The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki, Volume IV: Kiṣkindhākāṇḍa

This is the fourth volume of a translation of India's most beloved and influential epic tale--the Ramayana of Valmiki . As befits its position at the center of the work, Volume IV presents the hero Rama at the turning point of his fortunes. Having previously lost first his kingship and then his wife, he now forms an alliance with the monkey prince, Sugriva. Rama needs the monkeys to help him find his abducted wife, Sita, and they do finally discover where her abductor has taken her. But first Rama must agree to secure for his new ally the throne of the monkey kingdom by eliminating the reigning king, Sugriva's detested elder brother, Valin. The tragic rivalry between the two monkey brothers is in sharp contrast to Rama's affectionate relationship with his own brothers and forms a self-contained episode within the larger story of Rama's adventures. This volume continues the translation of the critical edition of the Valmiki Ramayana , a version considerably reduced from the vulgate on which all previous translations were based. It is accompanied by extensive notes on the original Sanskrit text and on several untranslated early Sanskrit commentaries. 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 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.