The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume V : Sundarakāṇḍa

The fifth and most popular book of the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Sundarakanda, recounts the adventures of the monkey hero Hanuman in leaping across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka. Once there, he scours the city for the abducted Princess Siti. The poet vividly describes the opulence of the court of the demon king, Ravana, the beauty of his harem, and the hideous deformity of Sita's wardresses. After witnessing Sita's stern rejection of Ravana's blandishments, Hanuman reveals himself to the princess and restores her hope of rescue. The great monkey then wreaks havoc on the royal park and fights a series of hair-raising battles with Ravana's generals. Permitting himself to be captured by the warrior Indrajit, Hanuman is led into the presence of Ravana, whom he admonishes for his lechery. His tail is set ablaze, but he escapes his bonds and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, sets fire to the city. Taking leave of Sita, Hanuman once more leaps the ocean to rejoin his monkey companions. This is the fifth volume translated from the critical edition of the Valmiki Ramayana. It contains an extensive introduction, exhaustive notes, and a comprehensive bibliography. This is the first of seven volumes that will present a complete and fully annotated translation of the "Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa". This great Sanskrit epic of ancient India has profoundly affected the literature, art, religions, and cultures of countless millions of people in South and Southeast Asia -- an influence that is perhaps unparalleled in the history of world literature. For the first time it has here been translated on the basis of the critical edition, which is based on manuscripts representing all recensional traditions. In this first volume Robert P. Goldman has written a major scholarly introduction and has given copious annotation dealing with the poem's numerous textual and exegetical problems, drawing on the contributors of generations of Sanskrit commentators. -- From publisher's description "Part of the 'Ramayana of Valmiki', this book recounts the adventures of the monkey hero Hanuman in leaping across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka. It describes the opulence of the court of the demon king, Ravana, the beauty of his harem, and the deformity of Sita's wardresses. It contains an introduction, notes, and a bibliography." -- from WorldCat.org Counts the final dramatic war between the forces of good led by the exiled prince Rama, and the forces of evil commanded by the arch demon Ravana. This title contains some of the extraordinary events and larger-than-life characters to be found anywhere in world literature. It includes an introduction, notes, and a comprehensive bibliography. IN A NUMBER of ways the Sundarakanda lies at, and even constitutes, the very heart of Valmiki's monumental epic.