Rāmāyaṇa
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Rāmāyaṇa. An ancient Sanskrit epic ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki. It forms an important part of the Hindu canon (smṛti), considered to be based on historical events (itihāsa). The Rāmāyaṇa is one of the two great epics of India, the other being the Mahabharata. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king.
The Epic is traditionally divided into several major kāṇḍas or books, that deal chronologically with the major events in the life of Rama:
- Bāla Kāṇḍa (book of childhood)
- Ayodhya Kāṇḍa (book of Ayodhya)
- Araṇya Kāṇḍa (book of the forest)
- Kishkindha Kāṇḍa (book of the monkey kingdom)
- Sundara Kāṇḍa (book of beauty)
- Yuddha Kāṇḍa (book of war) also known as Lanka Kanda
- Uttara Kāṇḍa (last book)
- Source
Ramayana, Wisdom Library
