other · epic

The Ramayana

c. 500–100 BCE (core); oral tradition older · Epic Period · Indian subcontinent

Book I (Bala Kanda) — The Birth of Rama

1I desire to compose a history of the god Rama,
2Adorned with all the graces of poetic composition,
3And full of deep significance.
4I will sing of his noble and virtuous acts,
5Of the glorious deeds of Rama, the son of Dasaratha.
6In the land of Kosala there flowed the River Sarayu.
7There stood the city of Ayodhya, famed throughout the world.
8King Dasaratha ruled there, and he was righteous in all his ways.
9He had three queens — Kaushalya the eldest, Kaikeyi the youngest,
10And Sumitra in the middle.
11But the king had no son, and his heart was heavy.
12The king performed the great horse-sacrifice, and the gods were pleased.
13And Agni, the god of fire, arose from the altar
14With a bowl of divine food in his hands.
15"Give this to thy wives," said Agni,
16"And sons shall be born unto thee."
17And of the divine food four sons were born:
18Rama to Kaushalya; Bharata to Kaikeyi;
19Lakshmana and Satrughna to Sumitra.
20Rama was born at midday, when the sun stood at its zenith.

Book II (Ayodhya Kanda) — The Exile

21When Dasaratha was old, he wished to install Rama as prince-regent.
22But Kaikeyi came to him in the night and reminded him
23Of the two boons he had promised her long ago on the battlefield.
24"Give me these two boons," said Kaikeyi.
25"Let Bharata be made prince-regent, and let Rama be banished to the forest
26For fourteen years."
27The king was struck as if by lightning.
28"Ask me anything," said he, "but not this."
29But his word was given, and he could not unsay it.
30So it was done. Rama heard the decree and was not troubled.
31"Father," said he, "I will go to the forest.
32Thy word must be kept. A king must never break his word."
33And Sita, his wife, said: "Where thou goest, I will go.
34The forest shall be my palace, and thy presence my gold."
35And Lakshmana his brother said: "I will go with you
36And guard you both and serve you in the forest."

Book III (Aranya Kanda) — The Abduction of Sita

37In the forest the three lived in peace for many years.
38But the demon king Ravana heard of Sita's beauty
39And desired her for himself.
40He came disguised as a wandering holy man, begging for food.
41Sita went out to give alms, stepping beyond the magic circle.
42Then Ravana seized her and carried her away in his sky-chariot.
43"Rama! Lakshmana! Help me!" cried Sita to the trees and hills.
44But there was no answer.
45Only the great vulture Jatayu tried to save her,
46Attacking Ravana's chariot in the sky.
47But Ravana cut off his wings, and Jatayu fell dying.
48He lived long enough to tell Rama what had happened.
49"Noble vulture," said Rama, weeping, "you died defending what is right.
50You shall have the funeral rites of a king."

Book V (Sundara Kanda) — Hanuman Finds Sita in Lanka

51Hanuman, the monkey-general, son of the Wind,
52Leaped across the great ocean to the island of Lanka.
53He found Sita under the Ashoka trees, guarded by demonesses,
54Thin with grief, clothed in a single soiled garment.
55He showed her Rama's ring as a token.
56"Do not lose hope," said Hanuman. "Rama is coming."
57"Tell my lord this," said Sita.
58"As the moist sandalwood tree does not lose its fragrance
59Though it be hewn and burned, so my heart is still his.
60Let him come quickly. I shall wait."

Book VI (Yuddha Kanda) — The Battle and Return

61Rama built a bridge of stones across the sea to Lanka.
62The monkey army crossed, and the great battle began.
63One by one the demon champions fell.
64At last Rama stood before Ravana himself,
65Ten-headed Ravana, the mightiest of demons.
66Arrow after arrow Rama shot, and each time a head fell
67Another grew back in its place.
68Then Rama took the great arrow of Brahma —
69The wind in its feathers, fire and sun in its tip,
70Weight of Mount Meru in its body.
71He drew back the bow to his ear, and released it.
72It struck Ravana's breast and he fell dead.
73Sita was freed, and they were reunited.
74The fourteen years of exile were complete.
75They rose in the divine flower-chariot and flew back to Ayodhya.
76And all the people of the city came out to greet them
77With flowers and lamps and the sound of conch shells.
78The flowers fell like snow.

Book VII (Uttara Kanda) — The Final Days

79Rama ruled in Ayodhya for many years, and his reign was called Rama-rajya —
80The kingdom of Rama — which became the name for any perfect and just rule.
81He was king and judge and father to the people.
82No one died before their time. There was no poverty, no unrighteousness.
83The rains came when they were needed; the harvests were plentiful.
84But at the last Rama summoned his brothers and his ministers
85And said farewell. He walked into the river Sarayu,
86And the god Brahma appeared in the sky and received him.
87Rama was returned to his true form — Vishnu, the Preserver,
88Who had come to earth to restore righteousness.
89The whole city of Ayodhya followed him into the river.
90And so the age of Rama came to an end.

notes

The Ramayana ("Journey of Rama") is one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Mahabharata. Attributed to the sage Valmiki and composed between approximately 500 and 100 BCE (with some scholars arguing for an earlier date), it consists of seven books (kandas) and approximately 24,000 verses. The narrative follows Prince Rama — an avatar of the god Vishnu — from his birth in Ayodhya through his exile, the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon king Ravana, the building of a bridge to Lanka with the help of an army of monkeys led by Hanuman, the defeat of Ravana, and Rama's return and reign. The Ramayana is one of the most culturally influential texts in world history. It has shaped the religious, artistic, and social fabric of South and Southeast Asia for two millennia — there are major versions in Tamil, Bengali, Thai, Balinese, and dozens of other languages, each adapting the story to local culture. The concept of dharma (righteous duty) is central: Rama's willingness to accept exile rather than violate his father's word is the supreme model of dharmic action. Translation after Ralph T.H. Griffith (1870–1874). Public domain.

currently held: Manuscript tradition (many regional versions)

Hero EpicFateCreationDharmaVedic

related texts

The Bhagavad Gitaother · c. 200 BCE–200 CE

## Chapter I — The Sorrow of Arjuna [1] Dhritarashtra said: [2] Tell me, O Sanjaya! gathered on the plain of Kuru, [3] That sacred plain, both these my hosts arrayed, [4] What did they? Ready for the battle there? [5] Then Arjuna, the Prince, looked on his kinsmen drawn in battle line, [6] Father…