The Valmiki Ramayana (Set of 3 Volumes)
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THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA VOLUME 1 Penguin logo PENGUIN BOOKS Contents Introduction Bala Kanda Ayodhya Kanda Footnotes Introduction Chapter 1(1) Chapter 1(2) Chapter 1(3) Chapter 1(4) Chapter 1(5) Chapter 1(6) Chapter 1(7) Chapter 1(8) Chapter 1(9) Chapter 1(10) Chapter 1(11) Chapter 1(12) Chapter 1(13) Chapter 1(14) Chapter 1(15) Chapter 1(16) Chapter 1(17) Chapter 1(18) Chapter 1(19) Chapter 1(20) Chapter 1(21) Chapter 1(22) Chapter 1(23) Chapter 1(24) Chapter 1(25) Chapter 1(26) Chapter 1(27) Chapter 1(28) Chapter 1(29) Chapter 1(30) Chapter 1(31) Chapter 1(32) Chapter 1(33) Chapter 1(34) Chapter 1(35) Chapter 1(36) Chapter 1(37) Chapter 1(38) Chapter 1(39) Chapter 1(40) Chapter 1(41) Chapter 1(42) Chapter 1(43) Chapter 1(44) Chapter 1(45) Chapter 1(46) Chapter 1(47) Chapter 1(48) Chapter 1(49) Chapter 1(50) Chapter 1(51) Chapter 1(52) Chapter 1(53) Chapter 1(54) Chapter 1(55) Chapter 1(56) Chapter 1(57) Chapter 1(58) Chapter 1(59) Chapter 1(60) Chapter 1(61) Chapter 1(62) Chapter 1(63) Chapter 1(64) Chapter 1(65) Chapter 1(66) Chapter 1(67) Chapter 1(68) Chapter 1(69) Chapter 1(70) Chapter 1(71) Chapter 1(72) Chapter 1(73) Chapter 1(74) Chapter 1(75) Chapter 1(76) Chapter 2(1) Chapter 2(2) Chapter 2(3) Chapter 2(4) Chapter 2(5) Chapter 2(6) Chapter 2(7) Chapter 2(8) Chapter 2(9) Chapter 2(11) Chapter 2(12) Chapter 2(13) Chapter 2(14) Chapter 2(15) Chapter 2(16) Chapter 2(17) Chapter 2(18) Chapter 2(19) Chapter 2(20) Chapter 2(21) Chapter 2(22) Chapter 2(23) Chapter 2(24) Chapter 2(26) Chapter 2(27) Chapter 2(28) Chapter 2(29) Chapter 2(30) Chapter 2(31) Chapter 2(32) Chapter 2(33) Chapter 2(34) Chapter 2(35) Chapter 2(36) Chapter 2(37) Chapter 2(38) Chapter 2(39) Chapter 2(40) Chapter 2(41) Chapter 2(42) Chapter 2(43) Chapter 2(44) Chapter 2(45) Chapter 2(46) Chapter 2(47) Chapter 2(48) Chapter 2(49) Chapter 2(50) Chapter 2(51) Chapter 2(52) Chapter 2(53) Chapter 2(54) Chapter 2(55) Chapter 2(56) Chapter 2(57) Chapter 2(58) Chapter 2(59) Chapter 2(60) Chapter 2(62) Chapter 2(63) Chapter 2(64) Chapter 2(65) Chapter 2(66) Chapter 2(67) Chapter 2(68) Chapter 2(69) Chapter 2(70) Chapter 2(71) Chapter 2(72) Chapter 2(73) Chapter 2(74) Chapter 2(75) Chapter 2(76) Chapter 2(77) Chapter 2(78) Chapter 2(79) Chapter 2(80) Chapter 2(81) Chapter 2(82) Chapter 2(83) Chapter 2(84) Chapter 2(85) Chapter 2(86) Chapter 2(87) Chapter 2(88) Chapter 2(89) Chapter 2(90) Chapter 2(91) Chapter 2(92) Chapter 2(93) Chapter 2(94) Chapter 2(95) Chapter 2(96) Chapter 2(97) Chapter 2(98) Chapter 2(99) Chapter 2(100) Chapter 2(101) Chapter 2(102) Chapter 2(103) Chapter 2(104) Chapter 2(105) Chapter 2(106) Chapter 2(108) Chapter 2(109) Chapter 2(110) Chapter 2(111) Acknowledgements Follow Penguin Copyright PENGUIN BOOKS THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA VOLUME 1 Bibek Debroy is a renowned economist, scholar and translator. He has worked in universities, research institutes, industry and for the government. He has widely published books, papers and articles on economics. As a translator, he is best known for his magnificent rendition of the Mahabhara- ta in ten volumes, and additionally the Harivamsha, published to wide ac- claim by Penguin Classics. He is also the author of Sarama and Her Chil- dren, which splices his interest in Hinduism with his love for dogs. Praise for The Mahabharata ‘The modernization of language is visible, it’s easier on the mind, through expressions that are somewhat familiar. The detailing of the story is intact, the varying tempo maintained, with no deviations from the original. The short introduction reflects a brilliant mind. For those who passionately love the Mahabharata and want to explore it to its depths, Debroy’s translation offers great promise . .’—Hindustan Times ‘[Debroy] has really carved out a niche for himself in crafting and present- ing a translation of the Mahabharata . The book takes us on a great jour- ney with admirable ease’—Indian Express ‘The first thing that appeals to one is the simplicity with which Debroy has been able to express himself and infuse the right kind of meanings . Con- sidering that Sanskrit is not the simplest of languages to translate a text from, Debroy exhibits his deep understanding and appreciation of the medi- um’—The Hindu ‘Debroy’s lucid and nuanced retelling of the original makes the masterpiece even more enjoyably accessible’—Open ‘The quality of translation is excellent. The lucid language makes it a plea- sure to read the various stories, digressions and parables’—Tribune ‘Extremely well-organized, and has a substantial and helpful Introduction, plot summaries and notes. The volume is a beautiful example of a well thought-out layout which makes for much easier reading’—Book Review ‘The dispassionate vision [Debroy] brings to this endeavour will surely earn him merit in the three worlds’—Mail Today ‘Debroy’s is not the only English translation available in the market, but where he scores and others fail is that his is the closest rendering of the original text in modern English without unduly complicating the readers’ understanding of the epic’—Business Standard ‘The brilliance of Ved Vyasa comes through, ably translated by Bibek De- broy’—Hindustan Times For Professor Shailendra Raj Mehta Introduction The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are known as itihasas. The word itihasa means ‘it was indeed like that’. Therefore, the word is best rendered as legend or history, and not as myth. This does not mean everything occurred exactly as described. In a process of telling and retelling and oral transmission, embellishments are inevitable. However, the use of the word itihasa suggests a core element of truth. There were two great dynasties—surya vamsha and chandra vamsha.1 The first proper king of the surya vamsha was Ikshvaku and the Ramayana is a chronicle of the solar dynasty, or at least a part of its history. Similarly, the first king of the chandra vamsha was Ila and the Mahabharata is a chronicle of the lunar dynasty. The Puranas also describe the histories of the solar and lunar dynasties. Though there are some inconsistencies across genealogies given in different Puranas, the surya vamsha timeline has three broad segments: (1) from Ikshvaku to Rama; (2) from Kusha to Brihadbala; and (3) from Brihadbala to Sumitra. In that stretch from Ikshvaku to Rama, there were famous kings like Bharata (not to be confused with Rama’s brother), Kakutstha, Prithu, Yuvanashva, Mandhata, Trishanku, Harishchandra, Sagara, Dilipa, Bhagiratha, Ambarisha, Raghu, Aja and Dasharatha. These ancestors explain why Rama is referred to as Kakutstha, Raghava or Dasharathi. Rama had two sons—Lava and Kusha. Ikshvaku and his descendants ruled over the kingdom of Kosala, part of today’s Uttar Pradesh. The Kosala kingdom lasted for a long time, with the capital sometimes in Ayodhya and sometimes in Shravasti. When Rama ruled, the capital was in Ayodhya. After Rama, Lava ruled over south Kosala and Kusha ruled over north Kosala. Lava’s capital was in Shravasti, while Kusha’s capital was in Kushavati. We don’t know what happened to Lava thereafter, though he is believed to have established Lavapuri, today’s Lahore. The second segment of the surya vamsha timeline, from Kusha to Brihadbala, doesn’t have any famous kings. Bri- hadbala was the last Kosala king. In the Kurukshetra War, he fought on the side of the Kouravas and was killed by Abhimanyu. The third segment of the surya vamsha timeline, from Brihadbala to Sumitra, seems contrived and concocted. Sumitra is described as the last king of the Ikshvaku lineage, defeated by Mahapadma Nanda in 362 BCE. Sumitra wasn’t killed. He fled to Rohtas, in today’s Bihar. The Ramayana isn’t about these subsequent segments of the timeline. Though there are references to other kings from that Ikshvaku to Rama stretch, it isn’t about all of that segment either. Its focus is on Rama. It is difficult to date the poet Kalidasa. It could be anytime from the first century CE to the fifth century CE. Kalidasa wrote a ma- hakavya2 known as Raghuvamsha. As the name of this mahakavya suggests, it is about Raghu’s lineage, from Dili- pa to Agnivarna, and includes Rama. But it isn’t exclusively about Rama. Ramayana is almost exclusively about Rama. That’s the reason it is known as रामायण = राम + अयण. अयन means travel or progress. Thus, Ramayana means Rama’s progress. There is a minor catch though. अयन means travel or progress and अयण is a meaningless word. The word used in Ramayana is अयण, not अयन. This transformation occurs because of a rule of Sanskrit grammar known as internal sandhi. That is the reason रामायन becomes रामायण. Who is Rama? The word राम means someone who is lovely, charming and delightful. There are Jain and Bud- dhist versions (Dasharatha Jataka) of the Rama account and they differ in significant details from the Ramayana story. For instance, in Jain accounts, Ravana is killed by Lakshmana.