Ramayana

Compared to the western epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata are more complete story of Hindu, religious, cultural and social imagination and more exact narration of evolutionary rise of man. In this book, William Buck has succeeded better than anyone else in conveying the spirit of the original.The task of presenting a faithful image of the original text, its metaphysical nuances as well as its chronological sequence the world`s largest epic in a small book is a stupendous task.Mainly as a narration, the version of William Buck will serve as an interesting and complete tale to the English speaking reader. Valmiki was called the Adikavi or first poet of Sanskrit literature and some of his remarkable talent shines forth in the English rendering. The reader will find pleasure in reading it aloud to himself or the others.

The Social Conditions Of Ancient India Have To Be Patiently Reconstructed By Gathering Together The Data Available From Archaeology And Literature. It Is Impossible For One Individual, Even In A Lifetime, To Examine Critically All The Information At His Disposal .To The Archaeologist India Presents A Fund Of Sociological Data Covering, At Least, Five Thousand Years. And The Student Of Her Literature Finds More Elaborate And Informative Evidence In Literary Works, The Earliest Of Which Cannot Under Any Circumstances Be Dated Later Than 1000 B.C. A Careful Study Of The Facts So Available Is Absolutely Necessary If We Are To Have A Complete And Reliable Picture Of Ancient Indian Society. It Is For This Purpose That The Sociological Data Of The Ramayana Are Subjected To A Detailed Scrutiny In This Publication.Although The Ramayana Contains Very Valuable Information For The Study Of The Social Conditions Of India, It Had Been For Many Years Overshadowed By The Great Epic, The Mahabharata. There Are Fewer Works Dealing With The Sociological Data Of The Ramayana, Even Though The Scholars Who Worked On The Mahabharata Occasionally Referred To It.In This Publication, An Attempt Has Been Made To Discuss As Many Aspects Of The Ancient Indian Society As Practicable. While The First Chapter Has Been Devoted To Establish The History, The Date And The Historicity Of The Text, Which Is Our Source Book, The Other Eight Chapters Discuss The Evidence, Which Has Been Called From The Ramayana With Meticulous Care After Study Of All Three Recensions, Available Both In Printed Editions And Manuscripts. No Less Than Fifty-Five Different Aspects Are Dealt With In These Ten Chapters Ranging From Geographical Data To Religious And Philosophical Teaching. It Is Gratifying ,States One Of Its Critics, To Note That His Attitude In Respect Of The Problems Discussed By Him Is Quite Reasonable And Non-Dogmatic. The Society Of The Ramayana Contains The Results Of The Researches Conducted By Dr. Ananda Guruge During The Years 1951 And 1952 In Ceylon And India Under The Guidance Of Professor O.H.De A.Wijesekera, Professor Of Sanskrit, University Of Ceylon, Peradeniya. It Was Presented To The University Of Ceylon In 1953 Under The Title Social Conditions Of Ancient India As Reflected In The Ramayana And Was Accepted For The Ph.D. Degree.Since Its Publication In Sri Lanka In 1960, It Has Been Widely Used By Scholars Throughout The World, As Demonstrated By Scholars Throughout The World, As Demonstrated By Numerous References In Monographs And Articles. Referring To The Wealth Of Data In The Ramayana Translation, Describes In 1984 Dr. Guruge S Work As The Elaborate And Useful Treatment. In 1965. It Was Translated Into Tamil, As Ramayana Samudayam Dr. Guruge Is Currently Sri Lanka S Ambassador And Permanent Delegate To Unesco In Paris, France.

For centuries, Indians have held Rama to be the perfect man: unfailingly noble, utterly poised, fearless and strong, wise, compassionate and free from anger, a just ruler and an implacable foe of all wrongdoers. Countless others worship Rama as an avatar, a human incarnation of Lord Vishnu born to vanquish the forces of evil and establish a kingdom of perfect justice and harmony upon the earth. The Ramayana, one of lndia's greatest epics, lovingly unfolds the story of Rama's life. Ever since its original composition in Sanskrit by Vaimiki, possibly over 3,000 years ago, it has grown to be an all-pervasive and hugely-loved part of Indian life and ethos. Millions read it, re-read it, and revere it as a scripture. It is the perennially favourite bedtime story for children. And each autumn, Rama's victory over the mighty demon-king Ravana is celebrated through plays and dance-dramas in cities, towns and villages across the land. There is much festivity: crackers are exploded, sweets distributed and all houses are lit up in tribute to Rama. R.K. Narayan's Ramayana is inspired by a Tamil-version of the epic written by an eleventh century poet, Kamban. It offers the reader a compact yet unhurried retelling of this great epic, and succeeds marvellously in evoking its literary lustre which has shone undimmed through the centuries.

A retelling of the Tamil epic poem which records Prince Rama's search for his abducted sweetheart, Sita.

14 leading 'Ramayana' scholars examine the epic in its myriad contexts throughout South and Southeast Asia. They explore the role the narrative plays in societies as varied as India, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. The essays also expand the understanding of the 'text' to include non-verbal renditions of the epic.

The Book Consists Of Papers Presented At The International Seminar On ýVariations In Ramayana In Asia: Their Cultural, Social And Anthropological Significance: New Delhi 1981.

Combining the results from multifold approach with that from flora and fauna, primitive tribes, and a critical study of the Ramayana he came to the conclusion that the Ramayana as it exists today is not old as popularly believed, but also is largely mythical. Ravana was an ordinary human being, as the epic expressly says so. And Lanka was situated in the Vidhyas. Thus Rama had not crossed the Narbada. These old views have now been corroborated archaeologically.

Fresh perspectives on the classic Indian epic

Originally published in the year 1951,the book due to it's huge popularity has been re-printed many,many times.The Ramayana is not history or biography. It is a part of Hindu mythology. One cannot understand Hindu dharma unless one knows Rama and Seeta, Bharata, Lakshmana, Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Hanuman. More details: Mythology cannot be dispensed with. Philosophy alone or rituals alone or mythology alone cannot be sufficient. These are the three strands of all ancient religions. The attitude towards things spiritual which belongs to a particular people cannot be grasped or preserved or conveyed unless we have all these three. To millions of men, women and children in India, the Ramayana is not a mere tale. It has more truth and meaning than the events in one s own life. Just as plants grow under the influence of sunlight, the people of India grow in mental strength and culture by absorbing the glowing inspiration of the Ramayana. The popularity of the book is so great that it has run into forty two impressions ever since it was originally published in the year 1951.