockington, Mary (2006). Rāma the Steadfast: An Early Form of the Rāmāyaṇa. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044744-X.
• Debroy, Bibek (2017). The Valmiki Ramayana. Vol. 1. Penguin. ISBN 978-93-87326-26-2.

There are also translations in other languages, like this one by W A Silva (1957) in Sinhala. These translations show different ways to tell the Ramayana's story.