The Ramayana of Valmiki: an epic of ancient India Vol. 2: Ayodhyakanda

Includes bibliographies and indexes.

This is the second of seven volumes that will present a complete and fully annotated translation of the Valmiki Ramayana. Of the seven sections of this great Sanskrit epic, the Ayodhyakanda is the most human, and it remains one of the best introductions to the social and political values of traditional India. This readable translation is accompained by a commentary that elucidates the various problems of the text, whether philological, aesthetic, or cultural. Extensive use is made in the annotations of the numerous commentaries on the Ramayana composed in medieval India. The substantial introduction supplies a historical context for the poem and a critical reading that explores its literary and ideological components. The volumes of this work will present the entire Ramayana, translated here for the first time on the basis of the critical edition, which takes into account manuscripts representing all regional traditions. (Source: Back cover of the book)