Part 3 - The Glory of Valmiki Ramayana

Valmiki Ramayana has endeared the hearts of generations of people from time immemorial. This epic poem holds a unique place in the literary history of the world. No poem, ancient or modern, has sunk so deep into the hearts and lives of so many successive generations of men and women, as the Ramayana. It is a synthesis of all the Sastras. It is another Veda and revelation of ultimate truths. It is a gospel for the world at large. The assertion of the poet that as long as the mountains and rivers exist on earth, till then the Ramayana shall also shine gloriously, is no exaggeration. 66 yavat sthasyanti girayah saritasca mahitale | tavat ramayanakatha lokesu pracarisyati || It is one of the best epics that educates the right code of conduct and morals to be adopted in life. It has remained a constant and personal source of inspiration down the centuries, to men of letters in 5

of all the regional literatures in India. Srimad Ramayana is one of the best epics from which we learn a lot of things useful to the correct way living. Thus Ramayana is not just an epic, but a national fountainhead of all legendary lore and ideal ethical conduct, which has grown with the people like the Indian Banyan with countless roots and branches, in the imagination of men of letters of all regions.