Written by london swaminathan

Date: 16 May 2016

Post No. 2817

Time uploaded in London :– 17-49

( Thanks for the Pictures)

DON’T REBLOG IT AT LEAST FOR A WEEK!  DON’T USE THE PICTURES; THEY ARE COPYRIGHTED BY SOMEONE.

(for old articles go to tamilandvedas.com OR swamiindology.blogspot.com)

There are hundreds of different Ramayanas around the world. Every time I go to British Library in London I see a new version of Ramayana. Recently I came across a Ramayana in Tamil verse by Ramaswami Iyer nd he named his Ramayana as ‘Raamaswaamiiyam’ lot of people have written dance dramas in Tamil one one or two episodes of Valmiki Ramayana.

Though Ramayanas written by Valmiki (in Sanskrit), Kamban (in Tamil) and Tulsidas (in Hindi) stand out, no body ignores other Ramayanas. Sangam Tamil Literature has two episodes not reported in any of the above popular Ramayanas. Alvar hymns give details of the squirrel episode which is not found in the above three Ramayanas.

Tulsi and Kamban took the freedom of changing the versions of Valmiki. Ananda Ramayana written in Sanskrit also has several new stories in it. It is also ascribed to Valmiki. It has got nine cantos and 12,252 couplets/slokas.

There is an interesting episode in this Ramayana:

Rama went to Panchavati (Panchavati= Five banyan trees) on the banks of River Godavari. He wanted to construct a Parnasala (Thatched House) for them. He wanted to get permission from the owner of the land. So he sent his brother Lakshmana to get the permission.

Lakshmana went through the forest in search of the owner of the land. He saw a little figure (an apparition) under a tree. Lakshmana also sat there in meditation and tried to communicate with that man. Slowly there emerged a picture In Lakshman’s mind.

He saw a picture of someone holding his tongue with one hand and his loin cloth (covering the genitals) with another hand. After some time Lakshmana went back to Rama and reported to him what he saw.

Rama said, “Well done! We got the permission to construct a hut”.

Lakshmana was puzzled and asked his brother Rama how come he concluded that the permission was given.

Rama explained to him,

“Oh, my little brother! The position of the two hands represent the controlling of speech/taste and lust. Since we have already achieved this, it is a ‘no objection certificate’ to us.

Then they happily constructed a beautiful hut surrounded by the trees.

Ananda Ramayana has got sub sections called Sargas in each canto (kandam); following is the number of Sargas in each canto:–

Sara Kandam – 13 Sargas

Yatra Kandam – 9 Sargas

Yaga Kandam – 9 Sargas

Vilasa Kandam – 9 Sargas

Janma Kandam – 9 Sargas

Vivaha Kandam – 9 Sargas

Rajya Kandam – 24 Sargas

Manohara Kandam – 18 Sargas

Purna Kandam – 9 Sargas

Total 109 Sargas in 9 Kandams containing 12,252 slokas.

–subham–