RAMAYANA, (Skt., story of llama). The second of the two great epic poems of mediaeval India. It is in the main the work of a single author, Valmiki. Herein lies the im portant distinction between it and the ilakab harata (q.v.). Though all its parts are not from the same hand, and though it is nol entirely free from digressions or episodes, the poem tells a conneeted story of great interest in epic diction of the highest order; it ranks with the great epics of the world. and is even to this day the favorite poem of the Hindus.
The central figures in the epic are Rama and his devoted wife, Sita; the main event, the eon quest of Lanka (probably Ceylon). Das:aratha, the mighty King of Oudh (.,1yorthy8), having grown old, announces in open assembly that lie has decided to consecrate his oldest son, Rama, as his and Rama is accordingly ac claimed joyously. But the intriguing second Queen of Das:aratha, Kaikeyi by name, induces her husband to change his resolution in favor of her son Bharata and to banish Rama for fourteen years. llama accepts his fate with great dig nity, and retires with Sita to the forest Dandaka. When King Da;aratha dies, his son Bharata, is called to the succession, but he refuses to usurp llama's throne, and seeks him out in the wilderness in order to conduct him hack to the throne in his capital city. Rama in his turn refuses to cross his father's decision; he removes his gold-embroidered shoes, and presents them to Ilharata as an outer token of his resig nation I )f the throne. But Ifflarata on returning places Hama's shoes upon the throne and holds over them the yellow parasol, the sign of royalty; lie himself stands by and acts as the King's plenipotentiary. Now llama continues in the wilderness, and makes it his mission to fight the demons who molest the ascetics of the forest in their holy practices. Havana, the king of the demons, who live; in Lanka. plans revenge. one of his demons, in the guise of a golden gazelle, plaees himself in sight of Sita, who, eager to possess it, sends llama to hunt it. During his absence Ravana, in the garb of an ascetic, is admitted to Rama's dwelling, and kidnaps Sita. On returning Rama gives himself over to despair. until a mysterious voice tells him the way to overcome his enemies and to rescue Sita. He allies himself with Ilanuman (q.v.) and Sugriva, kings of the monkeys. Eanuman suc ceeds in finding Sita in Lanka, and the monkeys build a wonderful bridge from the mainland. Rama leads his army across, slays Ravana, and is reunited with Sita. They return home, and llama. conjointly with llharata, rules his happy people. so that the golden age has again come
upon the earth.
The Ramayana consists of seven books in about 24,000 verses. Notwithstanding the essen tial unity of the entire epic, the first and last books are in a certain sense secondary. The first deals with Rama's youth up to has marriage with Sita; the last with llama's life from his restora tion to his death. In these Rama is apotheosized and identified with the god Vishnu (q.v.) as one of his incarnations. The main body of the epic (books ii.-vi.) deals with Rama as a national hero, the embodiment especially of the ethical ideals of the people. But the Hama-Sita story itself. notwithstanding that it presents itself outwardly as an heroic legend, is justly under the suspicion of containing one or more mythic roots, though the exact fornmlation and explana tion of them is perplexing. In the Veda Sita (q.v.) is the. personified furrow of the plowed field, the beautiful wife of Indra or Parjanya. Hence Baum has been identified with India (q.v.), the slayer of demons, especially of the demon Vritra. In the epos Ravana ie supposed to have taken the place of Vritra. According to another interpretation. the legend is a mixture of culture and nature myth. typifying the spread southward toward Ceylon of Brahmanical civili zation. The demons who disturb the ascetics in their holy practices are the barbarous tribes who oppose Aryan culture. In any case, these mythical and other motives cannot have served as more than mere suggestions for the great story.
The Ramayana exists in there recension."' which differ from one another in their reading, in the order of their verses, and in having each more or less lengthy passages that are wanting in the others. The best known and most popular of these is also the most original version of the poem. Hs home is in the northwest and smith of India; it has been edited a number of times in India, and is most accessible in the second Bombay edition of 1888. The second recension is at home in Bengal; it has been edited by the scholar Gaspare Gorressio, who added to his edition a somewhat free Italian trans lation in poetical prose (Paris, 1843-70). The third recension apparently at home in the west of India is as yet unpublished, but is acces sible in manuscripts at Berlin and Bonn. The poetic translation of the .Angloindian scholar Griffith in five volumes (Bemires (1870-75) is hosed upon the first recension. C'onisult: Weber, Ucber dos Hannigan(' (Berlin, 1870) ; Jacobi. Dos bawuye9n (Bonn, 1893) ; Ludwig, Uebcr das Ramayamt und die desselbcn :Yam .11ohabhirato (Prague, 1894).