Books in Telugu on Ramayana

Composed by Telugu king-poet Ranganatha, popularly known as Gona Budda Reddy; the Ranganatha Ramayanamu is the Telugu rendition of the great epic, Ramayana. The Telugu version has slight dissimilarities in the tale, introduced by the author to make the story more believable. These added parts were the seven “Kandas”-

1. The conversation between Valmiki and Narada, the marriage of Rama and Sita in Mithila, and Rama's return to Ayodhya are all covered in this. While Manthara enters the Valmiki Ramayana in Ayodhya Kanda, this canto recounts an episode involving young Rama and Manthara. Manthara abruptly flung the ball far from Rama as they were playing with a ball and a stick. Rama shattered her knee when he hit her with the stick in a fit of rage. Kaikeyi sent this word to King Dasaratha. Rama and his other boys would attend school, the monarch decided. This occurrence prompts the monarch to reflect on his duty to teach his sons so that they can grow in knowledge and wisdom. 

The other Kandas/Cantos are Uttara Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Yudha Kanda, and Ayodhya Kanda.

2. To make the topic seem more believable and genuine, Ranganatha incorporated certain important episodes. For instance, during the construction of the bridge, a squirrel decided that by dipping into the river, rolling in the sand, and throwing away the sand in the middle of the rocks, it would assist Sri Rama reach his goal. Knowing this, Sri Rama honored the squirrel for its dedication and used his fingers to draw three lines on its back. This is how the three white lines on squirrels' backs are thought to have formed.

The Symbolic Significance of the Ramayana

The Ramayana is symbolic of the continuing war between good and evil. Evil surfaces in the material world due to human beings’ impurity and debasement. Human beings are prone to meet evil, but can overcome them with the power of the love they have for God. The epic serves as a metaphor for the impact of dedication on human existence and the close relationship between God and his followers. God took on the form of Rama to give people a perfect example to imitate in order to free themselves from suffering. Rama stands for the Supreme Self and the blessings. As a result of his tamasic and demonic nature, Ravana represents the ego with ten evil attributes, which challenges God and asserts his individuality. The body is a representation of Lanka, which is under the control of the ego (Ravana), which, by pride and delusion, enslaves the embodied Self (Sita). God (Rama) gathers the army of monkeys, which are the body's restless and erratic senses and other organs. He builds a bridge to cross over to Lanka. He eliminates the ego (Ravana) and its legion of evils and re-establishes his connection to the unique Self (Sita). The moment he locates the unique Self, he purifies it in the austerity fire (tapah), just as Rama did for Sita, and removes all the impurities that gathered around the Self throughout its captivity and bondage in the body.

FAQS

Q1. What values does the Ramayana preach?

Respecting and devoting oneself to one’s family and never breaking your promise are values that the great epic preach.

Q2. What is Ramayana an allegory of?

The great epic is an allegory of a great soul’s journey.