The name of the wife of Rama, the hero of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. The poem "Ramayana" is a journey of thousands of years. Comparison of the epic text of the Iliad and Ramayana
As one of the teachers of Taittiriya-Pratisakhya. It is one of the most important sacred texts of Hinduism in the Smriti canon.
Composition of the epic
The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses (in the original (Sanskrit) 480,002 words - about one-quarter of the text of the Mahabharata, which is four times the size of the Iliad), which are distributed into seven books and 500 songs called "kandas". The verses of the Ramayana are composed in a meter of thirty-two syllables called sloka.
Seven books of the Ramayana:
- Bala-kanda- a book about Rama's childhood;
- Ayodhya kanda- a book about the royal court in Ayodhya;
- Aranya-kanda- a book about the life of Rama in the forest desert;
- Kishkindha-kanda- a book about the union of Rama with the monkey king in Kishkindha;
- Sundara-kanda- “A wonderful book” about the island of Lanka - the kingdom of the demon Ravana, the kidnapper of Rama’s wife - Sita;
- Yuddha-kanda- a book about the battle between the monkey army of Rama and the army of demons Ravana;
- Uttara-kanda- “The final book.”
Plot
The Ramayana tells the story of the seventh avatar of Vishnu, Rama (one of the four simultaneous incarnations of Vishnu, the other three are his brothers), whose wife Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the rakshasa king of Lanka. The epic covers themes human existence and the concept of dharma. The poem contains the teachings of ancient Indian sages, which are presented through allegorical storytelling combined with philosophy and bhakti.
Main characters
Jacobi comes to a similar conclusion. In his opinion, the ancient original of the Ramayana (subsequently revised several times) arose in Eastern Hindustan before the 5th century BC. e., perhaps in the 6th and even the 8th century, when the Mahabharata was just being composed. This is clear from the fact that the latter epic sometimes uses material from the Ramayana. The style and meter characteristic of both epics was put into use by the author of the Ramayana and became generally used. There is no noticeable Greek or Buddhist influence in the Ramayana. Shipping was still unknown to its author. The language of the Ramayana became the model for the “artificial poets” (kavis).
The Ramayana has come to us in several versions (reviews, editions), representing, in general, the same content, but often differing from each other in the placement of material and choice of expressions. Initially, it was probably transmitted orally and was written down only later, perhaps independently, in different places. Usually they accepted the existence three versions- northern, Bengali and western, but their number is greater, and the manuscripts of the Ramayana that have reached us often represent very different versions of the text. The Bengali version contains 24,000 slokas (more than 100,000 in the Mahabharata) and is divided into seven books, of which the last is a later addition. In addition to Valmiki's Ramayana, there is another poem with the same plot, of relatively new origin and of smaller magnitude - the Adhyatma Ramayana (Adhyâtma-R.), attributed to Vyasa, but constituting, in essence, part of the Brahmanda Purana. Rama is portrayed here as more of a god than a man.
According to Hindu tradition, the Ramayana takes place during the Treta Yuga era, about 1.2 million years ago. Modern scholars date the Ramayana to the 4th century BC. e.
Influence
Main article: Versions of Ramayana
The ideas and images of the epic inspired virtually all Indian writers and thinkers from Kalidasa to Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, who, according to some sources, professed a variant of Hinduism associated with the name of Rama, and gave up his last breath with his name on your lips. The contents of the Ramayana have been translated into countless works over the centuries. visual arts, literature, folk theater and pantomimes. IN modern India, in the square of almost any Indian village or city you can find storytellers reciting the Ramayana for hours and even days on end. The story of the Ramayana inspired a large number of literary adaptations, the most famous of which are the works of poets such as Krittibas Ojha (Krittivasi Ramayana), Tulsidasa (Ramacharitamanasa), Kambara and Narahari Kavi (Torave Ramayana).
The Ramayana has been translated into most modern Indian languages, including Tamil. These “translations” are not identical to each other in all respects. Thus, in the Tamil version of the Ramayana, one of the characters, Bharadwaja, is called the son of Rishi Atri (in other editions of the epic he is considered the son of Brahmanaspati (Brihaspati). The respect that the Ramayana enjoyed among Hindus is evidenced by the words of the compiler or author of the Ramayana in the introduction to the poem : “whoever reads and repeats this Ramayana, which gives holy life, is free from all sins and with all his offspring will ascend to the highest heaven in Brahma in the second book of the Ramayana put into his mouth.” the following words: “As long as mountains and rivers exist on the earth’s surface, so long will the story of the Ramayana travel around the world.”
Valmika
Literary presentation by E. N. Tyomkin and V. G. Erman
Book one. Childhood
Birth of Rama
First victories over rakshasas
The Story of the Daughters of Kushanabha
The story of the miraculous cow and the asceticism of Vishwamitra
Shiva's bow and the marriage of Rama and Lakshmana
Rama's duel with Jamadagni's son and return to Ayodhya
Book two. Ayodhya
Abdication of King Dasaratha
The evil hunchback Manthara
Kaikeyi's two wishes
Rama in Dasharatha Palace
Kaushalya's grief and Lakshmana's anger
Rama leaves Ayodhya
Path to Chitrakuta
Death of Dasaratha
Return of Bharata
Bharata on Chitrakuta
Exiles leave Chitrakuta
Book three. Lesnaya
Exiles in the Dandaka Forest
Shurpanakha
Defeating Khara
Ravana's Wrath and the Appearance of the Golden Deer
Kidnapping of Sita
Sita in Lanka
Rama's Despair
Death of Jatayu
Battle with the forest monster
Book four. Kishkindha
Meeting with Sugriva, the king of the monkeys
Defeating Valin
Sugriva reigns again in Kishkindha
Sugriva forgets his promise
Monkeys in search of Sita
Meeting with the hawk Sampati
Book five. Beautiful
Hanuman Jump
Hanuman in Lanka
Hanuman in Ravana's palace
Hanuman finds Sita
Ravana's threats
Rakshasis threaten Sita
Hanuman's date with Sita
Return of Hanuman
Book six. Battle
Marching performance
Council in Ravana's palace
Vibhishana in the camp of Rama
Bridge over the ocean
Ravana's spies
Ravana's sorcery
Monkeys at the walls of Lanka
Rescue of Rama and Lakshmana
Victory of Angada over Vajradamshtra
Victory of Hanuman over Akampana
Neela's victory over Prahasta
Ravana on the battlefield
Awakening of Kumbhakarna
Victory of Rama over Kumbhakarna
Night attack
Victory of Lakshmana over Indrajit
Death of Ravana
Performing funeral rites
Test of Sita
Return from exile
Book seven. Last
Dictionary of Indian names and titles
Book one
THE BIRTH OF A FRAME
To the south of the Himalaya mountains - the abode of snow, on the banks of the quiet Sarayu and the high-water Ganga lies the country of Koshala, rich and happy, abundant in grain and livestock, rich pastures and flowering gardens.
Was in that country ancient city Ayodhya, famous everywhere for the beauty and splendor of its houses, squares and streets. The domes of his palaces and temples rose like mountain peaks, and their walls shone with gold and precious stones. Erected by skilled architects, decorated with marvelous statues and paintings, they were similar to the heavenly palaces of Indra, the lord of the gods.
The city was rich and populous. There was plenty of drink and food, the merchants' shops were full of strange goods, and the inhabitants of Ayodhya knew neither need nor illness. Boys and girls danced carefree in squares, gardens and mango groves. And from morning to evening, the straight and spacious streets of the city were crowded with people - merchants and artisans, royal messengers and servants, wanderers and buffoons. And there was no one in that city who would indulge in vice and idleness, who would not know literacy and piety. And all the men and all the women had good dispositions, and all their behavior was impeccable.
The city was surrounded by strong walls and deep ditches; there were horses from Cambodia and from the banks of the Indus, war elephants from the Vindhya mountains and the Himalayas, and just as mountain caves abound with lions, so the city was full of warriors, ardent, straightforward and skillful.
And Ayodhya eclipsed other cities, just as the moon eclipses the stars. And he ruled it glorious king Dasaratha, just and powerful. The pious king was served by wise and devoted advisers, beautiful wives delighted him with their beauty and meekness, and all Dasharatha’s wishes were immediately fulfilled.
But great grief had long been sharpening the soul of the sovereign of Ayodhya, and nothing cheered him. The noble Dasharatha had no offspring, he did not have a son, there was no one to transfer power and state to. And one day the ruler of Ayodhya decided to make great sacrifices to the gods in the hope that the gods would have mercy on him and give him a son. The royal advisers, pious and omniscient brahmanas, joyfully approved of Dasharatha's wish, and his wives blossomed with happiness and hope, like lotuses blossom with the arrival of warmth and sun.
On the northern bank of Sarayu, at the place indicated by Dasaratha, chief advisor King Vasishtha ordered the construction of an altar, luxurious buildings for noble guests of the sovereign, comfortable houses for brahmans, merchants, farmers and the royal guard. “Everyone should be happy, no one should lack anything,” Vasishtha ordered the royal architects and servants.
The masters immediately set to work, and the royal messengers rushed in fast chariots to the east and west, south and north. They brought an invitation to the surrounding sovereigns to come to Dasharatha for the great holiday.
When a year had passed and everything was ready for the great sacrifice, welcome guests began to arrive in Ayodhya: the noble Janaka, the ruler of Mithila, true friend King Dasaratha; the well-behaved and eloquent lord of Kashi; Romapada, brave king angov; the valiant rulers of Sindh and Saurashtra; venerable Brahmins and merchants, skilled artisans and zealous farmers.
And on the day when the heavenly bodies foreshadowed good luck, King Dasharatha with his wives and household, advisers and numerous guests, guarded by a loyal army, left Ayodhya to the northern bank of Sarayu.
For three days and three nights, the priests of Dasharatha made great sacrifices to the gods, for three days and three nights they whispered prayers over the sacred fire of the altar and begged the gods to grant offspring to the decrepit sovereign.
Rumors of a great sacrifice on the northern bank of the Sarayu spread throughout the land, and destitute people flocked to the altar from everywhere. All day from morning to night there were shouts: “Give me food! Give me some clothes!” – and Dasharatha’s servants refused nothing to the newcomers. The generous Dasharatha gave away a lot of gold and silver, precious fabrics, carpets and horses to the pious Brahmanas, and the priests glorified the ruler of Ayodhya and wished him many sons and grandchildren.
The gods were also pleased with the sacrifice made to them, each of them received his long. And then they turned to the creator god, the great Brahma, with a request to grant the righteous Dasaratha a son. “Give, sir, Dasharatha a son,” the gods asked the almighty Brahma, “endow him with irresistible power, may he save us and all living things in the world from Ravana and his villainy.”
Other-ind. epic poem in Sanskrit, consists of 7 books containing 24,000 couplets. It tells about the abduction of Sita, the wife of Rama, the prince from Ayodhya, by the king of the Rakshasa demons Ravana, about the search for Sita by Rama and about Rama’s campaign against the kingdom of Ravana - the island of Lanka, with the support of an army of monkeys led by the cunning Hanuman. According to experts, "R." , using archaic. plot scheme (kidnapping and search for his wife), generally reflects the historical. the reality of the military and cultural expansion of the Indo-Aryan civilization into the south of the subcontinent, inhabited by Dravidian tribes. Like the Mahabharata, R. originated in the oral tradition (but not in the northern, but in the southern part of the Gongi Valley) and retains certain features of the epic. formulaic style. But at the same time, "R." has undergone more significant literary processing, in comparison with the "Mahabharata", and in some places approaches the style of Sanskrit. classic poetry period (kavya). Tradition attributes the authorship of "R." to the sage Valmiki. Presentation of the plot of "R." in the "Mahabharata", as well as its variants, which spread along with the Indian. culture in the countries of the Center and South-East. Asia, do not go back to “R. Valmiki”, but to other, apparently oral versions. "R." passed a centuries-long path of development: the first legends on its plot were probably formed in the 5th-4th centuries. BC e., to the 2nd century. BC e. "R." already existed in the form of a large oral epic. poem, and the design of the “Valmiki version” was completed, apparently, only by the 4th century. n. e. The mythology of "R." is multi-layered. Initially, the “background” or “model” of the epic. narration served as archaic. myth: Rama was thought of as the earthly double of Indra - firstly, the ideal “heavenly” king, and secondly, the god of thunder and rain, the conqueror of demons. Rama's wife Sita reproduced the epic. level the figure of the goddess Sita (“Furrows”), personifying the earth with its fertility. However, in books I and VII "R." , which most researchers consider to be late in content, Rama is proclaimed an avatar of Vishnu, and Sita is the incarnation of Vishnu’s wife, the goddess Lakshmi (or Sri). Thanks to this "R." , like the Mahabharata, became the holy book of Hinduism. However, unlike the Mahabharata, it contains almost no didactic chapters. Two great Indian epics are realized twice l. development option heroic. epic at a later stage: the Mahabharata is transformed into a religious-didactic epic, and R. develops towards an “artificial” romantic epic and religions. lyric-epic poetry. On Wednesday. V. Numerous appear. transcriptions of "R." in local languages, interpreting the plot and characters of the poem in the spirit of Vaishnava (Raamitic) bhakti ( cm. KAMBAN, TULSIDAS).
Y. Vasilkov
An ancient Indian epic poem in Sanskrit. Attributed to Valmiki. Modern look acquired in the 2nd century. Dedicated to the exploits of Rama. The source of plots and images of many works in India and abroad.
Great definition
Incomplete definition ↓
"RAMAYANA"
ancient Indian epic poem attributed to Valmiki. The time of its creation dates back to the 4th-3rd centuries. BC, but the surviving 3 main. variants apparently date back to the 1st-2nd centuries. AD The language is epic. Sanskrit. The poem consists of 24 thousand slokas (couplets) and is divided into 7 books. The plot of the poem: Rama, the eldest son of the ruler of Koshala, marries Princess Sita. The youngest of his father's three wives, wanting her son Bharata to rule, got Rama expelled from her husband. Rama, Sita and his brother Lakshman spent many years in the forest. The king of demons, Ravana, kidnapped Sita and sped away on an aerial chariot to the south, to his o. Lanka, but Rama, in alliance with the monkeys and bears, conquered Lanka and killed Ravana. Having returned, Rama ruled his kingdom for a long time and fairly (the word “ramraj” - “the kingdom of Rama” became a political term meaning fair governance of the country). "R." the whole and in episodes have been translated into Indian languages many times and retold in the form of dramas and poems. It has been translated into many other languages of the world. One of the most famous transcriptions of the Ramayana by Tulsidas (16th century) was translated into Russian. language and published in 1902; new translation published in 1948. Every year in the fall on the Dashera holiday, performances of the Ramayana are staged in India. villages and cities. Plot "R." served as the basis for a number of lit. works in the countries of the Southeast. Asia, where it is also widely used in different forms adv. theater In 1960 "R." was staged in Moscow, at the Center. children's theater based on the play by owls Indologist N.R. Guseva. "R." - valuable source source depicting life Ancient India. Rama's campaign to the south is often interpreted as the penetration of the Indo-Aryans into the lands of the Dravidians. In India "R." is widely studied: in the city of Baroda there is the Ramayana Institute, where thousands of manuscripts of the poem are collected from all over the country. There are also groups at many high fur boots, colleges and historical schools. and ethno-anthropological. about-vah, studying "R."; many studies have been published about "R." in India and other countries. Editions: Ramayana (critical ed.), first fasc, ed. by Raghu Vira, Lahore, 1938; Tulsi Das, Ramayana..., trans., commentary. and entry Art. A. P. Barannikova, M.-L., 1948; Prem Chand, The Tale of Rama, trans. with Khandi, M., 1958; Ramayana. Lit. presentation by V. G. Erman and E. N. Temkin, M., 1965. Ya. R. Gusev. Moscow.
Written in Vedic Sanskrit. Final version The poem dates back to the 2nd century. The poem consists of 7 books or 24 thousand "shlokas", i.e. double verses. The word Ramayana can be translated as "The Fates of Rama" or "The Acts of Rama." The name Rama means Handsome or Handsome in Indian. The author is supposedly the famous ancient Indian sage Valmiki.
A few words about Valmiki. He lived in the 4th century BC. e. and, oddly enough, he was a robber. But one day on his life path Seven wise men met. They conquered Valmiki with their knowledge and he heeded their instructions. From that moment on, the life of the robber Valmiki changed radically. He went as a hermit to the mountains and for a long time meditated on the name Ram. Legends say that Valmiki's meditation was so long that an anthill grew around him. That is why he was called Valmiki, that is, “who came out of the anthill.” After a strange meditation session with ants, Valmiki told the world the story of Rama and Sita. This is how the famous one was born in an unusual way poem "Ramayana". By the way, Valmiki died during another meditation. He did not move for a long time and was eaten by ants. Alas. It's time for us to start talking about the Ramayana.
monkey king Hanuman
I must say that poem "Ramayana" loved Indian people more than "Mahabharata" Perhaps this is due to fairy tale plot, or with everyone’s favorite Indian Rama.
The plot line of the popular poem is very similar to Pushkin's "Ruslan and Lyudmila". The main characters are Prince Rama, his beautiful wife Sita, the chief adviser to the king of the monkeys, the wisest Hanuman, and the ten-headed demon Ravana. It all started with the fact that the ten-headed Rakhshasa demon Ravana received invulnerability as a gift from the god Brahma. Only a human could kill the demon ruler of the island of Lanka. Taking advantage of this gift, Ravana committed outrages, which did not please the god Vishnu. Therefore, he decided to be reborn as a human and end the demon. Vishnu chose Prince Rama for this. From this moment the great adventures of the protagonist of the poem begin.
the demon Ravana, having 10 heads, could easily sing in chorus!
How many strange creatures have to meet Rama on your way! Here is the ugly sister of the demon Ravana, who falls in love with the prince and tries in every possible way to destroy his beautiful wife Sita. And Ravana himself, captivated by Sita’s beauty, decides to steal her, sending a deer with golden horns into the forests. And flying monkeys that help Rama find the location of his stolen wife. The scout monkey transforms into a cat, which finds an opportunity to meet the captive. The gods take part in the poem every now and then. For example, in the episode after great battle With the demon and Sita freed from captivity, Rama suddenly accuses his wife of adultery in front of everyone and demands proof of her innocence. On defense faithful woman The fire god Agni arrives, preventing Sita from being burned alive.
Rama had blue skin color
It was an interesting turn of events when it seemed like the fairy tale had a happy ending! After all, the important mission was completed - the enemy Ravana was defeated with an arrow to the very heart, his beloved wife turned out to be faithful, and Rama was finally able to begin his duties as king. But the Indian epic is rich in surprises, like life itself! This time the people aroused in Rama a feeling of jealousy towards the beautiful Sita. As a result, the king rejects his wife, who is pregnant with their sons, forcing him to leave the palace. Sita goes into the forest to visit the hermits. She is patronized by the sage Valmiki (i.e., the author of the poem). Sita gives birth and raises Rama's sons with dignity. In the forest they dedicate to their father poem "Ramayana", which they tell Rama when they meet. Rama realizes his guilt and bitterly repents of his mistakes. However, having found his wife, instead of reuniting with her, he again demands proof of fidelity. Upset, Sita begs Mother Earth to accept her as the required evidence. The earth “opens up its abysses and receives it into its bosom.” Rama laments his own mistrust, but it is not in his power to return the past time. Sita left forever, proving to him once again her purity. Only in heaven are the spouses destined to meet again.
The Ramayana is undoubtedly one of the most most interesting works foreign classics. In my opinion, everyone should definitely read this book in order to become familiar with the ancient Indian epic and appreciate the splendor of the imagination of human thought. Fantasy lovers will surely enjoy double the pleasure of reading such a classic. In addition, this “fairy tale” is full of life wisdom, rich in surprises and overflowing with colors of emotions and feelings.
