Title: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom
Author: Krishna Dharma
Year: 2008
Comments. This is a contemporary translation of Valmiki's Ramayana, and you can find out more about the author here: Krishna Dharma.
Free Online. Although it is not in the public domain, thanks to the generosity of the author and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the book is available for you to read for free. Find out more at the Freebookapalooza. There are also links, section by section, below.
Bizzell Stacks. There is also a copy available for checkout from the regular Bizzell stacks: BL 1139.25 .E54 2003 (click to see if it is checked out or not).
Kindle: You can buy your own Kindle copy from Amazon for $7.99 (checked price January 2019); more about Kindles.
Length: up to four weeks. You are already familiar with the basic plot of the Ramayana from the first half of the semester, and this novelized version fills in lots of detail. I've divided the reading into eight parts, so you could use this for all the reading during the second half of the semester if you want, or you can select whatever specific part(s) are of interest to you.
WEEK 1:
Reading A
Prologue
RKD: 1.1: King Daśaratha’s Longing
RKD: 1.2: The Birth of Rāma
RKD: 1.3: With the Sage Viśvāmitra
RKD: 1.4: The Trial of Strength
Reading B
RKD: 1.5: Crooked Advice for Queen Kaikeyi
RKD: 1.6: The King’s Heartbreak
RKD: 1.7: Rāma Agrees to Depart
RKD: 1.8: Grief and Fury
RKD: 1.9: Sītā’s Plea
RKD: 1.10: Sad Farewells
WEEK 2:
Reading C
RKD: 2.1: Into the Forest
RKD: 2.2: Devastation in Ayodhya
RKD: 2.3: Bharata’s Return
RKD: 2.4: ‘We Shall Bring Rāma Back’
Reading D
RKD: 2.5: Rāma Remains Firm
RKD: 2.6: The Forest Sages
RKD: 2.7: The Rākṣasī Shurpanakha
RKD: 2.8: Rāvaṇa’s Lust is Incited
RKD: 2.9: The Kidnapping of Sītā
WEEK 3:
Reading E
RKD: 2.10: Rāma’s Terrible Discovery
RKD: 2.11: Rāma Meets the Monkeys
RKD: 2.12: The Search Begins
RKD: 2.13: Hanumān Leaps to Lanka
RKD: 2.14: Sītā is Found
Reading F
RKD: 3.1: The Army Sets Off
RKD: 3.2: Panic in Lanka
RKD: 3.3: Rāma Confronts the Ocean
RKD: 3.4: Rāvaṇa’s Evil Trickery
RKD: 3.5: The War Begins
WEEK 4:
Reading G
RKD: 3.6: Garuḍa to the Rescue
RKD: 3.7: Rāvaṇa Enters the Fray
RKD: 3.8: The Colossal Demon
RKD: 3.9: Carnage Among the Rākṣasas
RKD: 3.10: Rāma and Lakṣman Laid Low
Reading H
RKD: 3.11: Lakṣman Battles Indrajit
RKD: 3.12: Rāvaṇa Exhibits His Prowess
RKD: 3.13: The Final Battle
RKD: 3.14: Sītā’s Ordeal
RKD: 3.15: Back to Ayodhya
Epilogue
The following are appendices to the book; they are not part of any weekly reading option but you might find them useful for your research or just for your own reading pleasure!
Appendix 1: The Story of the River Ganges
Appendix 2: The History of Viśvāmitra
Appendix 3: The Birth and History of Hanumān
Appendix 4: The Benefits of Reading Rāmayana
Glossary
Author’s Note
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