The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic

By R. K. Narayan and Pankaj Mishra

The greatest Indian epic, one of the world's supreme masterpieces of storytelling

A Penguin Classic

A sweeping tale of abduction, battle, and courtship played out in a universe of deities and demons, The Ramayana is familiar to virtually every Indian. Although the Sanskrit original was composed by Valmiki around the fourth century BC, poets have produced countless versions in different languages. Here, drawing on the work of an eleventh-century poet called Kamban, Narayan employs the skills of a master novelist to re-create the excitement he found in the original. A luminous saga made accessible to new generations of readers, The Ramayana can be enjoyed for its spiritual wisdom, or as a thrilling tale of ancient conflict.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 29, 2006
• ISBN: 9781440623271

R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan (born Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, 10 October 1906 - 13 May 2001) was an award-winning Indian writer, best known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. Some of his best-known works include Swami and Friends (1935), in which he first introduces the fictional town of Malgudi, The Financial Expert, hailed as one of the most original works of 1951, and The Guide (1958), which earned him the Sahitya Akademi and which was adapted for film and Broadway. Narayan highlighted the social context and everyday life of his characters and has been compared to William Faulkner, who also created a similar fictional town, and explored with humour and compassion the energy of ordinary life. In a career that spanned over sixty years, Narayan received many awards and honours. His first major award was the Sahitya Akademi Award for The Guide in 1958. When the book was made into a film, he received the Filmfare Award for the best story. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Leeds (1967), the University of Mysore (1976) and Delhi University (1973). Narayan died in 2001 aged 94.

Book preview

Prologue

In keeping with the classical tradition, Kamban begins his epic with a description of the land in which the story is set. The first stanza mentions the river Sarayu, which flows through the country of Kosala. The second stanza lifts your vision skyward to observe the white fleecy clouds that drift across the sky towards the sea, and later return in dark water-laden masses to the mountaintops, where they condense and flow down the slopes in streams scouring the mountainside of its treasures of minerals and essences (verily like a woman of pleasure gently detaching the valuables from her patron during her caresses). The river descends with a load of merchandise such as precious stones, sandalwood, peacock feathers, and iridescent flower petals and pollen grains, carrying it through the mountains, forests, valleys, and plains of Kosala country, and, after evenly distributing the gifts, ends its career in the sea.

The poet then describes the countryside with its gardens and groves; its men and women fully occupied, their activities ranging from tilling, harvesting, and threshing to watching cock-fights of an afternoon. In the background, the perpetual groan of mills crushing sugarcane or corn, bellowing of cattle, or clamour of bullock-drawn caravans loaded with produce departing for far-off lands. Different kinds of smoke rise in the air, from kitchen chimneys, kilns, sacrificial fires, and fragrant wood burnt for incense. Different kinds of nectar—juices of sugarcane and palmyra, the dew in the heart of a chrysanthemum or lotus, or the well-stocked hive under aromatic trees—these fed the honey-bees as well as tiny birds that survived only on such nourishment; even the fishes relished this sweetness dripping and flowing into the river. At one temple or another, a festival or a wedding is always being celebrated with drums and pipes and procession. Kamban describes every sound, sight, and smell of the country, even to the extent of mentioning garbage heaps with crows and hens busily scratching and searching them.

Kosala was an extensive country and few could claim to have crossed it end to end. Ayodhya was its capital—a city of palaces, mansions, fountains, squares, and ramparts with the King’s palace dominating the landscape. The city was imposing and compared well with the fabulous city of Amravati which was Indra’s or Alkapuri of Kubera. Presiding over this capital and the country was King Dasaratha, who ruled with compassion and courage and was loved and honoured by his subjects, and was blessed in many ways. His one great sorrow in life was that he was childless.

One day he summoned his mentor at the court, Sage Vasishtha, and said to him, I am in a sad plight. The solar dynasty is likely to end with me. I shall have no successor when I am no more. This thought torments me. Please tell me how can I remedy it.

At this Vasishtha recollected an incident that he had witnessed through his inner vision. At one time all the gods went in a body to appeal to the Supreme God Vishnu for his help. They explained, The ten-headed Ravana and his brothers have acquired from us extraordinary powers through austerities and prayers, and now threaten to destroy our worlds and enslave us. They go along recklessly in their career of tyranny, suppressing all virtue and goodness wherever found. Shiva is unable to help; Brahma the Creator can do very little, since the powers that Ravana and his brothers are now misusing were originally conferred by these two gods, and cannot be withdrawn by them. You alone are the Protector and should save us. Whereupon Vishnu promised, "Ravana can be destroyed only by a human being since he never asked for protection from a human being. I shall incarnate as Dasaratha’s son, and my conch and my wheel, which I hold in each hand for certain purposes, and my couch, namely Adisesha, the Serpent, on whose coils I rest, shall be born as my brothers, and all the gods here shall take birth in the world below in a monkey clan—since Ravana has been cursed in earlier times to expect his destruction only from a

Reviews for The Ramayana

[lschiff-742783 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really a fun read.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightful version of the epic 2500 year old Indian classic, condensed and put into prose by R.K. Narayan. The legend has elements that will appeal to all ages, with horrific demons, sorcery, epic battles with magical weapons, and a race of monkey people. There are lessons in bravery, honor, and filial piety. It’s also a love story, one that is tested by jealousy and separation.

While it reads as mythological adventure, there is something profound in the heroes of these stories being the human incarnation of the Gods without being aware of it, such as Rama/Vishnu and Sita/Lakshmi. I’m sure there are tomes written about its meaning and I barely scratch the surface, but in moments such as Vali being struck down by Rama and wondering why he should have done this, it seems to be a parable of how people wonder why fate acts as it does in their lives, sometimes cruelly.

There are also elements which remind us of the stories from Greek mythology – Indra assuming a sage’s form to make love to Ahalya reminding one of the antics of Zeus, Sampathi and Jatayu’s hubris in flying too close to the sun like Icarus, and when each of Ravana’s heads are cut off another one growing anew like Hydra.

Just a couple of quotes:
On compassion:
“He explained how he should guard the interests of his subjects, how important gentleness in speech was: ‘Even when you realize that the one before you is an enemy and must be treated sternly, do not hurt with words. Even in jest, do not hurt anyone’s feelings, not even the lowliest.’”

On passion:
“There she was the victim of hallucinations. Rama in his full form seemed to stand before her again and again, and she fancied she embraced him and fondled his broad shoulders and chest. When the illusion passed, she cried, ‘Why do you torment me in this way? Why do you refuse to unite with me, and quench the fire that’s burning me?’”