( The R in thi name is a consonant. The Y is a consonant. The N is pronounced hard like 'n' in 'turn'. )
Raamaayanam is the first Ithihaasa. ie Epic, of India. The second one is Mahaabhaaratham of sage Vyaasa.
Raamaayanam was composed by sage Valmiki . It is the first poetic work in word's library , of course, not counting the Vedas . It is great in size too , consisting of nearly 24,000 shlokas . The great book is also named Poulasthyavadham (Poulasthya=Pulasthya's scion ie Raavana, Vadhah= slaying) or Seethaacharitham (Seetha=Seetha's, charitham=history or life) too.
Indian mythology holds that Vishnu is in charge of the maintenance of the existence of the universe and he occasionally takes incarnations on the earth when such necessity was found for the purpose of 1) establishment of dharma ie righteousness, 2) protection of the good and 3) annihilation of the bad.
We give a very brief introduction of the Raamaayanam here only to show the outlines of the story, since its clear presentation needs to be a seperate work in itself .
Raamayana describes the seventh incarnation of Vishnu on the earth as Raama , the prince of Kosala kingdom. Scholars say that Raama played the role of an ideal human nearing divinity by virtues . Also, many other persons in this epic stand ideal from the view point of not only the orthodox Indian society but even when assessed generally .
Raamaayanam comprises seven books, called Kaandas, namely ,
Dasharatha was the king of Kosala. He had three principal wives, Kousalya, Sumithra and Kykeyi . He once helped Indra in fighting the demons in a great war. At that time, Dasharatha was accompanied by his younger queen Kykeyi . Out of his praise towards her participation , he granted her two boons of her choice , which she chose to postpone for an opportune moment .
During his younger days, once Dasharatha went on hunting in a forest and then accidentally mistaking to be an elephant , killed a young hermit whose blind parents were totally dependent of him . The king profusely appologiged the blind couple for his terrible mistake. The bereaved and dying old parents cursed Dasharatha to incur death from separation from his son as they themselves did . Dasharatha returned home sad with grief .
Dasharatha had no children for a very long time ( the story says , upto the age of 60,000 years ) . He took the advice of his mentor sage Vasishtha and performed a sacrifice under the aegis of saint Rishyashringa, for begetting sons. The pleased gods awarded him a pot of divine pudding to be distributed among his wives . After doing so, the three queens gave birth to four sons, Kousalya to Raama , Kykeyi to Bharatha and sumithra to twins Lakshmana and Shathrughna. They all got training in education and warfare at Vasishtha.
Once the sage Visvaamithra called at Dasharatha and asked him to send Raama with him to kill certain demons who were disturbing his penance and ritual performances. Dasharatha was more than unwilling but Vasishtha persuaded him to send Raama and Lakshmana alongwithVisvaamithra . Vishvaamithra awarded them the greatest of the missiles making them invincible . A demoness, Thaataka attacked them in the way and was killed by Raama at the behest of the sage . The two young princes ably defended the sage's sacrificial performance by killing Subaahu and driving Maareecha away .
From his hermitage, Visvaamithra took them to Mithila, the city of king Janaka who had declared to give his daughter Seetha in marriage to any prince who can wield the ancient bow with him , which was once used by Shiva himself . Raama was prompted to attempt the task and he was successful in stringing the great bow which in fact broke in his arms . News was sent to Dasharatha who came in no time and marriages of all the four princes were celebrated, of Rama with Seetha , of Bharatha with Maandavi, of Lakshmana with Oormila and of Shathrughna with Shruthakeerthi . The other three brides were Seetha's cousins. A buyoant Dasharatha set out for ayodhya . Sage Parashuraama halted them in the way and demanded Raama to prove himself by stringing his bow as a penitence to breaking Shiva's bow . Raama did that with ease to the old sage's pleasure and all returned to ayodhya more happier .
Raama won the hearts of the public and the officials equally . Satisfied with this ideal development , Dasharatha proclaimed Raama's coronation . Both Bharatha and Shatrughna were on a visit to their maternal uncle Kekaya king at that time . Learning about the king's decision , the whole city of Ayodhya scooted in joy . People everywhere talked about their beloved Raama's coronation . Manthara, a servant of the younger queen Kykeyi, felt jealous of Raama's position and she rushed to her mistress, who, all innocent till then, was glad of the regal decision . Manthara bit her mistress' ears and slandered about Kousalya amd Raama. She threatened the queen with unfavourable consequences if Raama becomes the king , making Bharatha a mere second line figure. The old servant's vicious speech poisoned Kykeyi's mind and she was keen in getting her son Bharatha crowned in stead of Raama.
By the time the king visited her, Kykeyi looked angry and unhappy . Asked for the reason and the remedy of her displeasure, she prayed him to allow her to ask for the two earlier boons . The king granted and she soon disclosed her two demands. One , to coronate Bharatha and the other , to send Raama on exile to the woods for 14 years .
Dasharatha was shaken to the roots for the unforeseen demands of the queen but he had no other go . Raama pleasantly left for the forests followed by Seetha and Lakshmana . Dasharatha could not bear his separation from Raama and he soon succumbed to death . Bharatha on returning learnt what had happened and despised his mother. He performed the funeral rites of his father and proceeded to forest to bring Raama back to Ayodhya . A determined Raama denied . Bharatha requested his brother to allow him to continue as a trustee of the throne and to run the rule in the name of Raama's sandals . Thus arranging for rule at home, Raama set forth into the Dandaka forest, to be away from the kingdom. He killed the demon Viraadha who attempted to nab Seetha forcibly from them . Later, Raama met many sages like Athri, Sharabhanga, Agasthya etc. He spent around ten years at various hermits and and at last settled at Chithrakoota hill to live there for the rest of the exile period.
As they were spending their last year of their exile, a demoness named Shoorpanakha passed that way and saw Raama and fell for him. Shoorpanakha was demon king Raavana's younger sister and she was a widow. Assuming the form of a beautiful damsel, she went to Raama and asked to have her in marriage. Raama jestly told her that he was already living with his wife and still more jestly suggested to her to marry Lakshmana who was alone, so as to avoid the trouble of a co-wife. As Shoorpanakha prayed Lakshmana to oblige ,he in turn told her to insist on the earlier one since she too would have to serve Raama and his wife, should she marry Lakshmana. Seeing her go to and fro between the two brothers, Seetha laughed . That made the demonish temper in Shoorpanakha arouse . She turned into her original form and rushed to Seetha to swallow her . Lakshmana stood in the way , cut her nose and ears and chased her away .
Shoorpanakha went straight to her brothers Khara, Dooshana and Thishiras who lived around in the Dandaka forest . She wept before them and urged them to kill Raama and his family to compensate her insult . The three brothers took the humans for granted and attacked them with their force of 14 000 demons. Raama left Lakshmana in guard of Seetha and took up the fight alone . Soon, the demons were destroyed totally. The sages of Dandaka forest felt relieved .
Shoorpanakha was persistent . She rushed to Raavana the terrible lord of Demons at Lanka . She invoked to him to avenge her insult in the hands of dirty humans . She also suggested that Seetha would best suit him and his wealth . More wih lust than anger , Raavana went to his one time friend Maareecha for assistance . Maareecha was at first unwilling but out of fear of Raavana, he followed him . After nearing Raama's hermitage , Raavana hid himself away and Maareecha assumed the form of a golden deer, and ran and jumped around . Seetha glimpsed the unusual golden deer and requested Raama to trap it alive for her pleasure . Despite Lakshmana's attempts to explain it as a trick of the demons, Raama went alone after the deer which tantalisingly took him well away . After a long and futile chase after the deer, Raama suspected the case and shot a powerful arrow at it . Maareecha was struck hard by the arrow . He fell dead shouting with Raama's voice , " O Seetha, O Lakshmana ! " The shouts echoed in the forest and Seetha was concerned . She urged Lakshmana to go after his brother for his rescue but Lakshmana was well aware that all that was a hoax and nothing could harm Raama. He didn't move away from her. Seetha was harsh on him imputing him with impious intentions against her . That made Lakshmana unwillingly leave her alone in the hut .
Raavana saw his best chance and in a while he approached the hut in the guise of a hermit . He begged for alms . Seetha brought some fruits from inside to offer to him as alms . Raavana soon disclosed his true horrendous form to her who was utterly frightened and fell senseless on the ground . He took her onto his magic car and flew away by air. Seetha got her senses and understood the trouble she was helplessly in. She wept and shouted for long when an old bird-lord Jataayu heard her and came to her rescue . The old bird put up a tough fight against the mighty demon to save the hapless lady . But Raavana cut off the wings of Jataayu and flew away .
Midway somewhere, Seetha saw a group of monkey-lords and threw all her jewellery as a bunch amidst them hoping that that would help Raama as a clue to trace her in future . Raavana reached Lanka and kept Seetha under the guard of his confidant servants in the Ashoka park . He also warned Seetha to choose either to marry him or to die , within a time-frame of 12 months .
Back there in Dandaka forest , Raama was returning after claiming Maareecha's life. He met his brother coming for him and was astonished for his leaving Seetha alone in the forest at that time . Learning what had made his brother do so, he rushed home to see the hut devoid of Seetha . They together searched in and around in vain and concluded that she had been abducted by someone in their absence . Continued search brought them to the place where Jataayu was lying ready to die . Jataayu told them all that had happened and died . They burnt the bird's body and proceeded further. They had only a clue about the abductor but not about the whereabouts of Seetha. In their weary wandering , they both were caught by a pair of very long and sturdy hands that came out of a torso with no legs . They cut the two hands off and soon there appeared a divine being before them . He explained that he was a Gandharva but was cursed by a sage to remain a legless demon with the name of Kabandha in the forest for a long time , the remedy being Raama's killing him . He thanked them immensely and suggested to go further to find Sugreeva the lord of the monkey kingdom to get help in finding Seetha .
They went on upto Rishyamooka hill where a lady ascetic Shabari had been waiting for him for many years . She gave hospitality to them , advised to help Sugreeva and be helped by him. Seeing her leave for the eternal abode , they moved ahead hopefully .
The monkey lord Sugreeva was living on the Rishyamooka hill alongwith his four counsellors . He saw the two princes with bows and arrows . At first he suspected them to be the ones employed by his brother Vaali whom he dreaded and fled from . He sent his wise counsellor Hanumaan to enquire who they were . Hanumaan talked to them and brought them to Sgreeva . Learning Raama's details and his present affair, Sugreeva showed him the jewellery thrown amidst them from the sky . Raama identified them to be of Seetha's . Sugreeva consoled Raama and told him about his troubles from his brother Vaali who took away his wife and wealth and drove him off the city. Raama promised to kill Vaali for Sugreeva and Sugreeva in turn promised to search and trace Seetha . But sugreeva wanted Raama to prove himself before calling Vaali to a fight . He asked Raama to move a carcass of a buffalo which was once hurled and thrown by Vaali . Raama swept it away with a single heave . Sugrreva further tested Raama's strength by asking him to bring down the seven date trees which Vaali used to bend for his pleasure . Raama cut off the seven trees with a single arow .
Sugreeva had now faith in Rama . He took them to the gates of Vaali's abode Kishkindha and called Vaali out for a fight . Outraged , Vaali appeared alone and thrashed Sugreeva throughly . Sugreeva ran away to his place and blamed Raama for not killing Vaali .Raama explained that he was confused between the two look-alike brothers and dared not shoot fearing error in judging the target . He advised Sugreeva to call Vaali again but told him to sport a garland around his neck to facilitate his identification. Sugreeva did accordingly and Vaali came roaring despite his wife Thaara's suspecting Sugreeva's immediate call after a thorough defeat . The identification worked and Vaali fell to Raama's arrow . Sugreeva was made the ruler of Kishkindha . Sugreeva gathered a mighty army of monkeys and bears . He dispached four troups on the four directions with instructions to return within a month with Seetha's trace . Raama handed over his ring to Hanumaan , who was included in the Southern troup , to use as his signet for Seetha's belief , should he find her.
All the batches except the one sent to South returned on time with no good news. The southern search party in the lead of Angada, executed a thorough search of all the forests, hills and rivers . Finally they reached the Southern sea . Being at the end of their wits, they all decided to die rather than going back unfruitful . Their discussion of the subject brought the name of Jataayu and soon a gigantic old bird perched before them to their fear . The bird assured them safety and informed that his name was Sampaathi and Jataayu was his younger brother . He felt sad at the news of his brother's death and told them that Raavana carried Seetha to his abode Lanka in the midle of the sea, 100 yojanas away from the shore . The troup thanked the bird and pondered over what to do . No one could dare jump that long and return . The aged and learned Jaambavaan encouraged Hanumaan to do that feat of flying to Lanka and returning with good news. Hanumaan took up the job . He heaved and flew into the air towards Lanka . The gods tested him in the middle for his presence of mind . Hanumaan landed before the gates of Lanka just after the sun-set .
The city-guard demoness Lanka was Hanumaan's first victim. He assumed a minute form and searched all over Lanka for Seetha but could not find her. At the end of the night, he caught sight of Seetha . Just then Raavana came over to her and threatened with dire consequences if she did not agree to marry him within two months . After Raavana's departure, Seetha cried bitterly and tried to hang herself to death. Hanumaan stopped her, showed Raama's ring to testify his genuinity and consoled her that she would soon see better days . Seetha felt happy and gave her head-ornament to Hanumaan for Raama's evidence . Hanumaan decided to teach Raavana a lesson . He destroyed the park thoroughly . He killed its guards. The remaing force took the news to the fort . Reinforcements were sent in the lead of Jambumaali and Aksha who were killed in an instant . Finally, Raavana sent his son Indrajith, who got Hanumaan tied and brought to Ravana's court. Hanumaan prevailed upon Raavana to liberate Seetha and appologise to Raama . Raavana got angry and ordered his men to kill Hanumaan. But Ravana's brother Vibheeshana pleaded not to do so since he was a mere ambassador. Raavana then told the demons to burn Hanumaan's tail and leave him . Hanuman, with his burnt tail, jumped over the palaces of Lanka and burnt them to ashes . At last, he flew back to his troup and enjoyed with them the story of his success.
The jubilant south party returned to Sugreeva shouting and clamouring. Raama was happy about the success of the troup. soon they set out to Lanka . After reaching the sea, they could not find a way to cross it to reach Lanka. Meanwhile, in Lanka, Raavana expelled his brother Vibheeshana alleging that he was an aide to Raama. Vibheeshana approached Raama for protection. Raama promised him the throne of Lanka . Despite Rama's appeal for three days, the sea god did not gave way to his army . Raama turned furious and he was about to shoot his powerful missiles into the sea when the sea god appeared before him and advised to employ the monkey chief Nala to build a bridge on the sea, since Nala had got the magic art of floating the stones on water. Accordingly , all the vaanaras brought huge stones from all over and a bridge was successfully built on the sea. The enormous Vaanara army crossed the sea under Raama's lead and seized Lanka.
As the last effort for peace before attack, Raama sent Angada to Raavana to convince him accept truce proposal on the terms of entrusting Seetha to Raama. It was of no use and a war followed. The serpent missile of Indrajith that tied up Raama and Lakshmana too was a momentary success . Garuda came to liberate them from the serpent ties. Subsequently, many victims fell on both sides. All the chief warriors of Raavana's side fell one by one .Indrajith fell to Lakshmana's arrows . Kumbhakarna was awakened from his deep sleep and sent to war. He fell to Raama's arrows . Raavana himself took up the fight. He made his opponent army run helter skelter. But Raama inflicted a thourough defeat on him and drove him into the city . Next day started a terrible fight between the desparate Raavana and the determined Raama . The fight lasted several days and nights at a stretch . Raama's powerful missile hit Raavana in the heart and he fell dead like a mountain head falling from the top on to the ground . Vibheeshana and Raavana's queens wailed over Raavana's death. Raama consoles Vibheeshana and crowned him to the kimgdom of Lanka . Seetha was brought to Raama with all regal honors but to the astonishment of all , Raama rejected to accept her . Seetha felt dejected and jumped into the fire. The fire god brought her out safe and entrusted to Raama proclaiming her clean chastity . All of them returned to Ayodhya and relieved Bharatha of the burden of the administration . Raama took up the ruling nearly 14 years after the decided moment !
The main story of the Raamaayanam ends here, but the seventh book starts here . In this are described Raavana's previous history , Raama's abondoning pregnant Seetha in the forests , her giving birth to twins Lava and Kusha , Raama's performing Asvamedha sacrifice in the Nymisha forest, his sons singing the Raamaayanam before him , Raama's identifying them, Seetha's going to Raama's sacrifice hall, her entering the earth's interior, Raama's rule for nearly 11000 years thereafter etc .
Some scholars opine that the whole of the seventh book is an addition to the original one. Some hold that some parts of it might be interpolated but not the book as a whole . But, either, however, as a matter of fact, is just a matter of belief but has no concrete proof. Since the story gets interwoven with the previous one and Raama's sons come into picture it seems that these parts of the story might be from the original composer. But that earlier part of the seventh book , describing Raavana's earlier life. seems to be a misfit. But, again, we have no evidence to say either way. It is our misfortune that our great texts are not without controversy .
Even after many thousands of years from its creation , Raamaayanam enjoys its unique place of honour by the class of its poetry . Beautiful descriptions, nice quotations and wonderful discourses make it a gem of smakritham works .It is respectfully called Adikavyam or ' The First Book of Poetry ' in India . No matter what creed or race the reader belongs to , the ideal people described in the story will no doubt leave the stamp of their qualities on his fancy . Even now, a Samskritham learner first goes through the Raamaayanam for command over the literature . This shows the class of this great work of Vaalmiki.
The story of Raama is described in some of the Puraanans and in the Mahaabhaaratham too.