Ranganatha Ramayanamu

Last updated

Ranganatha Ramayanamu
Information
Religion Hinduism
Author Gona Budda Reddy
Language Telugu
Chapters7 cantos
Verses17,290 couplets
(in Dwipada metre)

Sri Ranganatha Ramayanamu (Telugu: శ్రీ రంగనాథ రామాయణము) is a rendition of Valmiki's Rāmāyaṇa in Telugu language. [1] It was written by the poet Ranganatha—also known as Gona Budda Reddy—between 1300 and 1310 CE. It was composed in 17,290 couplets (in Dwipada metre). This metre is lyrical and can either be recited like the Valmiki Ramayana (written in Anustupa metre) or sung like the Ramcharitmanas (written in Doha-Chaupai).

Contents

Telugu has a very rich literary tradition, starting in the 11th century CE. Although there are more than forty adaptions of the Valmiki Ramayana which are partly or completely in Telugu, only four adaptions have covered the entire theme of the original epic. They are Ranganatha Ramayanam, Bhaskara Ramayanam, Molla Ramayanam, and Ramayana Kalpavruksham .

Structure and Manthara's Antagonism towards Rama.

Although Ranganatha follows the theme of the Valmiki Ramayana, he still made changes in some incidents which effects the course of events. The theme of the Ranganatha Ramayana has been classified under seven cantos.

Blessing of Squirrel

Ranganatha added some significant incidents to make the theme more natural and reliable. For example, when the bridge was built, a squirrel thinks that it should help Sri Rama to achieve his end; it dips in the sea water, rolls down in the sand and gets rid of the sand in the middle of the rocks under construction. Knowing this, Sri Rama blesses squirrel for its devotion and draws three lines on its back with his fingers. The three white lines on the back of squirrels are supposed to have come into existence in this way.

Related Research Articles

<i>Ramayana</i> Ancient Sanskrit epic

The Ramayana is a Sanskrit epic from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism, the other being the Mahābhārata. Together, they form the core of Hindu Literature. The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya in the kingdom of Kosala. The epic follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across forests in the Indian subcontinent with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana; the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the king of Lanka, that resulted in war; and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya along with Sita to be crowned king amidst jubilation and celebration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaikeyi</span> Major character in the epic Ramayana

Kaikeyi is the second consort of King Dasharatha, and a queen of Ayodhya in the Hindu epic Ramayana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasharatha</span> Father of Rama in the Ramayana

Dasharatha was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from his capital at Ayodhyā. Dasharatha had three primary consorts: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, and from these unions were born Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. He is mentioned in the Rāmāyana epic and the Vishnu Purana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shatrughna</span> Brother of Rama

Shatrughna is a prince of Ayodhya, King of Madhupura and Vidisha, and a brother of Prince Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is also known as Ripudaman. He is the twin of Lakshmana. He is a loyalist of Bharata, just like Lakshmana is to Rama. According to the Valmiki Ramayana, Shatrughna is an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra. Shatrughna also appears as the 412th name of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugriva</span> Vanara king and Ramas companion in Ramayana

Sugriva is a character In the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. He is the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha. Rumā is his wife. He is a son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun. As the king of the vanaras, Sugriva aided Rama in his quest to liberate his wife Sita from captivity at the hands of the rakshasa king Ravana.

<i>Ramavataram</i> Tamil Hindu epic based on the Ramayana

The Ramavataram, popularly referred to as Kamba Ramayanam, is a Tamil epic that was written by the Tamil poet Kambar during the 12th century. Based on Valmiki's Ramayana, the story describes the legend of King Rama of Ayodhya. However, the Ramavataram is different from the Sanskrit version in many aspects – both in spiritual concepts and in the specifics of the storyline. This historic work is considered by both Tamil scholars and the general public as one of the greatest literary works in Tamil literature.

Raghuvaṃśa is a Sanskrit epic poem (mahakavya) by the celebrated Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. Though an exact date of composition is unknown, the poet is presumed to have flourished in the 5th century CE. It narrates, in 19 sargas (cantos), the stories related to the Raghu dynasty, namely the family of Dilipa and his descendants up to Agnivarna, who include Raghu, Dasharatha and Rama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundara Kanda</span> Fifth book of the epic Ramayana

Sundara Kanda is the fifth book in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The original Sundara Kanda is in Sanskrit, and was composed in popular tradition by Valmiki, who was the first to scripturally record the Ramayana. Sundara Kanda is the only chapter of the Ramayana in which the principal protagonist is not Rama, but Hanuman. The work depicts the adventures of Hanuman and his selflessness, strength, and devotion to Rama are emphasised in the text. Hanuman is believed to have been fondly called “Sundara” by his mother Anjana, and Sage Valmiki is stated to have chosen this name over others as the Sundara Kanda is about Hanuman's journey to Lanka.

Bharata (<i>Ramayana</i>) Ramas brother

Bharata is a character in the ancient hindu epic Ramayana. He is the son of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, and Kaikeyi, the daughter of King Ashvapati of Kekeya. He is a younger half-brother of Rama. He rules Ayodhya as its regent while Rama is banished from his kingdom, and fights to rescue his wife Sita, kidnapped by Ravana.

<i>Adhyatma Ramayana</i> Sanskrit text

Adhyatma Ramayana is a 13th- to 15th-century Sanskrit text that allegorically interprets the story of Hindu epic Ramayana in the Advaita Vedanta framework. It is embedded in the latter portion of Brahmānda Purana, and the author is considered to be Vyasa. The Hindu tradition also attributes the text to the Bhakti movement saint Ramananda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manthara</span> Character in the Hindu epic Ramayana

Manthara is a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana. In the epic, she is described to have convinced Queen Kaikeyi that the throne of Ayodhya belonged to her son Bharata and that her step-son—crown-prince Rama —should be exiled from the kingdom. She is portrayed as a mother-figure to Kaikeyi and her twin Yudhajit, following the banishment of their mother. She accompanied Kaikeyi to Ayodhya after her marriage to Dasharatha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kishkindha</span> Vanara kingdom in Ramayana

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 his counsellor, Hanuman.

Luv Kush is an Indian television series that ran from 1988 to 1989. It was created, written, produced, and directed by Ramanand Sagar. It is a follow-up Ramayan, featuring mostly the same cast and production crew. Luv Kush covers the last book — the Uttarakāṇḍa — of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, following Rama's coronation, especially focusing on his children, twins Kush and Lav.

Versions of the <i>Ramayana</i> Different versions of the Indian epic poem Ramayana

Depending on the methods of counting, as many as three hundred versions of the Indian Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana, are known to exist. The oldest version is generally recognized to be the Sanskrit version attributed to the sage Narada, the Mula Ramayana. Narada passed on the knowledge to Valmiki, who authored Valmiki Ramayana, the present oldest available version of Ramayana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balakanda</span> Part of Ramayana describing Ramas childhood

Bala Kanda is the first book of the Valmiki Ramayana, which is one of the two great epics of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rama</span> Major deity in Hinduism

Rama 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 Being.

Jabali is a character in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. A learned Brahmin priest and an advisor of King Dasharatha, he unsuccessfully tries to persuade Rama to give up his exile, using rational arguments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarama (Ramayana)</span> Queen consort of Lanka in the Hindu epic Ramayana

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sarama is the wife of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana, the demon (rakshasa) king of Lanka. Sometimes, she is described as a rakshasi (demoness), at other times, she is said to have gandharva lineage. All accounts agree that Sarama was friendly to Sita, the consort of Rama, who was kidnapped by Ravana and imprisoned in Lanka. Like her husband who sides with Rama in the war against Ravana, Sarama is kind to Sita and aids Rama. Sarama and Vibhishana had a daughter called Trijata.

Sri Ramayanamu is the magnum opus work by Katta Varadaraju in Telugu based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. This Ramayana presented to the Telugu public for the first time is a unique production of Dwipada Kavya, which belongs to Desi or indigenous literary compositions.

References

  1. Gilbert Pollet (1 January 1995). Indian Epic Values: Rāmāyaṇa and Its Impact : Proceedings of the 8th International Rāmāyaạ Conference, Leuven, 6-8 July 1991. Peeters Publishers. p. 59. ISBN   978-90-6831-701-5.