Epics in Imprints-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

10. Pre-Valmiki references are found in Rg
Veda, Taittiriya Brahmana, and Krishna
Yajurveda regarding Rama.
11. Valmiki (3 rd Century BC) Regional
language versions in India (9 th Century AD
afterwards, Chinese Dasaratha Jataka
(251 AD), Lankan Kumaradasa(7 th Century
AD other, versions (7-9 century AD)
Kalmuk language and others Mangolia,
Indonesia (9 th century), East Iran (9 th
century), Khmer (7 th century AD), Laos,
Malaysia (13 th century) and Thailand (8-9
centuries AD), are the regional versions of
Ramayana.
12. To this list can be added many versions
of the languages and dialects of India. A
bibliography alone would make a volume.
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13. It would be hard for an artist to copy
and imitate earlier models and challenging
to create new forms on an age-old theme
which had been treated by poets, painters,
musicians, and dancers for centuries
exploring every nuance and shade of
interpretation. And yet this very fact
paradoxically has caught the imagination
of the creators of today, namely to present
a theme, which would strike responsive
chords in every heart and yet to present it
in a manner which would be both new and
meaningful. In fact a careful analysis of
the literary versions of Ramayana, along
with versions in the performing arts reveals
the strength and buoyancy of tradition
which was continuously assimilating and
adapting itself to new conditions.