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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’s 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’s a text that’s 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

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Thu 9 Mar 2023 21:30
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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LINKS AND FURTHER READING

CONTRIBUTORS




READING LIST


Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman (ed and trans.), The RamayaαΉ‡a 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)


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Broadcasts

  • Thu 9 Mar 2023 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Thu 9 Mar 2023 21:30
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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