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Cover of Ramayana, a Holy Bible of India

Ramayana, a Holy Bible of India

First published 1988 · 2056 pages

A sweeping, mythic journey through duty, devotion, and the cosmic battle between righteousness and ruin.

What it feels like

Reading this foundational epic feels like stepping into a vast, ancient temple echoing with the chants of cosmic history. The narrative unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, carrying the reader through lush forests, golden cities, and apocalyptic battlefields. It is a deeply reverent and awe-inspiring experience, steeped in a devotional mood that elevates human struggles into divine theater. The prose is formal and rhythmic, heavily adorned with traditional epithets and philosophical digressions that demand patience but reward it with profound moral clarity. It explores the heavy burdens of duty, the absolute power of loyalty, and the bittersweet nature of destiny. This is a text for those who love sweeping, mythic storytelling that wrestles with the very foundations of righteousness, offering a majestic and spiritually resonant journey.

Mood
  • mythic
  • awe-inspiring
  • devotional
Tone
  • reverent
  • epic
  • didactic
  • earnest
Pace
steady
Themes
duty and dharma · devotion and loyalty · exile and return · cosmic struggle · the weight of destiny
The writing
Formal and highly structured, rich with traditional epithets, extended metaphors, and a rhythmic, scholarly cadence.
The arc
Moves from idyllic prosperity through profound loss and arduous struggle to a bittersweet, transcendent restoration.
Who it's for
Readers drawn to foundational world mythology, sweeping epics, and deep explorations of duty, morality, and devotion.
Content notes
  • warfare and violence
  • abduction
  • patriarchal themes

About the book

Classical Sanskrit work, with the commentaries of Govindarāja, Rāmānuja, Maheśvaratīrtha and Ahobalācārya.

Microfilm. New Delhi: Library of Congress Office; Chicago: Available from Center for Research Libraries, 1998-. On 1 microfilm reel with other items; 35 mm. (SAMP early 20th-century Indian books project; item 37643) Master microform held by: ICRL. Microfilms of the volumes have been put on different microfilm reels as follows: v. 1: BUL-SAN-080; v. 2: BUL-SAN-081; v. 3: BUL-SAN-083. In Sanskrit.

Description from Open Library.

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