Ramayana: Ayodhya Book 2 (Clay Sanskrit Library)

Description

The king decides to abdicate in favor of Rama; but just as the celebrations reach their climax, a court intrigue forces Rama and Sita into fourteen years banishment; they dutifully accept their fate, and go off to the jungle. The other brothers refuse to benefit from his misfortune, which leaves nobody to run the city; eventually one of them is persuaded to act as regent, but only consents to do so on condition that he lives outside the city and acts in Rama’s name. “Ayódhya” is Book Two of Valmíki’s national Indian epic, The Ramáyana. The young hero Rama sets out willingly from the capital with wife and brother for a fourteen-year banishment, which will entail great suffering and further difficult choices in the books ahead. Of the seven books of this great Sanskrit epic, "Ayódhya" is the most human, and it remains one of the best introductions to the social and political values of traditional India. Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation For more on this title and other titles in the Clay Sanskrit series, please visit http://www.claysanskritlibrary.org Cover Title Page Copyright CONTENTS CSL Conventions Introduction Book Two: Ayodhya 1-6. Rama As Prince Regent 7-12. The Boons Of Kaikeyi 13-22. Rama Submits 23-28. Sita and Lakshmana 29-36. Rama Renounces 37-42. Ayodhya Grieves 43-50. The Hermitage on Mount Chitra-Kuta 51-58. The End of Dasha-ratha 59-68. Bharata Returns 69-76. Bharata Refuses the Throne 77-87. Bharata in Pursuit of Rama 88-103. Rama is Resolved 104-107. The Viceroyalty of Bharata 108-111. Rama Enters the Forest Glossary Index