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Vibhishna

@Vibhishna

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 16 years ago

Hi!

I have always loved reading and watching the Ramayan regardless of which version it is. I am sure many of you would feel the same.

So, here is a request.

As many of us still do not know the resources available for reading, watching, enjoying and (for those who wish) to study the Ramayan and do a research in it, please put forth all your suggestions.

Please suggest the books on Ramayan you all have enjoyed reading - be it an ebook or a hard copy. It would be nice to either buy it or read it from a libraray.

Please suggest the movies, serials and animations on Ramayan you all have enjoyed watching.

Please suggest any resource (information given in books, websites etc.) you all have found useful in understanding the Ramayan better.

Please post your suggestions and comments as to why you would recomend that particular resource.

I have opened this thread with hope of helping myself 😉 and others like me who are interested (or rather so crazy on Ramayan) like me. 😆

I hope you all would agree that this is a good idea. 😊

Edited by Vibhishna - 16 years ago

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Vibhishna

@Vibhishna

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 16 years ago

I will start with some of the books I have read.

Ralph T. Griffith's translation of the Valmiki Ramayan is just excellent. He has written the entire Valmiki Ramayan in english verses. The translation is not complete, though. There are some parts that have been omitted. This book is availabe also available as an ebook. I am not sure if it is against the rule to post an external link here.

As for Tulsidas Ramayan - The Rama Charita Manasa - The texts, transliterations and the translations can be found online.

If anyone wants a quick and easy reading of the main events of the Ramayana - C.Rajagopalachari's 'The Ramayana' would be a good one. This book is available online too.

Will be back with more information. I have to dig in my resources.

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Vibhishna

@Vibhishna

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 16 years ago

As for movies, serials and cartoons,

A couple of animated movies I have seen and loved them a lot.

The animated version of Ramayan - Ramayana - The Legend of Prince Rama - was really good. I enjoyed it till the last moment when the climax ended abrupty and was totally incredible.

Hanuman - Another excellently done animated movie. Loved every bit of it icluding the songs - especially the opening song, the song of Hanuman's bal leela and the song played when the credits were shown.

There might have been more, but I don't recall any other now.

Serials -

The new NDTV Imagine Ramayan, the previous production of Sagars, Jai Hanuman and B.R. Chopra's Ramayan - I have watched only these

The older Ramayan and Jai Hanuman is available in DVDs and CDs.

B.R. Chopra's Ramayan - I have not watched fully but some scenes I watched were really good (many scenes can be found in youtube). I am not sure if this production is available as CDs or DVDs.

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Vrish

@Vr15h

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

For some really outlandish versions of the Ramayan, or at least parts of it, here are some shows you could watch online:

Bajrangbali (1976)

Zee TV's Ravan

Some of the more unusual stories, such as Ravan giving Lakshman a discourse on his death, or Indrajit's severed hand writing a farewell note to Sulochana, will be available from here. At least, when you see something really strange on Sagar, it might have been here.

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Vrish

@Vr15h

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

C Rajagopalachari's books on both Ramayan & Mahabharat are moderately detailed, and cover those stories to a greater extent than normal kids versions of these epics usually do. However, one thing I didn't like about him was that he allows his own (relatively) contemporary opinions to cloud whether he covered a certain story or not (like his refusal to cover the Uttar-kand) or how he covered it (in the Mahabharat, he criticizes Bhima & Arjun for being enthusiastic about fighting Jarasandha in preparation for Yudhisthir's Rajasuya yagna). Other than that, he is good.

Also, Vibs, while some peeps may scoff at ACK's for being kids stuff, actually, they are good. When I was a kid, that's what got my interest started, and I read so many mythological tales (sometimes contradictory, which made it confusing) that I'd know it inside out. The 52 volumes of the Mahabharat that ACK had was really comprehensive: I wonder whether they have anything similar on Valmiki's Ramayan.

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Khalrika

@Khalrika

Voyager

Posted: 16 years ago

I will post mine. Well, I was very surprised when I received it because I was taken aback to see 200 cassette tapes. Who has cassette tapes anymore? I had to track down an cassette walkman player from Amazon (getting harder and harder to find these in the US) to listen to it. I am glad I did. It is a gem.

By this I mean the discourses on Ram Charit Manas by Swami Tejomayananda of the Chinmaya Mission. It is very good. I am loving every minute of it. One of the great things about putting all this information on tape, MP3, and other media is that you can hear it at any time. I listen when I am exercising, or working, or vaccuming the house, or playing with my dog. Excellent resource. 👏👏👏

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Janaki

@RamKiSeeta

Achiever

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

Great Topic Vibhishna!👏

Here are the books I recommend:

Of course, Original Valmiki Ramayan and Ramcharitmanas are best, but as they are hard to come by for people living in the US or anywhere outside of India, here are some translations or different versions I enjoyed.

1. Krishna Dharma's Ramayan (It was really excellent, the only drawback being that it did not include the Uttar Kand) Krishna Dharma's Mahabharat is excellent also.

2. RK Narayan's Ramayan and Mahabharat are really good as well.

3. I have the Telugu Version of the Adhyatma Ramayana, which is really good.

4. Amar Chitra Kathas on Rama and Krishna are good as well for children. I enjoyed them when I was young.

Serials/Movies

1. Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan and Luv Kush

2. Anand Sagar's Ramayan

3. Telugu Sampoorna Ramayanam Movie (it was too fast paced, but still an enjoyable movie, and the songs were really good)

4. Hanuman (animated movie) was enjoyable and the songs were excellent, especially the closing song. And as Vibhishna said, the Bal Kand of Hanuman was really very cute.😊

5. Animated Ramayan: I never saw this, but heard all the songs from youtube, and they're excellent.

6. Telugu Lava Kusa Movie: the songs in this were outstanding, and the kids who played Lava and Kusa acted excellently.

7. Telugu Sita Rama Kalyanam Movie: It was a wonderful movie starting from Lakshmi incarnating herself as Padmavathi Devi (not the same one who weds Balaji) and ending with the wedding of Sita and Rama. The songs in this are out of the world.

8. Sita Swayamvar (in Hindi), Sita Kalyanam (in Telugu): Both are really good, and I love the song about Vishnu avatar that Sita's friends sing.

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Vibhishna

@Vibhishna

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 16 years ago

Originally posted by: Chandraketu

C Rajagopalachari's books on both Ramayan & Mahabharat are moderately detailed, and cover those stories to a greater extent than normal kids versions of these epics usually do. However, one thing I didn't like about him was that he allows his own (relatively) contemporary opinions to cloud whether he covered a certain story or not (like his refusal to cover the Uttar-kand) or how he covered it (in the Mahabharat, he criticizes Bhima & Arjun for being enthusiastic about fighting Jarasandha in preparation for Yudhisthir's Rajasuya yagna). Other than that, he is good.

Also, Vibs, while some peeps may scoff at ACK's for being kids stuff, actually, they are good. When I was a kid, that's what got my interest started, and I read so many mythological tales (sometimes contradictory, which made it confusing) that I'd know it inside out. The 52 volumes of the Mahabharat that ACK had was really comprehensive: I wonder whether they have anything similar on Valmiki's Ramayan.

I completely forgot about ACK. They are really good. Nothing that gives us more knowledge should be ignored whether it is kid's stuff or research papers.

I don't know if there is an exhaustive book on Ramayan from ACK, but there is a small book - Valmiki Ramayan. I think the other titles in which we can find Ramayan stories are Rama, Hanuman, Mahiravan, Luv Kush - that's all I can think of now.

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Khalrika

@Khalrika

Voyager

Posted: 16 years ago

My grandmother's storytelling. This is the best way to learn actually but this resource may or may not be to all in the 21st century. It depends on individual families and their way of life.
C. Rajagopalachari's Ramayan
Amar Chitra Katha
Movies: Old B&W version of the Ramayan called Sampoorna Ramayan
Old movie Luva-Kusha
NDTV/Sagar Ramayan (the best IMHO)
Dada Sagar's Ramayan
New animated version Hanuman
I haven't seen B.R. Chopra's yet. Vibishna, after your recommendation I will see it.