Weeks 3-4 Ramayana

During Week 3 and Week 4, you will read one version of the Ramayana (see the THREE different options below), and then in Week 5, you will read a different version of the Ramayana (or you might choose to watch a video version). Here are the options to choose from as you get started in Week 3:

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OPTION ONE. Tiny Tales from the Ramayana. This is a new option for Spring 2021, and I hope you will enjoy it! I have written a free book that retells the Ramayana in a series of two hundred stories that are each just 100 words long. That makes this the shortest of the reading options, but it also includes more backstory and folklore variations than the other two options. The book is available as a free digital book (PDF, epub, mobi), as a free audiobook, and there is also a website with an illustration for every story. You will find all the links here: Ramayana.LauraGibbs.net. You can also order a print copy from Amazon ($6.25) or snag a Kindle copy ($0.99) which you can read on your phone using the Kindle app.

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OPTION TWO. Narayan's Ramayana. R. K. Narayan (1906-2001) was one of the most renowned English-language authors of India (more about Narayan), and his lovely version of the Ramayana, first published in 1973, is based on the version of a medieval Tamil poet, Kamban, who in turn based his work on the ancient Sanskrit version of Valmiki (stories from stories from stories!). The book has a detailed Reading Guide for each of the four reading portions (Parts A and B in Week 3, Parts C and D in Week 4). There are print copies of the book available for sale at the OU Bookstore (both new and used copies; any edition of R. K. Narayan's Ramayana listed there is good), or you can buy an Amazon Kindle edition for $12.99.

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OPTION THREE. Public Domain Edition: Ramayana. This is an anthology version of the Ramayana, available for free online, which draws on many different public domain versions of the book (mostly books published before 1923, now out of copyright). This is a different kind of reading experience since you will see different authors and styles for each episode, unlike the Narayan book which reads more like a novel. Take a look at the online presentation and see what you think: PDE Ramayana. There is also an audio version recorded by me.

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In the table below, I've tried to list the key factors to keep in mind, and you can contact me if you have any questions and are not sure which way to go:

Features:	Tiny Tales	Narayan	Pub Domain
free online	free	(not free)	free
website version	website	(none)	website
PDF/mobi/epub	download	(none)	(none)
paperback available	$6.25	$12.61	(N/A)
Kindle available	$0.99	$12.99	(N/A)
audio	free audio	(none)	free audio
illustrated	illustrated	(none)	illustrated
modern language	modern	modern	(older style)