Ramayana Research Articles

HISTORICAL STUDY OF CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF VALMIKI RAMAYANA

Valmiki's Ramayana is that wonderful and very important book of Indian Sanskrit literature which can be considered as the beginning of secular Sanskrit literature. It is a very primitive poem because it has poetry in an ornate style in accordance with the elements of epic. This Valmiki Ramayana is divided into seven chapters, Bal Kand, Ayodhya Kand, Aranya Kand, Kishkinda Kand, Sundar Kand, Yudh Kand and Uttar Kand. Each chapter is divided into cantos. The cantos are in romantic Sanskrit verses. Which are associated with beautiful meters like Anushtup, Upjati, Vanshstha etc. The highest number is of Anushtup meters which are also called Shlokas. There are 24 thousand verses in the entire text, so it is called the Thousand and One Vatmar “Chaturvishanti Sahasri Samhita”. In Valmiki Ramayana, all aspects of human life have been analysed and discussed in detail. In South East Asian countries, the story of this Valmiki Ramayana is popular in various forms and Ram Katha is regularly recited there. This shows the importance of Valmiki Ramayana.

Development of a Ramayana-based Counseling Module for Persons with Common Mental Health Disorders

Background: Common mental health disorders (CMDs) affect nearly 10% of the population, with the majority (80%) remaining untreated. Culturally relevant counseling approaches can be a means to reach many untreated persons. We describe the development and validation of a socioculturally relevant counseling module based on the Ramayana for persons with CMDs. Methods: The study employed an exploratory research framework to design the counseling module. The module underwent a comprehensive review of the Valmiki Ramayana to ensure its cultural relevance. Content validation was performed by mental health professionals from the field of Indian psychology. Concurrently, a panel of 15 experts from diverse backgrounds in Indian psychology validated the counseling module based on the Ramayana. Results: Based on the results of expert interviews ( n = 15), the counseling techniques, encompassing concepts, anecdotes, and narratives, were finalized. These interviews also contributed to the refinement of the counseling module. The primary objective of the content validation process was to systematically assess the appropriateness, accuracy, and practicality of the various components within the module. The content validation demonstrated that all items contained within the module exceeded the established threshold of p = .59. Conclusions: The developed counseling module based on the Ramayana is feasible to be implemented as a sociocultural intervention for persons with CMDs. By assisting persons to enhance coping abilities and improve overall well-being, this module offers a valuable resource for mental health intervention in the Indian sociocultural context. It fosters a culturally sensitive and practical approach to address the diverse mental health needs of the population.

Muhurta science in view of Valmiki Ramayana (वाल्मीकि रामायण की दृष्टि में मुहूर्त विज्ञान)

If we look into the Indian tradition, we get the description of many high quality books. In that Valmiki Ramayana composed by Maharishi Valmiki has an important place in human life. Regarding this epic, Dr. Neelam Singh has told in his research paper that Ramayana is a unique Sanskrit epic written by Adi poet Valmiki. This is the part of Hindu memory through which the saga of King Rama of Raghuvansh was told. It is also called the poetry of the beginning. There are seven chapters of Ramayana which are known as Kanda. The story of Lord Shri Ram versed by Maharishi Valmiki is known as Valmiki Ramayana and is called Adikavi of Valmiki and Valmiki Ramayana is also known as Adi Ramayana.1 Throwing light on the importance of the epic, it has been told that the importance of Valmiki Ramayana is there even today and will remain so in the future. True literature has the ability to shape the future, it is in the Ramayana. Ramayana meets this criterion. He has the ability to show the way to the generations to come. In it, generosity, righteous meaning and work surrender and protection of the victim, superiority of human, friendship, obedience, fasting, sweet and plant speech etc. undoubtedly make Ramayana an immortal epic.2 Among the common people, the Ramkatha has come to be revered as the struggle of good against evil and the dignity and deep compassion of various human relationships. It is a kind of cultural document. It is a matter of pleasant surprise that even after so many years its attraction has not decreased at all. How deep is the attraction and impact of the original spirit of this epic, it can also be felt from the place Ramkatha has found in the folk tales, drama, dance, architecture, sculpture, etc. of many countries of Asia. Therefore, showing the description of importance, etc., in this research paper, astrologers will try to tell about the science of Muhurta in this epic.

Some Illustrated Valmiki Ramayana Manuscripts

The many manuscripts of the various versions of the Ramayana include a much smaller number of illustrated manuscripts, besides the frequent sets or series illustrating the Rama story (often termed manuscripts, though lacking more than a caption or brief description of the scene depicted). I focus here on a small number of illustrated manuscripts of the Valmuki Ramayana: one datable around 1605–19 in sub-imperial Mughal style commissioned by Bir Singh Deo, one dated between 1649 and 1653 for Jagat Singh of Mewar, and three sets of illustrations which seem intended to form between them a third illustrated manuscript: the small Guler and Mankot Ramayanas and Manaku’s ‘Siege of Lanka’ series, from about 1710 to 1725. The issues that I address are: why were such extensive and expensive manuscripts undertaken, what was the nature of the text copied, and what is the relationship of text to illustration, in terms of how a scene is illustrated and of its correct identification? Exploration of these issues can reveal a significant amount about the patrons, the scribes, the illuminators and the society of the period when such manuscripts were produced.

An Introduction to the Ethics of Hikayat Seri Rama: The Malay Ramayana

The Malay Hikayat Seri Rama (HSR) represents a Hindu legend that was heavily Islamicized in its final Malay form (as presented to Oxford University in 1633). This paper seeks to discern the ethical values of HSR. These values are included in sentences spoken by the narrator, and in sentences spoken by the characters themselves. The values are described in single words (just, brave, generous, etc.), phrases, and occasionally whole paragraphs. The values are related to the administration of the state and to the maintenance of an army. They are particularly male values. It is suggested that the source of these values lies in the Arabic-Persian wisdom tradition, as particularly represented in Malay by Taj al Salatin, a work from the same time and place as HSR (Aceh, North Sumatera, in the early 17th century). A brief glance of several Indian business websites related to the contemporary relevance of Valmiki's Ramayana reveals a series of manipulative selfish propositions. The paper concludes by emphasizing on the contemporary importance of individual responsibility, such as justice, fairness, awareness, thoroughness, compassion, and maintaining "a good name"

Decoding the Impact of the Srirama Panchali on Baranagar Temples Facades: The Driving Force behind Terracotta Artisans’ Narrativization of Ramayana Events

Valmiki Ramayana is one of the most popular, universally read, and widely circulated literary works. The poets of different languages in India ornamented Valmiki’s Sanskrit Ramayana with the vibrancy of their own indigenous languages and cultures. A significant number of such versions trace their roots to Bengal. The epic was first translated into the Bengali language by the great poet Krittibas Ojha. Its influences and popularity have been such as to justify it being called the Bible of the people of Bengal. Its intense undiminished popularity among the populace has also left an indelible impression on the artisans of Bengal and their creations in different eras. The study primarily aims to investigate the Ramayana narratives that have been found on the facades of the temples of Baranagar in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. The intention is to trace the impact of Krittibas’s Srirama Panchali on the portrayals of the Ramayana episodes. The formal method of Art History has been employed to provide an in-depth description of the formal elements that have been incorporated by the artisans. Besides, a detailed critical inspection of the concerned portrayals has been complemented with literary references to get a lucid understanding of the intended issues.

Myths, Similes and Memory Traces: Images of Abduction in the Ramayana Universe

In this essay, the Ramayana is conceptualised not merely as a text but as a narrative universe constituted by the multiplicity of its telling. Each telling is unique and involves combining fragments or narrative elements in particular ways. This universe occupies not merely a geographical but also a kind of virtual topological space made up of the relation between narrative elements. The argument is exemplified at two levels, first through an abstraction of one theme—abduction—from the text of the Valmiki Ramayana, which is then mined for significant poetic elements. Second, the article takes up the Ramayani gathas (ballads) of the Pardhan Gonds of Madhya Pradesh and describes some stories also based on the theme of abduction. A comparison of the fragments from the two types of texts reveals comparable elements such that poetic elements, like similes and metaphors, used to describe Sita’s abduction and Rama’s grief undergo structural transformation and are expanded into metonymic configurations, that is, plot elements in the Pardhan Gond gathas. Thus, the Valmiki Ramayana and the Gondi Ramayani seem to have a metonymic connection with each other. The second part of the article then shows how transformations occur within the narrative universe of the Gondi Ramayani itself as the storyable themes move from the aural medium to that of painting, as contemporary Pardhan Gond artists use themes and poetic imagery inspired by the gathas for their compositions.

Religious and Scientific importance of Vastu Shastra

The ancient sages created Vastu Shastra with great efforts for the protection of the human body and the biochemical reactions occurring in the body. In ancient times, the scientific architecture of the common man did not seem to be factual.Therefore, all this should be understood by them and if they feel right, they can accept it with devotion. From this point of view, Vastu Shastra was easily created by giving different shapes and names to these objects.In the present paper, scientific and religious analysis of Vastu Shastra has been presented in the context of Indian literature, Vedic and Valmiki Ramayana etc.

Legend descent of Ganga and similarities with impact event

Role of comets and icy asteroids in getting water to Earth is under discussion for last few decades. In the recent history, we have observed and recorded two comet impact events in the solar system. Both the impacts of solwind and Shoemaker levy-9 support the argument that the impacts by comets may be a regular feature and Earth is no exception to it. In the history of mankind, there is a strong possibility that such events were observed by various civilizations.Early settlements of ancient India observed various celestial objects like stars, constellations, planets and comets.Vedas like Rigveda, Atharvaveda refer comets as “Dhumketu”. Certain hymns of Rig Vedastrongly support the possibility of impact event being observed and recorded as eyewitness account. Reference of these celestial bodies is found in various ancient legends of India. These legends may be work of imagination based on real observations. One such legend is descent of Ganga from heaven. As per Valmiki Ramayana many aspects of this legend like its composition, appearance, descent path and effects at the time of descent have close resemblance with the impact event of a celestial body like comet. Ancient Stone carvings depicting the event provide major clue about the celestial movement and the impact event.In this paper we have used ancient description from Ramayana and Veda, and compared it with modern scientific facts and geological features of the region described in the legend.There are Multiple water bodies and lakes in the Tibet behind mount Kailash. This lake region is rich with finds like coesite, stishovite and other ultra high pressure finds that are usually associated with the impact site. These lakes play crucial role in the water cycle of Asia.Though there are lot of similarities in the legend and the available facts, as on date there is no conclusive evidence which can prove the origin of river Gangaas a result of this event as mentioned in thelegend. Thus this legend may be a result of observations mixed with belief.

IMPLEMENTASI PASAL 19 PERATURAN PEMERINTAH NOMOR 60 TAHUN 2014 TENTANG DANA DESA YANG BERSUMBER DARI ANGGARAN PENDAPATAN DAN BELANJA NEGARA

The village is a unit of the legal community that has a genuine arrangement based on the privileged origin rights. The cornerstone of the thinking on village governance is diversity, participation, autonomy, democratization and community empowerment. The result of the study is the Implementation of Article 19 of Government Regulation No. 60 of 2014 on Village Funds sourced from the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget in Rama Yana Village Sub-District Seputih Raman Central Lampung Regency is currently done in accordance with government regulations but not yet maximized. The problem is still the lack of knowledge of village apparatus in understanding the rules about village fund management, lack of understanding of the tupoksi of each position, delay in the transfer of village funds, system of management of the village administration that is not optimal, lack of aspiration and active role of the community, ineffective communication between the community and the village head.

A conceptual and philosophical approach towards educational system from an Ancient Indian perspective

In this paper a discovery of the philosophy of educational systems from an Ancient Indian perspective. A limited number of articles have been written from a standpoint of philosophical, historical, and the Ancient perspective when resultantly, this article not only aims to fill in the gaps in literature, but also aspires to provide an insight on educational philosophy from the Ancient Indian perspective. In the Indian context, the origin of education can be traced from the Vedic literatures such as the Valmiki Ramayana, the Mahabharata (includes the Bhagavad-Gita) and the Puranas. The foundation of this paper revolves around hermeneutics, which are a qualitative research methodology involving the studying, understanding and interpretation of ancient text. With the help of the aforementioned methodology, authors disclose some ancient lessons on today’s educational system. The aim of this paper is to knowing the Educational System of Ancient India. In the ancient times, two education systems i.e. Vedic and Buddhist were developed by them and their sole purposeswere self-control, propagation of purity, development of character, personality development, social awareness and preservation of the culture for youth.

Crime Lead to War in Ramayana and Hikayat Seri Rama

The Ramayana is an important part of Indian Literature that narrates an epic struggle against the evils of Ravana, and justification of just war. The original text of the Ramayana was written by Valmiki in the 10th century in the writings of Sanskrit that date back to the second century. This work is basically about the battle between Rama with Ravana that culminates in the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana. For this study, an abridged version of Valmiki Ramayana, entitled Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana by Devdutt Pattanaik. This work was published in 2013 by Penguin Publishers located in India. This paper collects various versions of Ramayana published by Devdutt Pattanaik to understand the epic more easily. Meanwhile in alam Melayu, Hikayat Seri Rama oral version recorded by W. E. Maxwell and narrated by Mir Hassan, well known and established Malay storyteller (penglipur lara) in 1885. This hikayat publish in a JSBRAS at 1910. Though Hikayat Seri Rama received influence from Ramayana epic, the storyteller in this hikayat has been modified and has given local colour to showcase the elements of war and strategies. This work will be examined through the concept of just war. The application of sciences like wars, magical, politics, and others who practised in India and Tanah Melayu traditional societies will be given attention and analyzed in this paper. In the end, this study will conclude for all related crime cause the war used by both sides, in accordance with the characteristics of a just war. Keywords: Hikayat Seri Rama, Ramayana, Warfare, Kidnappings, Crime, and Community Norms The Ramayana is an important part of Indian Literature that narrates an epic struggle against the evils of Ravana, and justification of just war. The original text of the Ramayana was written by Valmiki in the 10th century in the writings of Sanskrit that date back to the second century. This work is basically about the battle between Rama with Ravana that culminates in the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana. For this study, an abridged version of Valmiki Ramayana, entitled Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana by Devdutt Pattanaik. This work was published in 2013 by Penguin Publishers located in India. This paper collects various versions of Ramayana published by Devdutt Pattanaik to understand the epic more easily. Meanwhile in alam Melayu, Hikayat Seri Rama oral version recorded by W. E. Maxwell and narrated by Mir Hassan, well known and established Malay storyteller (penglipur lara) in 1885. This hikayat publish in a JSBRAS at 1910. Though Hikayat Seri Rama received influence from Ramayana epic, the storyteller in this hikayat has been modified and has given local colour to showcase the elements of war and strategies. This work will be examined through the concept of just war. The application of sciences like wars, magical, politics, and others who practised in India and Tanah Melayu traditional societies will be given attention and analyzed in this paper. In the end, this study will conclude for all related crime cause the war used by both sides, in accordance with the characteristics of a just war.

Guiding the Possibility of Conduct: A Reading of ‘Rama-Katha’

Ramayana is not a solo entity. The number of Ramayanas and the range of their influence in South and Southeast Asia over the past twenty-five hundred years or more are astonishing. Different versions of Rama story are available. We can trace the story line in Burma, Thailand, Japan, Oman etc. But from 20th century, from the time modern thought of learning came into practice, Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas started gaining unprecedented importance.

Arshia Sattar, translator, Valmiki’s Ramayana

Arshia Sattar, translator, Valmiki’s Ramayana

Ras and Affect in Ramlila (and the Radheshyam Ramayan)

Ras and Affect in Ramlila (and the Radheshyam Ramayan)

Apes in Bengali Ramayana

In this paper, I intend to explain that apes in Krittivasi Ramayana enjoy a dignified status than Valmiki Ramayana as they are reshaped to fit Bengali moral and ecological imagination.

The form of Brahma, Maya, Jivas and the world described in Spiritual Ramayana

The form of Brahma, Maya, Jivas and the world described in Spiritual Ramayana

The Valmiki Ramayana trans. Bibek Debroy, and: The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki trans. Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman

Reviewed by: The Valmiki Ramayana trans. Bibek Debroy, and: The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki trans. Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman Willis Goth Regier Bibek Debroy, translator. The Valmiki Ramayana. Three volumes. Penguin Books, 2017. xxvi + 381; xxvi + 482; xxvi + 492 pages. Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman, translators. The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki, volume 7: Uttarakāṇḍa. Princeton UP, 2017. xxii + 1522 pages. 2017 was a banner year for the Rāmāyaṇa. In 2017 Penguin published Bibek Debroy's three-volume Valmiki Ramayana, the latest in its ambitious program of translations. In 2017, Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman published the Uttarakāṇḍa, the seventh and final volume of the Princeton a of Rāmāyaṇa, a set begun three decades ago. Anyone who wants a complete Rāmāyaṇa in English now has a choice. The Penguin and Princeton sets have much in common. Both venerate the Rāmāyaṇa and its heritage. Both tell the whole story, repetitions and all. Both translate the running text of the Baroda Oriental Institute's critical edition (1951–1975), sifted from oceans of variora. When first translated into Italian (Gorresio 1870), English (Dutt 1894), and French (Roussel 1903), the Rāmāyaṇa was imported as prose. Debroy and the Goldmans also chose prose, the best way to repackage and preserve it. The homophonies and metrics prized by Sanskrit poetics allow for compound words impossible in Western languages. Take, for example, a single word plucked from a Rāmāyaṇa battle scene: विगलितहारकुण्डलैर्निशाचरैर्नीलबलाहकोपमैः vigalitahārakuṇḍalairnishācarairnīlabalāhakopamaih A literal English translation would string bits together like this: with-thrown-off-necklaces-earrings-night-roamers-dark-clouds-like Debroy gives it thus: "Their necklaces and earrings were strewn around. The roamers of the night, resembling dark clouds [were seen to be continuously brought down]" (3.329). The Goldmans give: "with their necklaces and earrings slipping off, the night-roaming rākṣasas, resembling black clouds [filled the sky]" (7.7.50). What is elegant in Sanskrit is a tangled knot for translators. The differences in the two new translations are stark. The Goldmans honor the arrangement of the Baroda critical edition, dividing the epic into kāṇḍas (books), sargas (chapters), and ślokas (verses). Debroy retains only kāṇḍas and sargas, combining ślokas into paragraphs. Debroy is flatter: He renders the demon Rāvaṇa's challenge to assembled kings as: "Give me a fight. Alternatively, say that you have been defeated by me. This is my firm determination. If you do not act in this way, you will not be able to escape me" (3.354). That's accurate, but clunky. The Goldmans' Rāvaṇa sounds truly threatening: "You must either give me battle or declare yourself vanquished! This is my resolve. There will be no escape for those of you who act otherwise" (7.19.2). There is a sober verse recurrent in Sanskrit poetry: [End Page 1443] sarve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntāḥ samucchrayāḥ saṃyogā viprayogāntā maraṇāntaṃ ca jīvitam The Goldmans recite the verse like a proverb: "All accumulations end in loss, all elevations in falls, all unions end in separation, and all life ends in death" (2.98.16 & 7.51.10). Debroy converts the śloka into clichés: "All stores of riches are exhausted. Everything that rises up must fall down. Any association ends in dissociation. Life ends in death" (3.423). On every page the Goldmans are more reliable. They say that rishis "know the Vedas," vedavido; Debroy says they "know about" them (3.311). Debroy routinely mistranslates laghuvikrama as "dexterous in valour" (1.54 & 84; 2.147; 3.23, 40, 44, 53, 232), "light in valour" (3.357, 430, 455), or worse, "lost their valour" (2.460); the Goldmans correctly translate it as "swift-striding" or "fleet-footed." The Goldmans say the rākṣasa Lavaṇa did not enter his city after he knocked out Rāma's brother with a tree (7.61.14). Debroy says Lavaṇa did enter his city, adding confusion to the battle...

Old fights, new meanings: Lions and elephants in combat

Old fights, new meanings: Lions and elephants in combat

Valmiki Ramayana in a Discussion of Feminine

Valmiki Ramayana in a Discussion of Feminine