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The Ramayana
Rama, the prince of Ayodha, is exiled to the forest, but after many adventures he discovers that his wife has been abducted by Ravana, the king of demons, and Rama needs the help of Hanuman and his army of monkeys to rescue her.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 7, 2015
I think this is a very good version for someone who wants to familiarize themselves with this essential work of Indian literature. It was a six-hour listen, perhaps meant for children, but very well written and totally engaging for an adult listener new to the Ramayana. It is full of vital imagery that I think will enable me to recognize these characters and episodes in the art and literature that makes reference to them. (One of my primary purposes in 'reading' it.)
I really loved the mix of reality and magic. I delighted in the blend of worldly society, the ashram, demons, and animals. These are stories that could be heard over and over. And the characters are both charming individuals and, I bet, also handy shorthand ways to describe a friend, relative or colleague.
It is, at the same time, a difficult work for a woman from a contemporary western(ized) culture to read. My reaction as a total outsider is that the treatment of women in some situations and some communities in India becomes more understandable if this is one of the primary sources of myth and heroic behavior. In particular that public opinion demands ostracizing a woman in the family for any possible appearance of impurity, regardless of whether it has any basis in fact. I suppose if I thought harder I could find comparable stories in western mythology, but none come to mind right now--what jumps to mind in fact is the fundamental story of Joseph accepting Mary. Obviously in most/many cases a woman in western society did/does suffer for real (and sometimes supposed) transgressions against sexual mores, I'm just saying I can't think of comparable punishment for imagined behavior in the western myths that are so powerful in shaping human attitudes.
Second women's issue noted here--common across many traditional folk tales--is that women go after what they want through deviousness. And that there is the typical saint/ demon alternative for women. I guess you could say that the male characters are either perfect or evil here as well, but the women stood out as pathetic or terrible. I think i'd choose Houniman (guessing at spelling, since I listened) for a pal, if I could.
Lastly , since just yesterday I came across a recently-read Appiah book on how honor codes change, I think that the most arresting issue in the book is that the old king allows the false honor of acting according to a promise lead him to the appallingly dishonorable act of banishing his son. Is this discussed much when people talk about this myth? And do people also consider how it corresponds to the equally dishonorable act of Ram in banishing Sita--Ram who was the very one who suffered from the first dishonorable act?
Other Questions for those familiar with Indian mythology: what is the best translation of the full Ramayana, and does the Mahabarata have more fully rounded female characters?
I really loved the mix of reality and magic. I delighted in the blend of worldly society, the ashram, demons, and animals. These are stories that could be heard over and over. And the characters are both charming individuals and, I bet, also handy shorthand ways to describe a friend, relative or colleague.
It is, at the same time, a difficult work for a woman from a contemporary western(ized) culture to read. My reaction as a total outsider is that the treatment of women in some situations and some communities in India becomes more understandable if this is one of the primary sources of myth and heroic behavior. In particular that public opinion demands ostracizing a woman in the family for any possible appearance of impurity, regardless of whether it has any basis in fact. I suppose if I thought harder I could find comparable stories in western mythology, but none come to mind right now--what jumps to mind in fact is the fundamental story of Joseph accepting Mary. Obviously in most/many cases a woman in western society did/does suffer for real (and sometimes supposed) transgressions against sexual mores, I'm just saying I can't think of comparable punishment for imagined behavior in the western myths that are so powerful in shaping human attitudes.
Second women's issue noted here--common across many traditional folk tales--is that women go after what they want through deviousness. And that there is the typical saint/ demon alternative for women. I guess you could say that the male characters are either perfect or evil here as well, but the women stood out as pathetic or terrible. I think i'd choose Houniman (guessing at spelling, since I listened) for a pal, if I could.
Lastly , since just yesterday I came across a recently-read Appiah book on how honor codes change, I think that the most arresting issue in the book is that the old king allows the false honor of acting according to a promise lead him to the appallingly dishonorable act of banishing his son. Is this discussed much when people talk about this myth? And do people also consider how it corresponds to the equally dishonorable act of Ram in banishing Sita--Ram who was the very one who suffered from the first dishonorable act?
Other Questions for those familiar with Indian mythology: what is the best translation of the full Ramayana, and does the Mahabarata have more fully rounded female characters?
October 4, 2016
I listened to the audiobook read by Samrat Chakrabarti. Chakrabarti was a great and expressive reader, doing different voices for different characters. Sometimes he got really loud but it was always appropriate for the story (people "yelling" or battle scenes) even if it wasn't appropriate for my bedtime story.
This is a classic epic so it can't really be held to modern story standards. I love the evocative imagery, magical aspects, and some of the characters, who are essentially archetypes of perfect relationship models to the main character (ie brother, wife, friend, etc.).
Spoiler alert: life is really hard for the gentle and long-suffering Sita. Ram is what would be called a Mary-Sue by today's standards. Everyone is obsessed with how perfect he is, to the point where it's actually funny. Personally, I like Ram's underrated brother Lakshman, and the playful and fearsome warrior monkey Hanuman.
Read this book to: be entertained, learn about the folklore of South Asian countries, experience centuries-old epic storytelling, educate yourself on Indian myths/art/legends.
This is a classic epic so it can't really be held to modern story standards. I love the evocative imagery, magical aspects, and some of the characters, who are essentially archetypes of perfect relationship models to the main character (ie brother, wife, friend, etc.).
Spoiler alert: life is really hard for the gentle and long-suffering Sita. Ram is what would be called a Mary-Sue by today's standards. Everyone is obsessed with how perfect he is, to the point where it's actually funny. Personally, I like Ram's underrated brother Lakshman, and the playful and fearsome warrior monkey Hanuman.
Read this book to: be entertained, learn about the folklore of South Asian countries, experience centuries-old epic storytelling, educate yourself on Indian myths/art/legends.
June 9, 2016
I pray and hope that no women in the seven kingdoms and beyond grow up to be like Sita.
Freaking ridiculous like gah. I'm out.
Freaking ridiculous like gah. I'm out.
January 9, 2017
I really enjoyed it but was very surprised by what happened with Sita.
May 7, 2018
If you struggle to make it through 24,000 verses in seven cantos (as I do) but would still love to learn about 2,000 year old Hindu epic stories that still today captivate much of Indian culture (as I do) this is the version for you. Long on plot, short on beautiful writing (as this is basically a children’s version of the epic poem) you at least get the basic story of Rama, prince of Ayodhya, who spends 14 years banished in the forest as the result of his plotting stepmother. He falls in love with a beautiful princess who is then abducted by a rival king, and Rama plots with Hamadan the monkey king to get her back. Rama’s younger brother Laksmana is so loyal to Rama he chooses to go into exile with him.
Fascinating and beautiful. Worth a quick read (or better yet, listen!)
Fascinating and beautiful. Worth a quick read (or better yet, listen!)
August 17, 2018
I am unbelievably upset by the story. To me the real hero is Sita, not Ram. And it's sad that Divali/Deepavali/Diwali is not celebrated for her instead of Ram. I'm sure there have been a million and one debates about this but to me, the story was so obvious. It's frustrating that even though the storyline and the results that showed Sita being short-changed in life, the world over has decided or accepted that Ram should be celebrated! That is why, people, women continue to be oppressed.
January 26, 2018
I listened to this on audible and the narrator was really amazing - he made this book so enjoyable!
The plot was consistent (to my knowledge) of the famous story of Ram and Sita, however the gender roles really overshadowed the story for me, especially the ending.
The plot was consistent (to my knowledge) of the famous story of Ram and Sita, however the gender roles really overshadowed the story for me, especially the ending.
July 22, 2018
The book took me to surrialistic journey, I felt like a little kid who awaited passionaty for upcoming chapter and new story/journey of tale.
January 31, 2013
For the record, the Ramayana is one of my favorite stories. This version certainly tells that story. And while the narrator of the audio version I listened too was sometimes a little too quiet (when doing the voices of women or the elderly, mostly), it was delightful to hear the story told with an authentic Indian accent.
This telling, though, fell in an awkward kind of middle ground: it was too short to feel truly epic, but too long to be a quick read. I mostly enjoyed it, but there are a lot of great adaptations and translations of the Ramayana out there, and this version didn't out-perform my personal favorites.
This telling, though, fell in an awkward kind of middle ground: it was too short to feel truly epic, but too long to be a quick read. I mostly enjoyed it, but there are a lot of great adaptations and translations of the Ramayana out there, and this version didn't out-perform my personal favorites.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews