The Ramayana
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ancient Sanskrit epic, one of the greatest works of world literature, which is still seen as a sacred and influential text by Hindus today.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Ramayana, the ancient Hindu epic which is regarded as one of the greatest works of world literature. Its importance in Indian culture has been compared to that of the Iliad and Odyssey in the West, and it鈥檚 still seen as a sacred text by Hindus today.
Written in Sanskrit, it tells the story of the legendary prince and princess Rama and Sita, and the many challenges, misfortunes and choices that they face. About 24,000 verses long, the Ramayana is also one of the longest ancient epics. It鈥檚 a text that鈥檚 been hugely influential and it continues to be popular in India and elsewhere in Asia.
With
Jessica Frazier
Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad
Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University
and
Naomi Appleton
Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions at the University of Edinburgh
The image above shows Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Lakshmana and devotees, from the Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal, Leicester.
Producer Luke Mulhall
Last on
LINKS AND FURTHER READING
READING LIST
Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman (ed and trans.), The Ramaya峁嘺 of Valmiki: The Complete English Translation (Princeton University Press, 2022)
Philip Lutgendorf, Hanuman's Tale: The Messages of a Divine Monkey (Oxford University Press, 2007)
Paula Richman (ed.), Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of A Narrative Tradition in South Asia (University of California Press, 1991)
P.S. Sundaram, Kamban Ramayana (translation of the Tamil version) (Penguin India, 2002)
RELATED LINKS
Broadcasts
- Thu 9 Mar 2023 09:00麻豆社 Radio 4
- Thu 9 Mar 2023 21:30麻豆社 Radio 4
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