RAMAYANA. - Vālmīki, the author of the R., was the first Indian poet who composed an artistic poem (kāvyā) on themes from popular epic, in the 3rd or 4th century B.C. Over the course of five centuries (until about the middle of the 2nd century) the Sanskrit text underwent additions and interpolations, reaching its present extent of 24,000 distichs.
Books I and VII are apocryphal, in which alone the hero Rāma is regarded as an incarnation of Viṣṇu. The content of the original R. is as follows: Das'aratha, king of Kosala (Oudh), had three wives and four sons, the eldest of whom, Rāma, born of Kaus'alyā, was about to be associated with his father in the regency with the title of yuvarāga or crown prince, when Kaikevi, the youngest of Das'aratha's wives, appealing to a promise of the king who had sworn to fulfill two wishes of hers, still unexpressed, obtained that her son Bharata be destined to the succession to the throne, and that Rāma be sent into exile for a period of fourteen years. Accompanied by his faithful consort Sītā and by his half-brother Lakṣmaṇa, Rāma took refuge in the Daṇḍaka forest, where Bharata, thwarting his mother's ambitions, went to implore him to occupy the throne left vacant by the death of his father, who had been killed by grief. When his prayers proved vain, he agreed to govern in the name of his half-brother until his return. Rāma had undertaken a victorious struggle against the evil spirits that infested the forest, drawing upon himself the hatred of the demon Rāvaṇa, lord of Laṅka (Ceylon), who succeeded in abducting Sītā and carrying her off with him to the island. Rāma asked help of the monkeys, his allies, the boldest of whom crossed the ocean in a single leap, reached Laṅka and brought Sītā Rāma's greeting. An immense bridge was then built by the monkeys, over which the monkey army, led by Rāma, crossed the sea and conquered Laṅka; Rāvaṇa was killed by Rāma, who, having returned to his homeland with his liberated wife, reigned happily for a long time.
The pathetic and the marvelous are the dominant notes of the poem, which still enjoys immense popularity in India. Translated into almost all the neo-Indian dialects, it was reworked by Tulsi Dās (1532-1623) under the title of Rāmcaritmānas: "Lake of the Deeds of Rāma". This reworking in eastern Hindi has become a sacred book for the Ramaites of every social class, who draw comfort for the ills of existence from Rāma's heroic steadfastness in misfortune. Brought onto the stage, the fortunes of Rāma attract crowds, especially on the occasion of sacred festivals in honor of Rāma-Viṣṇu. The heroic little monkey Hanumat is a favorite character of popular theater.