Description

The Rámáyan of Válmíki, the Sanskrit ādi-kāvya, narrates Rāma's exile, Sītā's abduction, alliance with the vānaras, Hanumān's leap to Laṅkā, and Rāvaṇa's defeat across seven kāṇḍas. In lucid anuṣṭubh ślokas, it marries itihāsa and kāvya, exploring dharma, kingship, and fidelity. Its disciplined similes and symmetrical design shaped aesthetics from classical India to Southeast Asian performance and devotion. Little is certain of Válmíki beyond tradition naming him Ādi Kavi. Legend recasts the reformed bandit Ratnākara, whose grief at a felled krauñca births the first śloka. The poem's frame—Sītā sheltered at the hermitage; the twins Lava and Kuśa taught to sing before Rāma—locates authorship in an ascetic witness attuned to speech, justice, and the cost of virtue. Readers of epic literature, ethics, and political thought will find this work inexhaustible: a rigorously patterned narrative that invites close comparison with later retellings and commentarial traditions. In Sanskrit or translation, the Rámáyan of Válmíki rewards attentive reading, stirring reflection on right action amid love, loyalty, violence, and statecraft.

Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Author Biography · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.