This perceptive and accessible edition brings Tulsidas’s version [of the Ramayana], the most widely read across Northern India, to English-speaking audiences, giving readers a fresh glimpse into the tale’s impressive energy.

Philip Lutgendorf’s excellent translation of the Rāmcaritmānas is a treat for all readers. We are fortunate to have a rendering of this hugely important text that captures the rhythms and excitement of the original work from the pen of a scholar who has dedicated decades to the study of Tulsidas and his works.

Myriad versions of the story of Rama have influenced many civilizations across South and Southeast Asia. Lutgendorf’s elegant translation of Tulsidas’s telling is an important step, expanding our appreciation of the great epic in all its forms.