641 RAMBHA I

background Valmlki completed writing the Ramayana 5). Different readings of Ramayana. In various parts of Story in 24,000 verses. The epic is divided into seven India three original texts or readings are found of the kandas (sections) of five hundred chapters. The seven original Ramayana. In each of the three texts nearly sections are the Balakanda, the Ayodhyakanda, the 1/3 of the portions differ from one another. The Bombay Aranya kanda, the Kiskindha Kanda, the Sundara text is popular in northern and southern India. The Kanda, the Yuddha Kanda and the Uttarakanda. second is the Bengal text. The third, the Kashmir text, Valmiki taught the poem to Lava and Kusa and when is popular in the north-western parts of India. The in- they went with Valmlki to Ayodhya during the ference to be made from the existence of these three asvamedhayajfia of Sri Rama, they sang the poem in different texts is that the original epic was composed in the open assembly there. a Prakrta language, which was most popular at the time 3) Different views about the author. Tradition ascribes and that it was later translated into Sanskrit by differ- the authorship of the Ramayana to Valmiki. But, ent persons at different times. This theory will western scholars hold the view that a part of Balakanda explain the existence of the different texts. For many and the whole of Uttarakanda are interpolations of a years it continued to be handed down from mouth to future date. The following are the reasons for this view. month till it assumed written form in Sanskrit. (i) Two different texts are found for cantos one and 6). Other Ramayanas. The Ramayana story in other three of Balakanda. In one of them many of the stories forms and garbs, is also prevalent in India. One oi mentioned in the other are missing. It may, therefore, them is Vasistharamayana or Jfianavasistha. The be surmised that the two texts were composed during authorship of it also is ascribed to Valmlki. Most of different periods. the Ramayanas like Vasisthottararamayana, Sitavijaya, (ii) In the early texts of Ramayana stories like Ganga- Adbhutaramayana, Adbhutottararamayana etc. found vataranam are not to be found. So they must be inter- in different parts of India are believed to have been polations of a later period. written by Valmlki. Adbhutaramayana is composd of (iii) Only in Kandas one and seven is Sri Rama treated twentyseven cantos. According to this Ramayana, it as an incarnation. In the other Kandas he is considered was Sita, who killed Ravana of ten heads. There is an- in the capacity of a hero only. other Ramayana in Sanskrit called Adhyatma-Ramayana. (iv) Uttarakanda is not to be found among the early It is a poem separated from Brahmandapurana. It is translations of Ramayana into other languages. written in the form of a conversation between Uma (v) In the Balakanda it is stated that Valmiki com- (Parvati) and Siva. Ananda-Ramayana and Mula- posed the Ramayana, taught it to KuSa and Lava, and Ramayana extol the greatness of Hanuman. that they recited the whole poem before Sri Rama at RAMBHA. An asura. (For details see under Karambha). Ayodhya. Many of the things mentioned in this Kanda RAMBHA I. are in 1 General. of the most beautiful of repeated Uttarakanda, which, therefore, must ) One the apsara have been written by someone else. women. Urvasi, Tilottama and Rambha are really 4) The period of Ramayana. According to Indian belief reputed for their beauty. Sri Rama lived at the end of Tretayuga, which came to 2) Birth. All the famous Celestial women were daughters its close in 8,67,100 B.C. As per Ramayana Sri Rama of Kasyapaprajapati by his wife Pradha. Devarsi ruled the country for 1 1 ,000 years. He was forty years (Kasyapa) begot the following daughters of his wife old when he ascended the throne. Valmlki began Pradha i.e. Alambusa, MiSrakesI, Vidyutparna,Tilottama, writing the Ramayana after Lavakusas were born. Aruna, Raksita, Rambha, Manorama, Subahu, KesinI, In the light of the above facts, certain scholars opine Surata and Suraja. (Adi Parva, Chapter 65). that the cursed. Ramayana was written near about 878000 3 ) Ravana Ravana raped Rambha and Nala- B.C. But, western critics and some eastern critics do kiibara cursed him. (See under Nalakubara) . not accept this view. Professor Jacobi holds the view 4) Pururavas and Rambha. Indra once killed an asura that the original of Mahabharata is anterior to chief named Mayadhara and held a festival in honour Ramayana. Most scholars do not agree with this view. of the victory. At the festival Rambha danced before A great majority of critics are of opinion that Ramayana her preceptor Tumburu. Pururavas too was present on to is anterior Mahabharata. They argue as follows : the occasion and he ridiculed Rambha for her mistakes traditional in Moreover he claimed that he was a (i) The belief in India ia that Ramayana dancing. greater was written much earlier than Mahabharata. master of dance than Tumburu preceptor of Rambha. Enraged by this claim Tumburu cursed that Pururavas (ii) Ramayana makes no reference to of the any be from his wife Urvasi. characters of Mahabharata. would separated (Kathasarit- Lavanakalambaka, 3). Sri sagara, Taranga (iii) The Rama story is referred to in many a 5) Rambha and Susena. There was a King called Susena Jataka story of the Buddhists. on mount Citrakuta. This handsome bachelor prince Valmlki has made no mention about the of (iv) city used to sit alone in the lotus pond near his palace. When established near about 380 B.C. It is an Pataliputra once Rambha passed through the sky above the pond irrefutable fact that Sri Rama had the passed by city. her eyes met those of Susena and she alighted on the (v) During the reign of emperor As oka the Prakrta lan- spot and the long talk between the two ended in their guage was spoken in the areas where the incidents men- marriage. Susena enjoyed life there for a long time with tioned in Ramayana took place. But, Ramayana was Rambha without knowing that she was an apsara written much anterior to the emergence of Prakrta woman. He had attempted many a time to know the language. real facts about her, to no purpose. Rambha did According to Professor Keith Ramayana was written in not even think about her native Svarga. Her com- 300 B.C. panion, a Yaksl, showered gold all over Susena's