66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

tale with impressive character studies; as a masterpiece of
literary composition; or even as a scripture. As one’s
understanding develops, one discerns subtler meanings; the
symbolism becomes more defined and relevant to the daytoday
life. The Ramayana in the fullest sense of the term
could be called a book of “perennial philosophy.”
The Ramayana has lessons in the presentation of
motives, actions and reactions, applicable for all time and
for all conditions of life. Not only in areas of military, political,
or economic power do we see the Ravanas—the evil
antagonists—of today; but also at less conspicuous levels
and in varying degrees, even in the humblest social unit or
family, we can detect a Rama striving to establish peace
and justice in conflict with a Ravana.
The impact of the Ramayana on a poet, however, goes
beyond mere personal edification; it inspires him to
compose the epic again in his own language, with the stamp
of his own personality on it. The Ramayana has thus been
the largest source of inspiration for the poets of India
throughout the centuries. India is a land of many languages,
each predominant in a particular area, and in each one of
them a version of the Ramayana is available, original and
brilliant, and appealing to millions of readers who know the
language. Thus we have centuries-old Ramayana in Hindi,
Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Tamil, Kannada, Kashmiri,
Telugu, Malayalam, to mention a few.