Rāmāyaṇa

The Rāmāyaṇa, attributed to the poet Vālmīki, is one of the two great Indian epics. It narrates the life of Prince Rāma, his exile, the abduction of his wife Sītā by the demon king Rāvaṇa, and the ensuing war.

Content

Composed of seven books (kāṇḍas) totalling nearly 24,000 ślokas (couplets), the epic encompasses themes of duty (dharma), loyalty, and the ideal life of a king, interwoven with divine intervention and cosmic struggle. Two major regional recensions survive, the northern (N) and the southern (S), which evolved profound verbal differences through separate oral transmission.

Significance

It profoundly shapes Hindu devotional practice and ethical thought across South and Southeast Asia, inspiring countless retellings, performance traditions, and artistic works.

Verification

Scholarly estimates for the primary (oral) stage range from the 8th–5th to the 5th–4th century BCE; later stages extend up to the 3rd century CE. Widely attested in manuscripts and oral traditions across Asia.

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