Foreword The Ramayana of Valmiki is the most important Adikavya, one of the two national Epics of great national importance & significance. The Critical Edition of the two Epics was a desideranum and was considered to be sine qua non for all historical and textual studies, pertaining to them. Therefore, the project of the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata was undertaken and successfully completed by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Pune (1919 10 19661. Similarly, the project of the Critical Edition of the Valmiki Ramayana was undertaken & successfully completed by the Oriental Institute, Baroda 11951 to 1975) and was published in seven volumes, namely Hala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kiskindhi, Sundara, Yuddha and Uttara, edited by profound scholars such as Prof. GIL Bhatt (Bala), Dr. P.L. Vaidya (Ayodhya & Yuddhal, Shri P.C. Diwanji, (Aranya), Prof. D.R. Mankad (Kiskindha), Prof. GC Jhala (Sundara) and Dr. U.P. Shah (Uttara).

The volumes of the Critical Edition of The Valmiki Ramayana Balakanda, Ayodhyakanda and Aranyakanda were recently reprinted. Most of the volumes of Valmiki Ramayana are fast going out of stock. As there is great demand from the scholarly world for their copies, we have an ambitious project of reprinting most of them. The modern method of reprinting by scanning has made the work of reprinting such books more easy and quick We are glad to present to the world of scholars this reprinted Fifth volume Sundarakanda of Valmiki Ramayana I hope this will also be welcomed & appreciated by the scholarly world, interested in Ramayana & its related studies, like its previous ones, We are thankful to the Authorities for releasing the necessary grant for reprinting & publication of this volume. We are also greatful to Shri S.M. Pattni, I/c. Press Manager, the M.S. University of Baroda Press & his co-operative staff for reprinting it nicely in a very short. period. We are also thankful to the Research staff members of the Oriental Institute for their assistance in various ways in re printing this volume. We are also thankful to Shri Ashish Muley of Omni Present for designing the Jacket of the book.

Preface It gives me great pleasure to place before the world of scholars this fifth volume of the Critical Edition of the Valmiki Ramayaps, comprising the Sundara-Kaoda edited by Prof. G. C. Jhala, I am very sorry to note that Professer Govindia! It. Blatt, who from the very beginning was the General Editor of the Critical Edition of the Ramayana, passed away on 4-4-1965. Prof. Bhatt, as Director of the Oriental Institute, proposed the scheme of this Critical Edition of the Valmiki Ramayana which was readily accepted by the then Vice-Chancellor (of the M. S. University of Baroda) Smt. Dr. Hansaben Mehta, who has been taking keen interest in this work even after her retirement. Professor Bhart took great pains to collect the necessary manuscript material from all over India and abroad, and himerli chalked out the principles governing this Critical Edition. These principles, though generally following the principles of the Mahabharata evolved by the great savant, the late Dr. V. S. Sukthankar, were slightly modified by Prol. Bhatt, in the light of the special textual problems of the Ramayana and the manuscript data collected. Prol, Bhait himself edited the first kända (the Balakanda) and as General Editor of this Critical Edition he had aho planned to edit the last kanda (the Uttarakanda).

Unfortunately Prof. Bhatt passed away before the completion of the whole scheme. The staff of the Ramayana Department of the Oriental Institute and the present General Editor as well as the Assistant Editor bereby pay their homage to the departed soul. May his soul rest in peace. The undersigned took charge as General Editor from 5-7-1965. The publication of the Sundarakanda is unfortunately delayed by about six months for which we crave the indulgence of scholars.

The first part of the Critical Edition of the Yuddhakkoda, edited by Dr. P. L. Vaidya, is already in the Press, under print.

My sincere thanks are due to our Vice-Chancellor, Dr. C. S. Patel, for the keen interest he has been showing in the work of this Critical Edition. To the University Grants Commission and to the Gujarat Governinent I am thankful for the financial assistance given to the Ramayana Department.

I am also thankful to the Staff of the Rāmāyaṇa Department for their sincere co-operation, and to the Director, Oriental Institute, for the interest he has taken. I thank very heartily the Manager of the University Press for his co-operation and the painstaking care he has been taking in the printing.

**Contents and Sample Pages**