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    The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume I: Balakāṇḍa
    The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume I: Balakāṇḍa
    The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume I: Balakāṇḍa
    Ebook311 pages6 hours

    The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume I: Balakāṇḍa

    By Princeton University Press

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    About this ebook

    This is the first of seven volumes of a translation of the Valmiki Ramayana, the great Sanskrit epic of the life of Rama, ideal man and incarnation of the great god Visnu. This renowned work of ancient India has profoundly affected the literature, art, religions, and cultures of countless millions of people in South and Southeast Asiaan influence that is perhaps unparalleled in the history of world literature. Balakanda, the opening portion of this first translation to be based on the critical edition (Oriental Institute, Baroda), is presented here in a compact volume without the section of notes that appears in the hardcover book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPrinceton University Press
    Release dateDec 6, 2016
    ISBN9781400884551
    The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume I: Balakāṇḍa

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    Reviews for The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      The Ramayana exists today in many forms (I read a lengthy version on-line, illustrated 'Action-figure' style. Aubrey Menen's lyric recitation is fluid, and literate (after all, Menen is Menen no matter what he's writing!) It is amazingly reaiistic, tho we know it's not true. I found it wonderful to savor, and intend to reread it for the sheer pleasure of experiencing story-telling at its best.
    • 4/5
      Not having read the "official," Brahminic Ramayana I am simultaneously at a loss in the light of comparisons and unbiased in the same light. However, having read Candide, this is what I compare Menen's retelling to.A third of the way through the book, a pamphlet titled, "A Report by Clifton Fadiman," apparently reprinted from the Book-of-the-Month Club News, fell out of my copy and stated the same comparison. I must not have been too far from the mark, then.In any case, this is an easy book to get through because it is very engaging. It has none of the stuffiness of some other Indian works, which is what the author of course aimed for. The characters are likable and, if you are unacquainted with the story beforehand, unpredictable in rather funny ways (e.g., Luxmun's note to King Ravan).

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