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The Epic of Ram, Volume 4

The Epic of Ram, Volume 4

Tulsidas

Translated by Philip Lutgendorf

ISBN 9780674975026

Publication date: 01/05/2018

The authoritative new translation of the epic Ramayana, as retold by the sixteenth-century poet Tulsidas and cherished by millions to this day.

The Epic of Ram presents a new translation of the Rāmcaritmānas of Tulsidas (1543–1623). Written in Avadhi, a literary dialect of classical Hindi, the poem has become the most beloved retelling of the ancient Ramayana story across northern India. A devotional work revered and recited by millions of Hindus today, it is also a magisterial compendium of philosophy and lore and a literary masterpiece.

The fourth volume turns to the story of Ram’s younger half-brother Bharat. Despite efforts to place him on the throne of Avadh, Bharat refuses, ashamed that Ram has been exiled. In Bharat’s poignant pilgrimage to the forest to beg the true heir to return, Tulsidas draws an unforgettable portrait of devotion and familial love.

This new translation into free verse conveys the passion and momentum of the inspired poet and storyteller. It is accompanied by the most widely accepted edition of the Avadhi text, presented in the Devanagari script.

Praise

  • [A] cause for celebration—one of India’s most influential texts has been translated into contemporary English by a pivotal scholar who has devoted much of his career to the text, and its afterlives…Gives us a firm starting point for charting horizons and pathways into still-living traditions.

    —Nikhil Govind, Scroll.in

Author

  • Philip Lutgendorf is Professor Emeritus of Hindi and Modern Indian Studies at the University of Iowa.

Book Details

  • 368 pages
  • 5-1/4 x 8 inches
  • Harvard University Press

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