Finished reading of Kamala Subramaniam's English version of Ramayana which seems to be based on Valmiki Ramayana

Last updated on 6th Jan. 2022

In September last year (2021), after a gap of nearly two years, I had resumed my reading of Valmiki Ramayana, where I would read Sanskrit shloka and English translation via Internet sites of https://www.valmiki.iitk.ac.in/ (last part is not yet complete) and/or http://valmikiramayan.pcriot.com/utf8/vr_index.htm , along with Kamala Subramaniam's English translation of Ramayana which seems to be largely based on Valmiki Ramayana. I put up a post on this resumption: Resumed reading of Valmiki Ramayana after gap of nearly two years; Last sarga (chapter) of Bala Kanda, blog: https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2021/09/resumed-reading-of-valmiki-ramayana.html , Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3217996101750278 .

However, I could not make the time for reading it in the way I had done before, and nor could I make the time to put up posts on the parts of Ramayana that I had an urge to write on, and share via blog & Facebook posts (as I had done earlier).

So I read only the English Ramayana of Kamala Subramaniam and also did not follow up on urges I got from time to time in my reading, to put up posts on some of my readings. Given some challenges I face due to COVID pandemic as well as some other issues that cropped up from time to time which sucked away my time, I had to take these hard decisions.

Lord Rama's nobility stands out in a big way in the other kandas (volumes) of Ramayana in this English book, which kandas are: Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda and Yuddha Kanda. By the time Ayodhya Kanda starts, Lord Rama has already estabished himself as a renowned warrior-prince who has defeated and sometimes killed ferocious Rakshasa (demon) opponents like Tataka and Maricha, and overcome even great warriors like Lord Parashurama (who challenges young Lord Rama to string Narayana's bow which Rama does with ease, seeing which Parasurama acknowledges Rama's superiority to him as a warrior). 

The cataclysmic event of Lord Rama who was going to be coronated as Yuvaraj (crown-prince/heir-apparent) in a big ceremony, instead going to the forest for 14 years dressed in simple "tree-bark" attire, due to younger queen Kaikeyi using the boons given to her by king Dasaratha (father of Lord Rama) for having saved his life in battle in the past, to banish Lord Rama and pave the way for her son Bharata to be made Yuvaraj instead, was well-known to me (and to most Hindus living in India, I guess) due to prior readings/viewings of abridged versions of Ramayana. But I had not known the intricate details of this episode. The details provided in Kamala Subramaniam's book, has significantly improved my understanding of that major event in Ramayana, which sets in motion the eventual battle between Lord Ram and the very powerful rakshasa (demon) king Ravana where Ravana is killed by Lord Ram. 

It is the great test of Dharma where even king Dasaratha wants Lord Rama to disregard Kaikeyi's orders, and even Lakshmana (devoted brother of Lord Rama), a powerful warrior-prince himself, wants Lord Rama to command him to ensure that Lord Rama is made king by force. Lord Rama's mother eldest queen Kausalya is utterly distraught at the disastrous turn of events and wants Lord Rama to stay back. Queen Kausalya also expresses her fear of being ill-treated by the younger queen Kaikeyi after Lord Rama goes to the forest and Kaikeyi's son Bharata is made Yuvaraj. The people of Ayodhya too want Lord Rama to be crown-prince. Given this situation, the natural action would have been for Lord Rama to disregard younger queen Kaikeyi's orders (from boon given to her by king Dasaratha) and forcibly become Yuvaraj or perhaps even the king.

But Lord Rama is concerned about his father king Dasaratha being viewed as an 'Adharmi' (unrighteous) if he does not fulfill the boon king Dasaratha had given queen Kaikeyi, and that king Dasaratha will lose his place in heaven if such a taint gets associated with his name! Lord Rama is concerned about king Dasaratha's word not being kept and the unrighteousness taint king Dasaratha will get due to that! And so, Lord Rama has to fulfill younger queen Kaikeyi's wishes/orders and go to the forest dressed in simple attire (but with his famous bow & arrows), for 14 years.

Filial duty (and love) of a son to his father is uppermost in Lord Rama's mind! That filial duty has to be done, no matter what!

In similar manner, the details of other major events in Ramayana were fascinating to read. It was very interesting and satisfying to read the details of the following episodes (I am writing mainly from memory, though with a little assist by sometimes quickly viewing relevant parts of Kamala Subramaniam's book and/or above mentioned website(s)):

1. Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana begin their forest journey and how the people of Ayodhya want to go with them
2. The passing away of king Dasaratha
3. Bharata's agony at coming to know of Lord Rama's banishment with his mother Kaikeyi doing it as a way to make Bharata Yuvaraj (note that Bharata was away from Ayodhya at that time and was unaware of these events happening)
4. How Bharata is advised to take up his role as king by Sage Vasistha and other advisors as it is necessary to have a king ruling the kingdom to preserve order and prevent anarchy, and how Bharata flatly refuses
5. Bharata along with a large retinue and army, going to the forest, meeting with Lord Rama in the Chitrakuta ashram which Lakshmana built for them, Bharata pleading with Lord Rama to return to Ayodhya as king but Rama refusing
6. Bharata taking Rama's footwear as symbol of Rama and saying that he will put that on the throne and rule Ayodhya as Rama's representative
7. Bharata himself wearing simple attire like that of Lord Rama and living in outskirts of Ayodhya city during the period of Rama's 14 year banishment to the forest
8. The pleasant life Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lead in the forest with many visits to ashrams of rishis, interspersed with encounters with rakshasas whom they kill or defeat.
9. Rakshasi Surpanakha's, sister of king Ravana, attempts to entice Rama and Lakshmana, and her nose being cut off by Lakshmana, which lead Surpanakha to goad her rakshasa relatives to battle with Lord Rama & Lakshamana (and get killed by them)
10. The kidnapping of Sita by Ravana through deceit as he is afraid of fighting Lord Rama in open combat; The details of how Ravana plans his deceit, forcing his uncle Maricha to play the 'golden deer' part against Maricha's wishes, how Sita uses harsh words against Lakshmana to force him to leave Sita alone and go towards Lord Rama when Maricha imitating Lord Rama's voice calls out names of Sita and Lakshmana just before his death from Lord Rama's Brahmastra arrow, Ravana approaching Sita in a garb of a Sadhu, and then easily kidnapping Sita who is alone and unprotected.
11. Bird-king Jatayu trying to foil Ravana's kidnapping of Sita by fighting with Ravana even though he is old and knows that he might be killed by Ravana, Jatayu being on death-bed after the battle with Ravana 
12. Lord Rama and Lakshmana searching for Sita and not finding her, the despair felt by Lord Rama at Sita's kidnapping showing how Lord Rama could also suffer human sorrows, Rama's disappointment with Lakshmana for not ignoring Sita's harsh words and, prompted by Sita's harsh words, leaving Sita unprotected and alone, Rama's despair later turning to fury with which Lord Rama is considering to do horrific destruction of the world, how Lakshmana pleads and cajoles Lord Rama to come out of sorrow and also calm his later fury
13. Lord Rama and Lakshmana continue the search for Sita and come across the dying Jatayu who tells them that Ravana has abducted Sita and that Ravana has mortally wounded him (Jatayu) who tried to stop Ravana; Jatayu dies and Lord Rama does the funeral rites for Jatayu
14. Lord Rama and Lakshmana meeting with vanara (monkey) minister Hanaman & vanara exiled-king Sugriva and the friendship pact between Sugriva and Lord Rama
15. Killing of Vali (Sugriva's brother) and Sugriva becoming king of vanara kingdom
16. The rainy season break during which Sugriva is enjoying royal pleasures, followed by end of rainy season at which time Sugriva is supposed to help Lord Rama find Sita but seems to have forgotten that promise and is instead continuing to lead a life full of royal pleasures
17. Ravana failing in his numerous attempts to break Sita's resistance to his proposals, even though she is in Ravana's captivity
18. The anger of Lakshmana at Sugriva, how Sugriva's queen(s) calm Lakshmana; Sugriva later meeting Rama who is living in a cave on the outskirts of the vanara city
19. Sugriva ordering his monkey warriors to search for Sita in all directions
20. Hanuman doing the virtually-impossible feat of jumping across the sea to Lanka and then finding Sita
21. The dialogue between Sita and Hanuman
22. Hanuman in Ravana's court warning Ravana of destruction and then setting fire to Lanka before returning back to his army on other side of the sea
23. Hanuman and others returning to Sugriva & Rama and informing them that Sita has been found (Hanuman and other monkeys in the group engage in revelry in a garden of king Sugriva which indicates to Sugriva that Sita has been found as otherwise they would not dare to do that revelry in the king's garden)
24. The vanara army of Sugriva along with Rama & Lakshmana marching to shore of sea
25. Vibhishana (brother of king Ravana) seeking refuge of Lord Rama and being granted refuge even though doubts are expressed about Vibhishana's motives by some in the vanara army
26. Building of the bridge to Lanka and the vanara army along with Rama, Lakshmana and Vibhishana arriving on the shores of the sea in Lanka
27. Lord Rama acting as commander of the forces, gathering information about Ravana's forces and how the city of Lanka is defended, planning the assault on the city and giving the order to begin the war
28. The many great battles that are fought - Indrajit, Kumbhakarna and finally Ravana himself against Rama, Lakshmana and vanara army leaders; the appreciation that rival great warriors from both sides have for the warrior skills displayed in these battles by their chief rivals
29. Temporary victories gained by the rakshasas with Hanuman bringing a mountain with Sanjeevani and other herbs to revive Lakshmana and other warriors
30. The huge losses faced by the rakshasa armies, Ravana's despair as he loses his warrior leaders and his own sons and brother with them getting killed by Lord Rama, Lakshmana and vanara army
31. The final battle between Lord Ram and Ravana which ends with the killing of Ravana by Lord Ram using the Brahmastra, the gathering of divine beings to witness the battle and also support Lord Ram (Indra deva gives his chariot and charioteer to Lord Ram for this battle as a way of making the battle an even one with king Ravana who is on his chariot steered by a charioteer).
32. Lord Ram ordering Vibhishana to do funeral rites of his brother Ravana even though Vibhishana shows reluctance to do so
33. Enthronement of Vibhishana as king of Lanka
34. Sita being brought to Lord Rama in the presence of the entire army; the mix of affection, compasison and anger of Lord Rama at this meeting, Lord Rama telling Sita that he (Lord Rama) did his Dharmic (ethical) duty of rescuing her and avenging the insult to him by Ravana by defeating and killing Ravana, Lord Rama then harshly telling Sita that as she has been living in the house of his enemy for many months, it does not befit him who comes from a noble house, to take her with him, and that she is free to go where she wants. The anguish that Sita goes through, Sita telling Lord Rama that she too comes from a noble family and that she has been pure, and that Lord Rama is forgetting that she has been a good wife to him.
35. Sita then saying that she does not want to live any more after such a slur being cast on her, asking Lakshmana to kindle a fire for her, and that she will enter into the fire (commit self-immolation)
36. Lakshmana preparing the fire and Sita entering into the fire (Agni), Agni deva (divine being) protecting her and telling Rama that she has been perfectly chaste, followed by Lord Rama accepting Sita as his consort again and saying that this had to be done to prove to the world that Sita has been perfectly chaste
37. Triumphant return of Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshmana along with Vibhishana and Vanara army to Ayodhya using Puspaka vimana
38. The joy of Bharata at knowing that Lord Ram has returned, followed by his meeting with Lord Ram and others
39. Coronation (Pattibhishek) of Lord Rama as king of Kosala kingdom in the capital city of Ayodhya and how people are full of joy.

The story of Lava and Kusha (sons of Lord Rama and Sita) are not included. I read elsewhere on the Internet that they are part of "Uttara kanda" which is considered to be a later addition (an interpolation) to Valmiki Ramayana.

I offer my salutations to and thank the author, Kamala Subrmaniam, and the publisher, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, for having made this excellent English translation of Ramayana available to the English reading public. It was very convenient for me to read this book and learn details about the great Ramayana epic which has been a vital aspect of Hindu life over thousands of years, and continues to be so in today's times too.

I offer my loving pranams (salutations) to Lord Ram. [Hindi] Bolo prabhu Ramachandra ki jai! [English translation: Say victory to (glory to) Lord Ramachandra!]