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The Valmiki Ramayana #1
Ramáyana I: Boyhood
One of the great national epics of India that blends poetry and adventure to tell the origin story of the hero Rama
Rama, the crown prince of the City of Ayodhya, is a model son and warrior. He is sent by his father the king to rescue a sage from persecution by demons, but must first kill a fearsome ogress. That done, he drives out the demons, restores peace, and attends a tournament in the neighboring city of Mithila; here he bends the bow that no other warrior can handle, winning the prize and the hand of Sita, the princess of Mithila.
Valm�ki's Ram�yana is one of the two great national epics of India, the source revered throughout South Asia as the original account of the career of Rama, ideal man and incarnation of the great god Vishnu. The first book, "Boyhood," introduces the young hero Rama and sets the scene for the adventures ahead. It begins with a fascinating excursus on the origins and function of poetry itself.
Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation
For more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series, please visit http: //www.claysanskritlibrary.org
Rama, the crown prince of the City of Ayodhya, is a model son and warrior. He is sent by his father the king to rescue a sage from persecution by demons, but must first kill a fearsome ogress. That done, he drives out the demons, restores peace, and attends a tournament in the neighboring city of Mithila; here he bends the bow that no other warrior can handle, winning the prize and the hand of Sita, the princess of Mithila.
Valm�ki's Ram�yana is one of the two great national epics of India, the source revered throughout South Asia as the original account of the career of Rama, ideal man and incarnation of the great god Vishnu. The first book, "Boyhood," introduces the young hero Rama and sets the scene for the adventures ahead. It begins with a fascinating excursus on the origins and function of poetry itself.
Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation
For more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series, please visit http: //www.claysanskritlibrary.org
424 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2005
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About the author
Vālmīki
491 books139 followersValmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself.He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. The Yoga Vasistha is attributed to him. A religious movement called Valmikism is based on Valmiki's teachings as presented in the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita,
"The voice of Valmiki uttered poetry which the great seer Chyavana could not compose."
This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita,
"The voice of Valmiki uttered poetry which the great seer Chyavana could not compose."
This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 15, 2008
Fantastic bilingual edition of the first book of the Ramayana, focusing on the childhood of Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu). Great translation and auxiliary materials.
April 29, 2023
Five reasons to read Ramáyana I:
1) Reading poetry takes more effort from me than reading prose because with poetry every word matters and every line is chock-full of meaning, so my level of attention has to be close to 100% all of the time. That is the case here, but because it doesn't use much figurative language, it's a lot more straightforward and easier to understand than your average poem.
2) It's beautifully written, with a wonderful cadence, which is all the more impressive because poetry often doesn't endure the translation process well.
3) Getting thrown straight into this kind story isn't the easiest way to learn about a different religion, but it is very educational.
4) Though scholars don't know exactly when this epic was composed, it makes a lot of points that are still valid today, like the duties of a leader toward their people, the respect we owe to each other even when we're strangers, etc.
5) As a standalone, this book wouldn't score so highly, but it works when read as a very long prologue. It introduces the world, the characters, the history, and even though it gets long-winded at times, all this information will help when going forward into the thick of the story in book II.
Three drawbacks to Ramáyana I:
1) I found the first canto incredibly confusing. A big part of the issue is me. I'm unfamiliar with this culture, and the story begins with a lot of name-dropping. I didn't know who was whom and couldn't keep all the names straight.
2) Characters are often referred to using nouns like 'the monarch', 'the lord', 'the saint', 'the hermit', etc. but there are so many characters for whom these descriptions are used that it isn't always clear who's being referred to.
3) Rama is overpowered. He is the human manifestation of a god, so from birth he is practically perfect in every way. On top of that, he keeps receiving blessings and gifts that make him unbeatable. As a result, all of his adventures are a little on the dull side. There's never any doubt that he'll win. Also, morality is portrayed in a very black and white way. The good guys are unrealistically good, and the bad guys are evil for the simple sake of being evil.
1) Reading poetry takes more effort from me than reading prose because with poetry every word matters and every line is chock-full of meaning, so my level of attention has to be close to 100% all of the time. That is the case here, but because it doesn't use much figurative language, it's a lot more straightforward and easier to understand than your average poem.
2) It's beautifully written, with a wonderful cadence, which is all the more impressive because poetry often doesn't endure the translation process well.
3) Getting thrown straight into this kind story isn't the easiest way to learn about a different religion, but it is very educational.
4) Though scholars don't know exactly when this epic was composed, it makes a lot of points that are still valid today, like the duties of a leader toward their people, the respect we owe to each other even when we're strangers, etc.
5) As a standalone, this book wouldn't score so highly, but it works when read as a very long prologue. It introduces the world, the characters, the history, and even though it gets long-winded at times, all this information will help when going forward into the thick of the story in book II.
Three drawbacks to Ramáyana I:
1) I found the first canto incredibly confusing. A big part of the issue is me. I'm unfamiliar with this culture, and the story begins with a lot of name-dropping. I didn't know who was whom and couldn't keep all the names straight.
2) Characters are often referred to using nouns like 'the monarch', 'the lord', 'the saint', 'the hermit', etc. but there are so many characters for whom these descriptions are used that it isn't always clear who's being referred to.
3) Rama is overpowered. He is the human manifestation of a god, so from birth he is practically perfect in every way. On top of that, he keeps receiving blessings and gifts that make him unbeatable. As a result, all of his adventures are a little on the dull side. There's never any doubt that he'll win. Also, morality is portrayed in a very black and white way. The good guys are unrealistically good, and the bad guys are evil for the simple sake of being evil.
September 19, 2023
Good book
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews