''Adhyatma Ramayana'' (

Devanāgarī Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

: अध्यात्म रामायण, IAST: ''Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa'', ) is a 13th- to 15th-century

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

text that allegorically interprets the story of Hindu epic ''

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

'' in the

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ( ...

framework. It is embedded in the latter portion of '' Brahmānda Purana,'' and the author is considered to be

Veda Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

. The Hindu tradition also attributes the text to the Bhakti movement saint Ramananda. The text consists of 7 books, 65 chapters or 4,500 verses in the form of a dialogue between

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

. Adhyatma Ramayana contains the ideal characteristics of

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

and the precepts related to devotion, knowledge, dispassion, adoration and good conduct. Rama is presented as the supreme Brahman in the text, while the struggles of Sita and him are re-interpreted in an abstract spiritual form. The allegory inspired several later versions of the Ramayana story in languages like Awadhi ('' Ramcharitmanas'' by Tulsidas), Odia, Bengali and

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

version by Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan.

Name

The word ''Adhyatma'' (Sanskrit: अध्यात्म) means "transcendental, relating to Atman (self, soul)".

Significance

Adhyatma Ramayana represents the story of

in a spiritual context. The text constitutes over 35% of the chapters of Brahmanda Purana, often circulated as an independent text in the

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

tradition, and is an

treatise of over 65 chapters and 4,500 verses. Rama, Lakshman and Sita at the Kalaram Temple, Nashik

The text represents Rama as the

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

(metaphysical reality), mapping all ''saguna'' (attributes) of Rama to the ''nirguna'' nature (ultimate unchanging attributeless virtues and ideals). Adhyatma Ramayana raises every mundane activity of Rama to a spiritual or transcendent level, the story into symbolism, thus instructing the seeker to view his or her own life through the symbolic vision for his soul, where the external life is but a metaphor for the eternal journey of the soul in Advaita terminology. The book is aimed to be used as a guide and a ready source of instruction for a spiritual seeker, as it presents the Ramayana as a divine allegory. The text influenced the popular Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas.

Overview

The Adhyatma Ramayana is organized into seven Kandas, or chapters:
1. Bala Kanda – This chapter begins with the description of Brahmaswarup, the cosmic and celestial appearance of Lord Rama as an

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

, who descended to earth as a human being to remove

rakshasa Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...

s(demons) such as

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...

. It includes Rama's childhood and the story of Ahilya's deliverance by Rama.
2. Ayodhya Kanda – Life in Ayodhya, including Rama's exile, the death of his father

Dasarath Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from this capital at Ayodhya. Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He had ...

, etc.
3. Aranya Kanda – The forest (Aranya) chapter, which includes the kidnapping of

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

by Ravana.
4. Kishkindha Kanda – the episode of

Kishkindha Kishkindha (, ) is a kingdom of the vanaras in Hinduism. It is ruled by King Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, in the Sanskrit epic ''Ramayana''. According to the Hindu epic, this was the kingdom that Sugriva ruled with the assistance of ...

. This chapter describes the killing of Bali, and the initiation of the active search for Sita.
5. Sundar Kanda – details

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

's arrival and activities in Lanka.
6. Lanka Kanda – corresponding to the Yuddha Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana. It contains details of the battles between Rama's armies and Ravana, the killing of Ravana, and the coronation of Rama upon his return to Ayodhya from Lanka.
7. Uttara Kanda – Epilogue. It includes the banishment of Sita, the birth of

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

and

Kusha Kusha was a Suryavansha The Solar dynasty ( IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98 ...

– the sons of Rama and Sita – and Rama's departure from the earth to

Vaikuntha Vaikuntha ( sa, वैकुण्ठ, lit=without anxiety, translit=Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, A ...

, the abode of Lord Vishnu. The fifth adhyaya (sub-chapter) of the Uttar Kanda describes a conversation between Lord Rama and his brother

Lakshmana Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja () ...

, often referred to as the Rama Gita (the song of Rama). It is essentially an Advaitic philosophical work.Adhyatma Ramayana
''advaita-vedanta.org''.

Translations

Bhanubhakta Acharya Bhanubhakta Acharya () (1814—1868 CE) (1871—1925 BS) was a Nepali writer, poet, and translator. He is widely regarded as the first poet in the Nepali language, for which he was conferred with the title of "Aadikabi": literally, "the first po ...

translated Ramayan from

to Nepali. * Swami Tapasyananda, ''Adhyatma Ramayana'', Original Sanskrit, with English Translation, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras. 1985. *

Baij Nath Puri Prof. Baij Nath Puri (B. N. Puri) (born 26 January 1916, died 1996) was a historian from India. He completed M. Lit. and D.Phil. from Oxford University. He was vice-president and member of the International Board of Editors for the history of Ci ...

, Lala Baij Nath. ''The Adhyatma Ramayana'', Cosmo Publications, 2005. . * Beladakere Suryanarayana Shastri, ''Adhyatma Ramayana'', Kannada translation with Sanskrit original, Shri Jayachamaraja Granthamala, Series 47, Mysore, 1948. *

Gita Press Gita Press is the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts.Encyclopædia Brita ...

translation of Adhyatma Ramayana from Sanskrit to Hindi. * Subir Kumar Sen, Adhyatma Ramayanam from Sanskrit to English, Shastra Dharma Prachar Sabha, 2012.

References

* Puri, Baij Nath. ''The Adhyatma Ramayana'', Cosmo Publications, 2005. . * Williams, Joanna. ''The Two-Headed Deer: Illustrations of the Ramayana in Orissa''. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1996. * Richman, Paula, editor. ''Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia''. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1991. * Bagchi, P. C., Introduction to Adhyatmaramayanam, ''Page 76.'' * F. Whaling, The Rise of the Religious Significance of Rama, ''Page 113''. * J. L. Brockington,
Righteous Rama: The Evolution of an Epic
', ''Page 252-57''. * * * ' Ramayana kathaganam- adyatma ramayana visishtata ' by M.S.Rani Prameela Devi 'saraswata vyasamulu ' by Nori Narasimha sastri

External links