The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki

The definitive English translation of the classic Sanskrit epic poem—now available in a one-volume paperback

The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki, the monumental Sanskrit epic of the life of Rama, ideal man and incarnation of the great god Visnu, has profoundly affected the literature, art, religions, and cultures of South and Southeast Asia from antiquity to the present. Filled with thrilling battles, flying monkeys, and ten-headed demons, the work, composed almost 3,000 years ago, recounts Prince Rama’s exile and his odyssey to recover his abducted wife, Sita, and establish a utopian kingdom. Now, the definitive English translation of the critical edition of this classic is available in a single volume.

Based on the authoritative seven-volume translation edited by Robert Goldman and Sally Sutherland Goldman, this volume presents the unabridged translated text in contemporary English, revised and reformatted into paragraph form. The book includes a new introduction providing important historical and literary contexts, as well as a glossary, pronunciation guide, and index. Ideal for students and general readers, this edition of the Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki introduces an extraordinary work of world literature to a new generation of readers.

"A masterpiece of scholarship."---Wendy Doniger, New York Review of Books

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

“Truly epic and millennial in scale. The translation and expertise that have gone into this are not likely to be surpassed.”—Frederick M. Smith, Religious Studies Review

“The translation admirably succeeds in pursuing its ‘twin goals of accuracy and readability.’ . . . The closest thing [readers] could get to what the original taste and texture of the text must have been. . . . This is a remarkable achievement.”—Yigal Bronner, European Legacy

“Goldman has chosen a translation style that is simple, direct, and very close to the text, without being prosaic. He has avoided the twin pitfalls of preciousness and pedantry. The Rāmāyaṇa, as he reminds us, is a poem in a sense we have almost lost touch with: intended to be heard, easily understood, chanted in a loose and repetitive meter that permits the lapidary phrase.”—Edwin Gerow, Journal of Asian Studies