About the Book:
The story of Ramayan has probably been retold more
than any other story in the history of the world. It predates the
Holy Bible by at least a couple of centuries, and unlike the
Bible or the Koran, it is not the cornerstone of a major world
religion. Rather, the Ramayan is one of the many sacred texts
in the Hindu religion. In a religion where several scriptures
have been given recognition, the emergence of the Ramayan
as such a popular religious doctrine is astonishing to the human
mind. Thus, it is unfortunate to consider that many Hindus
have never had the opportunity to fully learn the Ramayan
and benefit from its various lessons and teachings.
There are more Hindus living outside of India than ever
before in the history of the religion. There are Hindus living
on every continent, and in every setting. I was recently in England,
where I saw a Hindu temple which served pasta as the
holy food (prasad). There are Hindus that do not even know
how to speak any of the Indian dialects, and therefore do not
benefit from the beautiful language used by the Honorable
Tulsi Das in his version of the Ramayan, entitled Ram Charit
Manas.
To
date this is the only English translation of the Ramayan
written in the
same poetic form as the original story, composed several
thousands of years
ago. It is an excellent starting point for anyone
interested in Hinduism, as
the story is presented in a concise,
easy-to-follow manner,
followed by a simple analysis of the main points at the
end.
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