"I would identify myself primarily as a Vaishnava, which means servant of Vishnu or God, secondarily as a family man and thirdly as a writer. The first role began in 1979 when I came across the Krishna movement and dived headlong into it, as was the style back in those days, when many of us were searching for ourselves rather than a worldly career. I can report that I am still looking, but I am hopefully closer now than I was then. My second role as a family man began in 1985 when I met my good wife Chintamani, with whom I have had three beautiful children, Madhva, Radhika and Janaki. I am now retired from the day job and will hopefully be able to produce a few more titles before my appointment with God. You can hear more from me over on my website, where I will publish my occasional musings and news of my activities. You can also subscribe to my newsletter, which appears every blue moon. Hare Krishna"
A very good, contemporary translation of what I assume would have been otherwise tedious and dry in the hands of anyone other than Krishna Dharma. Surprisingly easy to follow for someone without the appropriate cultural exposure or context with which to appreciate this wonderful epic. The glossary at the end is invaluable in that regard, too.
Reading this makes me want to read the Mahabharata next!
I love to read different versions of the Ramayana to reduce the biases that authors can have to this epic. This book explained the reasons behind certain actions and the equal reactions I.e Karma especially why Ravana did not force himself on Sita. I expected more of the story after the war but it was condensed and shortened.
I knew how it was going to end, and it's still enraged me. Everyone, including the main villain of the story Ravana, were treated better than Sita. Also, the narration of this audiobook was of the same intensity throughout which did not make it into an enjoyable listen.
It was a bit repetative at times, but that comes from the fact that it was an oral story for sometime I'm sure. I'll probably have to read it again to fully comprehend everything that happened, but I thought it was really good. Other then the treatment of the women in the story.
This is a modern retelling. It leaves a lot out, and the framing story is entirely missing. It is an adequate introduction, but if you really want to dig into the Ramayana there are better translations available.
The ancient epic Ramayana is a beautiful Sanskrit story of love and sacrifice, courage and duty and the triumph of good over evil. Originally composed by the sage Valmiki around 500BCE to 100BCE, the story is considered one the greatest literary works of ancient India and has subsequently inspired many diverse regional versions throughout India and South Asia in the form of poetic narrative, art, drama and dance.
The tale centres around Rama, the eldest son of Dasarath, King of Ayodhya, and Sita, daughter of King Janaka of Videha, each of whom are an incarnation of Vishnu and Lakshmi respectively. After Rama wins the princess鈥檚 hand in marriage, his stepmother, Kaikeyi, (under coercion by her maid) conspires to depose him and claim the throne for her own son, Bharata, Rama鈥檚 half brother.
A past boon promised by King Dasarath forces him to carry out his second wife鈥檚 wishes by banishing the newlyweds to the Dandaka forest. Laksmana, Rama鈥檚 youngest brother, who is completely devoted to him, accompanies the couple. Bharata, appalled and ashamed by his mother鈥檚 treachery, goes into the forest to beg his brother to return. Rama refuses and asks that he rule the kingdom in his place until his fourteen year period of exile is over. Bharata reluctantly promises to do so, without accepting the crown. The years pass peacefully as Rama, Sita and Laksmana adjust to their simple ascetic life in the forest, during which time Sita is abducted by Ravana, the Demon king of Lanka and imprisoned in his palace gardens.
A heartbroken Rama enlists the help of Sugriva, ruler of the Vanaras, a monkey race created by Lord Brahma to help the prince in his quest to find his beloved wife. Eventually she is found by Hanuman, a monkey man bestowed with godlike powers of strength, size and speed, who informs Rama of her whereabouts, returning with a celestial jewel taken from Sita's hair as proof. With the help of his army of powerful monkeys and bears, Rama builds a bridge across the ocean to attack Lanka. A long and bloody battle follows between Rama鈥檚 allies and the Rakshasas, leading to Ravana鈥檚 eventual death and Sita鈥檚 rescue.
Before Rama will accept Sita as his wife, he asks that she prove her purity by undergoing an ordeal of fire. Vindicated by the fire God Agni, the couple are joyfully reunited and return to Ayodhya to be crowned King and Queen, inaugurating a golden age of peace and prosperity - for all but Sita. When she falls pregnant a short time later, gossip begins to circulate, raising speculation about her chastity and devotion to Rama regarding her time living with Ravana in Lanka. Though Rama knows she鈥檚 innocent, in order to prevent discord amongst his people he decides to send her away to live in Sage Valmiki鈥檚 ashram, where she gives birth to twin boys and brings them up alone. When a grief-stricken Rama is finally reunited with his family many years later, Sita, out of love for her husband, chooses to sacrifice her life to ensure his divine reputation remains untarnished and is swallowed by Mother Earth.
Ramayana is an incredibly moving and spiritual story of tragic love and epic adventure. Unfortunately I did find this retelling a bit of a slog to read, mainly because of the verbose, repetitive writing style and slow pacing. In particular, the climactic battle scenes in Lanka seemed to last an eternity. I couldn鈥檛 help but empathise with Sita, who suffered a terrible injustice through no fault of her own. Despite everything she endured to prove her virtue and undying love for Rama, who in return went to extreme lengths to rescue her, was ultimately denied the happiness she deserved. I did, however, love the character of Hanuman. For me, he was the real hero of this ancient epic.
My rating is based solely on this retelling. The story itself I would give 5*
This book is a magnificent representation of the timeless classic. Krishna Dharma鈥檚 book should be a guiding manual for authors who wish to re-narrate classics. It is incredible how he manages to stay true to the original work while ensuring that his narration is easy to read.
Krishna Dharma makes one feel all the emotions in Ramayana. His writing transports you to various settings. You weep with Dashrath as Rama leaves for the forest; you gasp as you see Rama banish the demons; your heart breaks at Sita鈥檚 abduction; you cheer Hanuman as He performs miraculous feats; you get goose-pimples as you read the descriptions of the ineffable battle between God in a human form and an unassailable demon!
Reading this book is an experience that any book lover should not be miss.
What a brilliant book! The author very much sticks to the original Valkimi Ramayana story but makes it so much more readable, such that anyone could enjoy this wonderful tale. His prose is beautiful, with lovely attention to detail, capturing the emotions, action and suspense that makes it hard to put the book down. There is so much to learn from the Ramayana. This book makes it so much more accessible to those that enjoy wonderful english prose. I know I'll be reading this again and again.
Pretty wanky translation. He uses a lot of vocabulary that really could鈥檝e been modernized and simplified. For instance there is no reason to consistently use the word 鈥榗ircumambulate鈥� in stead of 鈥榳alk around鈥� or 鈥榗ircle鈥� or 鈥榚ncircled鈥� or even 鈥榟ugged鈥� The overly academic and old fashioned language definitely made the store sound more foreign unapproachable.
If you've read Mahabharata, you can say you've read Ramayana too. It's generally the same story, more concise. I don't know if it's the best retelling as it's the only version (except for Sita's Ramayana) that I read, but I can say it sounds consistent and it's virtuously told.
La storia mi 猫 piaciuta e ci sono molti insegnamenti sull' esser virtuosi. Insegnamenti veramente difficili da applicare nella vita di tutti i giorni e per la maggior parte delle persone, me inclusa.
A great story filled with the kind of incredible, over the top grandeur to be expected of an epic poem, yet the Ramayana takes everything to heights I had never before seen. Rama makes the likes of Achilles, Gilgamesh, or Cuchulain seem like piper tigers in comparison (Hercules and Sun Wukong would be the only other epic heroes I can think of who would stand a chance against Rama, and yes I know how silly it is to compare any of them like that).
Rama's bow may be the most powerful weapon ever wielded by an epic hero in all of world mythology (firing thousands of arrows per minute, each filled with magical properties). The villain and his many minions are equally indomitable and overpowered, but Rama's army of monkeys are up to the task.
This is the type of grandeur I enjoy about world mythology, because it's never just grand for its own sake but to teach deeper cultural, moral, and religious lessons. The story is interesting and filled with incredible moments and a picture is painted of a beautiful, yet frightening world of endless possibilities, but it's the deeper insight into and appreciation for Hinduism the story gave me that mattered most. While I don't find the moral system presented here as compelling as that presented by Dante, it's still much richer and more compelling than I expected.
Imagine if everyone took the time to read the important stories of the world. I think we would all appreciate each other much more if we did.