The Rámáyan of Válmíki, Translated into English Verse

The Rámáyan is not merely a story. It is the foundational narrative of Indian civilization, composed by the sage Valmiki around the fourth century BC, and told in verse that has echoed across three millennia. At its heart is Prince Rama, the perfect man, whose virtuous reign is derailed by palace intrigue that forces him into fourteen years of exile in the forest. When his wife Sita is abducted by the demon king Ravana, Rama wages a legendary war to bring her home, aided by an army of monkeys and the divine weapon of his brother Lakshmana. This translation by Ralph T. H. Griffith renders the Sanskrit into English verse that preserves the momentum and music of the original. The narrative moves from the gilded courts of Ayodhyá through enchanted forests teeming with sages and demons, to a war that reshapes the cosmos. But beneath the adventure lies something more profound: a meditation on what it means to hold to dharma when every force conspires against you. For billions, this has been the story told at bedtime, the tale that shapes character, the epic that defines a civilization.