Dramatis Personae of Valmiki Ramayana

Prof. T.S.Krishna Murthy is a veteran Sanskrit scholar who taught Sanskrit literature in graduation and post-graduation level for more than three decades. After his retirement from Government Service, he continued to serve in many educational institutions Principal, Educational Advisor and Director shnamurthy, He is a well-known orator and author of many books. His works include hundreds of articles, original works and translation of many Sanskrit works. For his erudite scholarship and service, he has been honored by many institutions. The present work is a collection of his series of articles on Ramayana characters published in a monthly Scholarly Foreword to this book is written by Prof. Sivaramakrishnan, Chennai.

Sri.Sivaramakrishnan is a massive intellect and a scholar-par-excellence. He was the editor of Bhavan's journal for nearly two decades and also the Chief Editor of Encyclopedia ot Hinduism, an American University Project. He has made an in depth study of ancient Indian literature, especially the two great epics. His Foreword reinforces the central theme of the book besides adding a special grace to it.

Of the several epics of the world in different languages, the Ramayana of Valmiki in Sanskrit is unique. Its uniqueness is apparent when one considers its deep and pervasive influence on the life and culture of the people of India. The Indian, literate or illiterate, farmer or factory-hand, rich or poor carries, in his mind, as Jawaharlal Nehru said in his 'Discovery of India', a portrait gallery; it is a gallery of the heroes and heroines, indeed of all the characters, of our epics and the In the midst of them all stands Sri Rama, benign and beautiful, with the soft lustre of a blue lotus-'neela saroja komala ruchim Ramam bhaje', as the meditative verse on Rama goes.

The story of Sri Rama, his exploits no less than his sufferings as a mortal, appeals to all classes of people. It has been propagated, from the days of Suta Pauranika, down the ages, by story-tellers of knowledge and skill, to every nook and corner of the country. The original text of Valmiki in Sanskrit and its several versions in the languages of India have been made known to the people through (discourses) by the learned for generations. The traditional presentation, while not deviating from the main story-line, highlights the religious, moral and spiritual significance of the episodes. Modern scholarship, both of India and the West, has concentrated on the date and authorship of the epic as well as the literary merits and the aesthetic charm of Valmiki's poem hailed as the first composition of its kind in world's literature.

This is a collection of short studies of the Dramatis Personae of the Valmiki Ramayana. These sketches serve to give the general readers an idea of the characters of the Great Epic in a brief compass.

At present, context there is a growing interest in the cultural heritage of our land. The publication of these studies in an enduring form will (it is hoped) be welcomed by the readers.

Here are thirty-five articles-seven on Rama alone- which were originally published in the magazine "Sad guru's Blessings", a spiritual monthly magazine of Swayamprakasha Trust, Sri Mutt, and Hariharapura.

The writer expresses his gratitude to the trust and also to the learned Editor. The author is profoundly thankful to Dr.ShrinivasaVarkhedi, Director, Sanskrit Academy, Osmania University, Hyderabad, for accepting this work for publication.

The Ramayana is an ocean of bliss and beauty bequeathed to mankind by the master mind, the sage-poet, Adikavi Valmiki. The author of this book invites the readers to take a dip into this holy spiritual ocean. In arranging the order of the characters in this book, I received the seasoned advice of my friend, Sri B.Subrahmanya Sastry, a prolific writer. I am thankful to him.

My good friend, Sri. V. SivaRamaKrishnan has edited the book and contributed the foreword. He was the Associate Editor of 'Bhavan's Journal' for about two decades, and the Indian editor of the 'Encyclopedia of Hinduism', sponsored by the Parmarth Niketan of Rishikesh. He has written a few books, the latest of which is 'Indian Culture as the Song of the Spirit An Introduction. I am deeply grateful to him.