أدهياتما رامايانا

Thb Adhydtraa RAmayana is a canonical T>ook of the Vaishnavas and is a park of the Brahm&nda Purdna. Jt is very highly respected by all classes of Hindus for the beauty of its language, its flow of verse, its clear statement of the doctrines of the Veddnta, and, like the Bhngavada GitA, for its combination of the path of devotion with that of knowledge. It is a dialogue between the God Mahddeva and his consort PArvabl on the divinity of RAma and opens with the question as to why when RAma was the Supreme Being, he forgot his real nature and had to he reminded of it by another. The allusion is to VA’.miki RAmAyana (chapter 117, Vudha KAnda) where RAma is sunk in the ocean of sorrow at the ordeal of SitA and BrahmA reminds him of his being the Supreme self. If, on the other hand, Rama always knew his true self, why did he grieve for tho loss of SltA. The reply of MahAdeva was that in truth RAma was the Supreme self (ParamAtmA) who never moved or did any thing, or was ever subject to joy or sorrow, birth or death, pleasure or pain. All these were superimposed upon him through error beginningless (a nddiavidyd). To expound this mystery is the task set before it by the Adhydtraa Rama* ynna. The work is divided into seven KAndas or books like the RAmAyana of VAlmiki. These are the Bdla (childhood), Ayodhyd, the Arawya (forest), Kishkindhd, Sundara (beautiful), the Yudd/ta (battle) and the U tiara (sequel). It consists of 64 ohapters and 4,200 verses mostly in the