Which Rāmāyaṇa should I read — Vālmīki, Tulsīdās or another?

Vālmīki for the original story, Tulsīdās for devotion — and your own language's Rāmāyaṇa for the heart.

Vālmīki's Sanskrit Rāmāyaṇa, the ādi-kāvya or first poem, is the oldest telling, in seven books (kāṇḍas). It shows Rāma as a noble human being, with real emotion and doubt. Good translations with the Sanskrit are available from Gita Press and others.

Tulsīdās's Rāmcaritmānas, written in Avadhī in the 16th century, is the most loved in North India. It is openly devotional — Rāma is God — and its dohās and caupāīs are sung in homes and at Sundarkāṇḍ recitals.

Almost every Indian language has its own classic: Kamban's Tamil Rāmāyaṇam, Kṛttivās's Bengali, Eknāth's Marathi Bhāvārtha Rāmāyaṇa, Ezhuthachan's Malayalam Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇam, and more, along with versions in Thailand, Indonesia and beyond. They differ in details, and that variety is part of the tradition. Start with whichever your family knows, and read Vālmīki at some point.

Vālmīki: 7 kāṇḍas; Tulsīdās: Avadhī, 16th c.

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