The Ramaya?a of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume VII: Uttaraka??a

by Robert P. Goldman (Translator), Sally J. Sutherland Goldman (Translator), Robert P. Goldman (Introduction), Sally J. Sutherland Goldman (Introduction)

Overview

The concluding volume of a critical English edition of the monumental Indian epic

The seventh and final book of the monumental Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki, the Uttarakāṇḍa, brings the epic saga to a close with an account of the dramatic events of King Rāma's millennia-long reign. It opens with a colorful history of the demonic race of the rākṣasas and the violent career of Rāma’s villainous foe Rāvaṇa, and later recounts Rāma’s grateful discharge of his allies in the great war at Lankā as well as his romantic reunion with his wife Sītā. But dark clouds gather as Rāma, confronted by scandal over Sītā’s time in captivity under the lustful Rāvaṇa, makes the agonizing decision to banish his beloved wife, now pregnant. As Rāma continues as king, marvelous tales and events unfurl, illustrating the benefits of righteous rule and the perils that await monarchs who fail to address the needs of their subjects.

The Uttarakāṇḍa has long served as a point of social and religious controversy largely for its accounts of the banishment of Sītā, as well as of Rāma’s killing of a low-caste ascetic. The translators’ introduction provides a full discussion of these issues and the complex reception history of the Uttarakāṇḍa. This translation of the critical edition also includes exhaustive notes and a comprehensive bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400884568
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	12/20/2016
Series:	Princeton Library of Asian Translations , #151
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1544
File size:	18 MB
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About the Author

Robert P. Goldman is the William and Catherine Magistretti Distinguished Professor of Sanskrit and Indian studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and general editor of the Rāmāyaṇa Translation Project. Sally J. Sutherland Goldman is senior lecturer in Sanskrit at the University of California, Berkeley, and associate editor of the Rāmāyaṇa Translation Project.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations ix
Preface xv
Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation xxi
Part I Introduction 1
1. Preamble and Synopsis of the Uttarakāṇḍa 3
2. The Major Characters of the Uttarakāṇḍa 12
3. The Rākṣasas of the Uttarakāṇḍa 36
4. The Work of the Uttarakāṇḍa 54
5. Who Knows the Uttarakāṇḍa? 65
6. The Problem of the Uttarakāṇḍa 74
7. The Controversial Episodes: The Uttarakāṇḍa and Its Critics 82
8. The Structure of the Uttarakāṇḍa 114
9. Historicity and Sovereignty in the Uttarakāṇḍa 157
10. The Theology of the Uttarakāṇḍa 169
11. The Rāmāyaṇa and the Gāyatrīmantra 187
12. The Text, Commentaries, and Translations of the Uttarakāṇḍa 199
Part II Uttarakāṇḍa 223
Part III. Notes 443
The Prakṣipta Sargas 1285
Genealogy of the Rākṣasas 1403
Glossary of Important Sanskrit Words, Proper Nouns, and Epithets 1407
Emendations and Corrections of the Critical Edition 1411
Bibliography of Works Consulted 1413
Index 1435

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This volume will stand for a very long time as the epitome of studies on the Yuddhakānda, indeed of the Rāmāyaṇa itself." —Frederick M. Smith, Religious Studies Review

"The translation admirably succeeds in pursuing its 'twin goals of accuracy and readability.' . . . The volume opens up the epic battle book to new readers and gives them the closest thing they could get to what the original taste and texture of the text must have been, without making it inaccessible. To my mind, this is a remarkable achievement. Specialists will find in the annotations an endless mine of valuable information that will quickly become the foundation of any further research on the Yuddhakanda, and the rich and extremely useful index will facilitate access to this book. . . . A person’s education cannot be complete until he or she reads how Rama kills Ravana, as vividly told in this volume." —Yigal Bronner, European Legacy

Editorial Reviews

"Winner of the A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation, Association for Asian Studies"

Winner of the 2017 World Sanskrit Award, Indian Council for Cultural Relations

From the Publisher