Religion

The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume VII: Uttarakāṇḍa

    Translated by
  • Robert P. Goldman
  • Sally J. Sutherland Goldman
    Introduction by
  • Robert P. Goldman
  • Sally J. Sutherland Goldman

The concluding volume of a critical English edition of the monumental Indian epic

Hardcover

Price:
$190.00/£159.00
ISBN:
Published:
Dec 20, 2016
2017
Pages:
1544
Size:
6 x 9.25 in.
Illus:
1 color illus. 1 line illus. 5 tables.
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The seventh and final book of the monumental Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki, the Uttarakāṇḍa, brings the epic saga to a close with an account of the dramatic events of King Rāma’s millennia-long reign. It opens with a colorful history of the demonic race of the rākṣasas and the violent career of Rāma’s villainous foe Rāvaṇa, and later recounts Rāma’s grateful discharge of his allies in the great war at Lankā as well as his romantic reunion with his wife Sītā. But dark clouds gather as Rāma, confronted by scandal over Sītā’s time in captivity under the lustful Rāvaṇa, makes the agonizing decision to banish his beloved wife, now pregnant. As Rāma continues as king, marvelous tales and events unfurl, illustrating the benefits of righteous rule and the perils that await monarchs who fail to address the needs of their subjects.

The Uttarakāṇḍa has long served as a point of social and religious controversy largely for its accounts of the banishment of Sītā, as well as of Rāma’s killing of a low-caste ascetic. The translators’ introduction provides a full discussion of these issues and the complex reception history of the Uttarakāṇḍa. This translation of the critical edition also includes exhaustive notes and a comprehensive bibliography.


Awards and Recognition

  • Winner of the A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation, Association for Asian Studies
  • Winner of the 2017 World Sanskrit Award, Indian Council for Cultural Relations