Valmiki Ramayana (Vol. 1)

The Valmiki Ramayana remains a living force in the lives of the Indian people. A timeless epic, it recounts the legend of Rama, the exiled prince of Ayodhya, and his battle to vanquish the demon king Ravana. Exiled on the eve of his coronation, Rama enters the forests of Dandaka with his beautiful wife, Sita, and devoted brother, Lakshmana. When Sita is abducted by Ravana, who takes her to his isolated kingdom on the far side of the southern ocean, the two brothers set out to rescue her. What follows is a heroic tale filled with intrigue and adventure, gods and demons, colossal battles and ancient wisdom. But the Ramayana is also an intensely personal story of love and loss, duty and honour, petty jealousies and destructive ambitions. In this majestic new translation, the complete and unabridged text of the Critical Edition of this beloved epic can now be relished by a new generation of readers.

About the Author: An esteemed member of Niti Aayog, Bibek Debroy is also an economist who has published popular articles, papers and books on economics. He also writes on Indology and Sanskrit and was awarded the padma Shri in 2015. Penguin published Sarama and Her Children: The Dog in Indian Myth in 2008 and his translation of the Bhagavad Gita was published in 2006.