The Ramayana

The greatest Indian epic,one of the world’s supreme masterpieces of storytelling A Penguin Classic A sweeping tale of abductionbattleand courtship played out in a universe of deities and demonsThe Ramayana is familiar to virtually every Indian. Although the Sanskrit original was composed by Valmiki around the fourth century BCpoets have produced countless versions in different languages. Heredrawing on the work of an eleventh-century poet called KambanNarayan employs the skills of a master novelist to re-create the excitement he found in the original. A luminous saga made accessible to new generations of readersThe Ramayana can be enjoyed for its spiritual wisdomor as a thrilling tale of ancient conflict. For more than seventy yearsPenguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1700 titlesPenguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authorsas well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.