RAMAYANA retold by C. Rajagopalachari (Edited by Jay Mazo, American Gita Society) Contents 1. The Conception 39. A Second Father Dies 2. Sage Viswamitra 40. Left Eyelids Throb 3. Trisanku 41. He Sees Her Jewels 4. Rama Leaves Home 42. Sugriva's Doubts Cleared 5. Rama Slays The Monsters 43. The Slaying Of Vali 6. Sita 44. Tara's Grief 7. Bhagiratha And The Story Of 45. Anger And Reconciliation Ganga 46. The Search Begins 8. Ahalya 47. Son Of Vayu 9. Rama Wins Sita's Hand 48. The Search In Lanka 10. Parasurama's Discomfiture 49. Sita In The Asoka Park 11. Festive Preparations 50. Ravana's Solicitation 12. Manthara's Evil Counsel 51. First Among The Astute 13. Kaikeyi Succumbs 52. Sita Comforted 14. Wife Or Demon? 53. Sita And Hanuman 15. Behold A Wonder! 54. Inviting Battle 16. Storm And Calm 55. The Terrible Envoy 17. Sita's Resolve 56. Hanuman Bound 18. To The Forest 57. Lanka In Flames 19. Alone By Themselves 58. A Carnival 20. Chitrakuta 59. The Tidings Conveyed 21. A Mother's Grief 60. The Army Moves Forward 22. Idle Sport And Terrible Result 61. Anxiety In Lanka 23. Last Moments 62. Ravana Calls A Council Again 24. Bharata Arrives 63. Vibhishana 25. Intrigue wasted 64. The Vanara's Doubt 26. Bharata Suspected 65. Doctrine Of Surrender And Grace 27. The Brothers Meet 66. The Great Causeway 28. Bharata Becomes Rama's Deputy 67. The Battle Begins 29. Viradha's End 68. Sita's Joy 30. Ten Years Pass 69. Serpent Darts 31. The Surpanakha Episode 70. Ravana's Defeat 32. Kamban's Surpanakha 71. The Giant Is Roused 33. Khara And His Army Liquidated 72. Is This Narayana Himself? 34. The Path Of Ruin 73. The Death Of Indrajit 35. The Golden Stag 74. End Of Ravana 36. The Good Bird Jatayu 75. The End 37. Closely Guarded 76. Epilogue 38. Rama Disconsolate AUTHOR'S PREFACE towards things spiritual which belongs to a particular people cannot be grasped or The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has preserved or conveyed unless we have all added to the debt of gratitude owed it by these three. undertaking the publication of the English The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has version of my Tamil Ramayana. They achieved great work by the very wide achieved great success in the distribution distribution organised by it of my of my Mahabharata book and I trust this Ramayana and Mahabharata books, which book of the story of Rama and Sita will seek to bring Valmiki and Vyasa near to receive similar welcome. those who have no access to the unrivalled Once again, I repeat my confession that original classics. The characters and in the evening of my busy life during a incidents of these two itihasas have come great and eventful period of Indian to be the raw material for the works of history, the writing of these two books numerous poets and saints that came later wherein I have retold the Mahabharata to write dramas and sing poems and and Ramayana, is, in my opinion, the best hymns to keep this nation in the straight service I have rendered to my people. path. At any rate, they embody the best joy I Oral discourses have further played have experienced; for in these two books I with them in order to entertain and helped our great sages to speak to our dear instruct pious audiences and not a few men and women again in their own variations and additions have been language, elevating their minds through made to the original. All the languages the sorrows borne by Kunti, Kausalya, of India have the Ramayana and Draupadi and Sita. The real need of the Mahabharata retold by their poets, with hour is a recommunion between us and additions and variations of their own. the sages of our land, so that the future They are the records of the mind and may be built on rock and not on sand. spirit of our forefathers who cared for In presenting this English version to a the good, ever so much more than for wider circle of readers spread all over the the pleasant and who saw more of the world, I think I am presenting to them the mystery of life than we can do in our people of Bharat just as they are, with all interminable pursuit for petty and their virtues and their faults. Our classics illusory achievements ill the material really embody our national character in all plane. its aspects and it is well the world sees us We should be thankful to those who as we really are, apart from what we wish preserved for us these many centuries-old to become. epics in spite of all the vicissitudes The Ramayana is not history or through which our nation passed since biography. It is a part of Hindu Vyasa and Valmiki's time. Even the poets mythology. One cannot understand Hindu who wrote these epics in the original did dharma unless one knows Rama and Sita, not create but built out of the inherited Bharata, Lakshmana, Ravana, bricks of national memory prior to their Kumbhakarna and Hanuman. Mythology own time. Reading the Ramayana and cannot be dispensed with. Philosophy Mahabharata even in the form I have alone or rituals alone or mythology alone given them, we go back to live with our cannot be sufficient. These are the three ancient forbears and listen to their grand stands of all ancient religions. The attitude voice. Mythology is an integral part of Taxes were light and punishment of religion. It is as necessary for religion and crime was just and inflicted according to national culture as the skin and the the capacity of the wrong-doer. skeleton that preserve a fruit with its juice Surrounded by the best counsellors and and its taste. Form is no less essential than statesmen, the king's splendor shone as the substance. Mythology and holy figures are rising sun. Many years rolled smoothly necessary for any great culture to rest on by. In the midst of all this prosperity its stable spiritual foundation and function Dasaratha had one regret; he had no son. as a life-giving inspiration and guide. One day in early summer he thought of Let us keep ever in our minds the fact performing a horse sacrifice for progeny. that it is the Ramayana and the He consulted his religious masters and on Mahabharata that bind our vast numbers their advice, got sage Rishyasringa to together as one people, despite caste, perform the Yaga. The Yaga was a grand space and language that seemingly divide affair and the invitees included many of them. the kings of the day. It was no easy thing 1. THE CONCEPTION to perform yagas. The location and To the north of the Ganga was the great erection of the sacrificial platform had to kingdom Kosala, made fertile by the river be attended to in detail strictly according Sarayu. Its capital was Ayodhya, built by to prescribed rules. There were experts Manu, the famous ruler of the Solar whose guidance was sought in arranging dynasty. From Valmiki's description of things. the capital Kosala, it is clear that ancient It meant the building of a new camp- Ayodhya was not inferior to our modern city, capable of accommodating tens of cities. Even in ancient India city thousands and providing hospitality and civilisation had reached a high level. entertainment for the invitees who King Dasaratha ruled the kingdom included the princes and sages of the land. from the capital city of Ayodhya. He had In short, yagas in those days were fought on the side of the Devas, and his something like our present-day State- fame spread in the three worlds. He was sponsored big scale conferences and the equal of Indra and Kubera. The people exhibitions. of Kosala were happy, contented and When all arrangements were complete virtuous. The land was protected by a the ceremonies were set in motion strictly mighty army, and no enemy could come as enjoined by the Shastras. anywhere near Contemporaneously with the yaga in It contained forts with moats around Ayodhya, there was a conference of the them as well as many defensive Devas in heaven. The Devas complained intallations, and true to its name, Ayodhya to Lord Brahma that Ravana, king of the defied all enemies. (Ayodhya means that demons, drunk with the power acquired which cannot be subdued by war). by the boon granted to him by Brahma, Dasaratha had eight wise ministers, ever was causing them untold misery and ready to advise him and execute his hardship. They represented to Brahma: "It orders. Great sages like Vasishtha and is beyond our capacity to subdue, conquer Vamadeva and other Brahmanas taught or kill Ravana. In the security of your the dharma and performed rituals and boon, he has grown wicked and insolent sacrifices. and ill-treats all, even women. His desire is to dethrone Indra. You are our only refuge and it is for you to devise a method of Kaikeyi. Sumitra gave birth to twins, by which Ravana can be slain and his Lakshmana and Satrughna. She had drunk despotism ended." the divine payasam twice. Brahma knew that he had granted to In proportion to the quantity of Ravana the boon prayed for by him that payasam drunk by the respective mothers, he should be invulnerable and invincible the sons are traditionally considered to be against Devas, Asuras, Gandharvas and parts of Vishnu. Rama was thus half- other such beings.