________________
Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobaith.org
Acharya Shri Kalassagarsun Gyanmandir
The Valmikiya Ramayana
is why the scholars consider Ramayana as the incarnation of the Veda.
Ramayana's great importance can be judged from the sympathetic teachings f worldly wisdom which it imparts and which have become part of the mental and moral as well as spiritual outfit of the Hindus.
The Ramayapa was translated not only in all the dialects of India but also in all the languages. Of these, the classical Tamil work of Kamban, the Kamba-Ramayana and Rama-caritamanasa of Tulsidasa are the most important. Tulsi's Ramacarita manasa which is totally based on the Ramayana was so popular in India that it had affected the thought and culture of millions of Indians. There are several other adaptations or imitations in other Indian languages. Faizi translated the Ramayana into Persian.
No other poem in the world seems to have enjoyed so much popularity as the Ramayana. As we have noted carlier, the Ramayana stands as a precursor to the later ornate mahakavyas. Later writers have profusely borrowed from the storehouse of this tirst epic of classical Indian literature. Even the Tibetan and Chinese translation of Buddhistic-works contain references to the description of Rama's adventure. The Ramayana was popular not only in India but also in Indonesia, more than two hundred scenes from it are inscribed on stone in the bas-reliefs on the Siva temple in Lara Djonggrang. Prambanam and Panataran in Java and Visou temple at Deogarh. There are several works in the Javanese and Malayan literatures that contain the heroic deeds of Rama. The main character of the Ramayana figure in the east of Siam, Bali and other parts of Indonesia. Such influence is also descernible in the cultural life of Thailand.
It is possible that this colossal work existed for a long time in the oral tradition of the people and when the whole or the parts were collected to writing, became inseparably mixed up with extrancous matters and legends more or less connected with the subject of the poem There is hardly any doubt about Valmiki's authorship of the Rāmāyana. He was the poet who composed this work on the basis of floating oral material which existed before him. The Ramayana contains about 24000 verses and is divided into seven books, called Kandas.
The first book is called Båla-Kaoda. It narrates Rama's early youth, his accompanying Visvamitra to protect the later's sacrifice, his slaying the Rakşasas there and his marriage with Sita. The second book is called Ayodhya Kanda. It deals with the events at
For Private And Personal Use Only
