Explore every episode of the podcast Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyana (English Translation)

Rāvana reproaches Mārīca and commands him to help him in his mission.

Mārīca tries to bring Rāvana round.

Narrating his own experience of Śrī Rāma’s prowess, Mārīca asks Rāvana not to provoke Śrī Rāma.

Mārīca tries to dissuade Rāvana from his purpose.

Rāvana tells Mārīca  how he has been wronged by Rāma and asks for his help in taking away Sītā.

Rāvana calls on Mārīca once more.

Śurpanakhā instigates Rāvana to abduct Sītā.

Śurpanakhā twits Rāvana.

Śurpanakhā approaches Rāvana in Lankā.

Rāvana goes over to take away Sītā on the advice of Akampana and returns in deference to the advice of Mārīca.

Rāma kills Khara. Gods and sages applaud Him.

Exchange of hot words between Khara and Śrī Rāma.

Śrī Rāma’s encounter with Khara.

Rāma kills Triśirā.

Rāma kills all the fourteen thousand āksasas including Dusana.

The rāksasas attack Śrī Rāma, Rāma kills them all.

Good omens to Rāma. Rāma prepares for the fight.

Evil omens to Khara. The army apporaches Rāma’s hermitage.

Khara and Dusana march towards Pancavatī with an army of fourteen thousand rāksasas.

Śurpanakhā again goes to Khara.

Rāma kills the fourteen rāksasas.

Khara sends fourteen rāksasas with her for despatching Rāma.

Laksmana lops the nose and ears of Śurpanakhā.

The arrival of Śurpanakhā at the hermitage.

Laksmana describes the early winter. Bath in Godāvarī.

Rāma, Sītā and Laksmana dwell in a cottage built by Laksmana in Pancavatī.

Meeting with Jatāyu.

Agastya advises Rāma and others to stay in Pancavatī.

Rāma and others enter the hermitage of Agastya, enjoy his hospitality and receive divine missiles and weapons.

The episode of Sage Māndakarni and the Pancāpsara Lake. Rāma visits several hermitages and returns to Sutīksna’s hermitage. From there he goes to the hermitage of Agastya.

Rāma expresses his firmness in keeping the vow of killing the rāksasas for the protection of sages.

Sītā requests Rāma not to kill innocent animals and to observe non-violence.

In the morning Rāma, together with Laksmana and Sītā, takes leave of Sutīksna and departs.

Rāma goes to Sutīksna together with Sītā and Laksmana and stays with him during the night.

The sages request Rāma for protection from the molestations of the ogres and Rāma assures them of it.

Rāma, Laksmana and Sītā visit the hermitage of Śarabhanga, see the deities,and are honoured by the sage. Sage Śarabhanga ascends to Brahmaloka.

Śrī Rāma and Laksmana kill Viādha.

Conversation between Rāma and Viādha; Rāma and Laksmana strike at him; he goes with them to another forest. 

Viādha’s attack on Rāma, Laksmana and Sītā in the forest.

Reception of Śrī Rāma, Laksmana and Sītā in the hermitages of sages.

Glorifying the evening shades, that had now fallen, Anasūyā sends away Sītā, decked with the ornaments bestowed on her by herself, to the presence of Śrī Rāma. To the latter, who was agreeably surprised to behold Sītā resplendent with heavenly jewels, she relates how she received the jewels as a loving gift from the hermitess. Accepting the hospitality of the hermits and staying with them for the night, Śrī Rāma asks leave of them in the morning to proceed further and, following the route shown by the hermits, the princely party enters the Dandaka forest.

THE END OF AYODHYĀKĀNDA

At the end of her dialogue with Sītā, Anasūyā requests her to ask a boon and, highly pleased with her, the hermitess bestows heavenly flowers and ornaments on her. Urged by Anasūyā, She relates to the hermitess the story of her marriage.

Afraid of prolonging his stay at Citrakuta because of many handicaps, Śrī Rāma leaves that mountain and, reaching the hermitage of Sage Atri, greets the aforesaid Rsi. Glorifying the ascetic life of his wife, Anasūyā, the sage urges Råma to send his consort, Sītā, to her. Kindly receiving the princess, who greeted the venerable old lady on reaching her, as instructed by her husband, Anasūyā gives her instructions on the duties of a devoted wife.

Learning from outward signs that the ascetics who lived in the vicinity of Śrī Rāma were anxious to shift to some other forest, the latter asks them why they wished to leave the place. Being told in reply that they were being molested by Rāksasas under the leadership of Khara, he gives his consent and, sending them away with great respect, retires to his own hermitage.

Permitted by Vasistha and accompanied by Śatrughna and others, when the queens had entered the gynaeceum, Bharata proceeds to Nandigrāma and, installing the wooden sandals of Śrī Rāma on the royal seat, himself puts on the garb of an ascetic and carries on the rule under orders ascribed to the sandals, holding the royal umbrella over them.

Vālmīki portrays the gloomy appearance of Ayodhyā with the help of a number of similes. Bharata enters his fatherís palace with a heavy heart, speaking to Sumantra about the sorry spectacle which Ayodhyā presented at the moment.

Departed back for Ayodhyā alongwith Sage Vasistha and others, Bharata pays his respects on the way to Sage Bharadwāja and, apprising him of what had happened at Citrakuta and also of the pair of wooden sandals that he had received from Śrī Rāma as the latter’s representative, and proceeding further, crosses the rivers Gangā and Yamunā alongwith his followers. Departing from Śrngaverapura, he catches sight of Ayodhyā and points out to Sumantra its gloomy appearance.

Collected in the heavens to hear the dialogue of Bharata and Śrī Rāma, heavenly beings applaud the two brothers. Having decided upon his course of action, Śrī Rāma turns his face towards his hut; while pleading his inability to protect the kingdom, now that his attempts to take Śrī Rāma back to Ayodhyā had been frustrated, Bharata prays to Śrī Rāma for mercy once more. But when he comes to know that his elder brother cannot be made to swerve an inch from his vow, he places a new pair of wooden sandals decked with gold in front of his brother and requests him to place his feet on them. Readily acceding to his request, Śrī Rāma hands over the sandals to Bharata, who takes a vow before the former to enter the fire in case he did not return immediately on the expiry of his term of exile. Śrī Rāma confirms his vow and after embracing Bharata and Śatrughna and bidding good- bye to all with due respect according to the rank of each, enters his cottage.

Pleading the superiority of a teacher in comparison to one’s parents, Sage Vasistha by virtue of his superiority and as a concession to Bharata, a dependant of Śrī Rāma, whose vow it has been to respect the feelings of his dependants, urges Śrī Rāma to grant the prayer of Bharata. Śrī Rāma, however, contends that oneís parents are more worthy of respect even than oneís teacher and is accordingly insistent on implementing the pledge already given by him to his father. Thus discomfited in argument, Bharata makes up his mind to undertake a fast unto death as a last resort to exert pressure on him. On Śrī Rāma’s dubbing such a step as repugnant to the code of conduct prescribed for a Ksatriya, Bharata requests his elder brother to allow him to remain in exile in the forest as the latterís proxy. Śrī Rāma, however, rules out this proposition also as something preposterous, saying that oneís duty is entrusted to a proxy only on the former’s incapacity, which could not be predicated of him, and reaffirms his decision to enter Ayodhyā only after fulfilling the pledge given to his father.

Pacifying Śrī Rāma, who had got angry with Jābāli, Sage Vasistha urges him to get himself consecrated as king since from Ikswāku, the progenitor of his race, downward the eldest son alone had ascended the throne of Ayodhyā and because he was not only the eldest of his father’s sons, but the ablest too.