Ramayan of Valmiki

[Ldd]

The word Ramayan alone puts me in trance. This evening V swami was relating some Ramayan katha, while driving along. It was dusk - red sky, as usual. From hearing, I felt as though i was with Ram. These literatures are incarnations of the gods. They have the power to take you way. Caution is advised.

this calls for bhajan:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG6mWLCHJ_I

[Deleted]

Great stuff Madanmohanji! Griffith's rendering is absolutely magical!

[madanmohandas]

Ekantin, I have R C Prasad's translation too which includes a modern Hindi translation, but if you can get hold of Rev. Atkins version I think you would be impressed.
I just had a call today from someone telling me there is a copy of the F. Grouse translation in a second hand book shop near me. So I'm off on a mission to procure it.
The Phala sruti in Valmiki's;
Whoe'er this noble poem reads
That tells the tale of Rama's deeds,
Good as the scriptures, he shall be
From every sin and blemish free.
Whoever reads the saving strain,
With all his kin the heavens shall gain.
Brahmans who read shall gather hence
The highest praise for eloquence.
The warrior, o'er the land shall reign,
The merchant, luck in trade obtain;
And sudras listening ne'er shall fail
To reap advantage from the tale.

There is also the Adhyamta Ramayan which gives a more Pauranik manner of treatment, with lots of stavas and stutis and teachings on atma vidya, jnana, bhakti, vairagya and some deliberations on acts of worship, with an almost abridged account of the main narrative. The speaker is the moon-crested mahadeva responsive to the questions of his consort Parvati.
Some attribute it to Vyasa ( )as part the Brahmanda and others deem it the work of Ramananda.

[madanmohandas]

I cannot resist posting a bit more. This is after Hanuman has spent much time in futile search in Lanka, and has finally decided to check an asoke grove.

He cleared the barrier at a bound:
He stood within the pleasant ground,
And with delighted eyes surveyed
The climbing plants and varied shade.
He saw unnumbered trees unfold
The treasures of their pendant gold,
As, searching for the Maithil queen,
He strayed through allys soft and green:
And when a spray he bent or broke
Some little bird that slept awoke.
Whene'er the breeze of morning blew,
Where'er a startled peacock flew,
The gaily coloured branches shed
Their flowery rain upon his head
That clung around the Vanar till
He seemed a blossom-covered hill.

Griffith. Sundara, 14

[Ekantin]

May 3, 2010 6:28:04 GMT -6 madanmohandas said:

Ekantin, I have R C Prasad's translation too which includes a modern Hindi translation, but if you can get hold of Rev. Atkins version I think you would be impressed.

Thanks, I will definitely try to get it. Judging from the extracts you've posted so far, it is sure to be a beautiful work of poetry.

[Ekantin]

Jun 28, 2008 18:12:01 GMT -6 madanmohandas said:

It struck me as quite funny with all that talk of 'why is Gaura-Visnuprya worship neglected?' - when there seems little interest in the Rama Lila amongst the Caitanya Vaisnavas; why is that? Even Visvanath Cakravarti in one of his books, maybe Madhurya Kadambini or Raga Vartma Candrika, says that if a Krsna bhakta becomes interested in Rama Lila, it is due to some offence that has brought him down as it were. O well, sigh, sigh.

I wonder the same thing too. And, like you observed, there are several places in Caitanya Bhagavat where Gaur-Nityananda are compared with Rama-Lakshman. I enjoyed finding these references, it somehow made a refreshing change to see GN compared with someone else other than Krishna-Balaram.

[Deleted]

I love this. How can I buy a copy?

[Ekantin]

[Ldd]

thanks for adding the music and theatre Ekantin. Its always nice to hear music and see theatre when you read the katha. its a good way to convey the ras.

[madanmohandas]

Bisakha, you can get a copy from abe books. They also have F S Growse's Eternal Ramayan of Tulsidas, which is in prose but very good prose.

[madanmohandas]

[Nityānanda dāsa]

In my internet wandering I came across this version of Valmiki's Ramayana today...

youtu.be/VNoF5NaRE80

It is a seven volume edition in English, done by Robert and Sally Goldman out of Berkeley, California. Sounds like it took them 40 years to complete!

Please let me know what you think!