% Ramayana: General information

% Last updated: Fri Sep 25 2020

% Encoding: Unicode Devanagari
%

==================================
Electronic text of the Ramayana
==================================

This file contains information about the electronic text of the

Ramayana. Anyone who intends to make use of the text is asked to
read it carefully. It is divided into three sections:

* The status of the electronic text

* The format of the electronic text
* Notes on the electronic text

John D. Smith
University of Cambridge

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The status of the electronic text

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This text has its origins in the work of Prof. Muneo Tokunaga of the
University of Kyoto. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Prof. Tokunaga
typed the entire text of the Critical Edition of the Ramayana (Baroda,
1960-75) into a computer; he then placed the electronic text he had thus
created on the Internet. The enormity of the labour involved in the creation
of the text is matched only by Prof. Tokunaga's generosity in making it so
freely available to the scholarly world. This version of the text derives
ultimately from that first version, and I am deeply grateful to Prof. Tokunaga
for permitting this use of the products of his labour.

Unlike the electronic Mahabharata, this text of the Ramayana has not benefited
from the attention of a dedicated team working for several years to free it
from errors. After converting Prof. Tokunaga's ASCII-based version to Unicode,
and regularising the format to correspond to that of the Mahabharata, I have
merely corrected errors as they came to my attention. In doing so I have
received the kind assistance of a number of people who reported to me errors
they had found. They include: Robert Chen, Yves Codet, Phillip Ernest, James
L. Fitzgerald, Giulio Geymonat, Arlo Griffiths, Krešimir Krnic, Kirti
Kulkarni, Christopher Minkowski, Sven Sellmer and Michael Slouber. (Please
inform me of anyone I have accidentally omitted.)

However, the text is still neither as accurate nor as consistent as I would

like, so it should be used with caution. If you believe you have found an
error, please report it by email to Suvarna Deshpande (suvarnad09 [at]
gmail.com) or Pranav Gokhale (pranavpg88 [at] gmail.com). Before reporting any
error, please read the rest of this document!

Corrections will be made to errors remaining in the text as they come to

light. Check the “Last updated” date at the head of each kāṇḍa against the
current dates listed on the distribution website (URL
https://bombay.indology.info/ramayana/welcome.html) to see whether you need to
download newer versions.

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The format of the electronic text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Line-numbers
---------------

The text is divided into seven files, one per main book (काण्ड) of the
Ramayana. However, the format of each line is such as to identify it uniquely,
whichever file it happens to come from. At the start of every line appears an
eight-character line-number specifying the book or काण्ड (one digit), the
chapter or सर्ग (three digits), the verse or श्लोक (three digits), and
the quarter-verse or पाद (one letter, specifying the first of the two
पाद s that form each line). Thus the last verse of the entire Ramayana
appears as:

7100026a एतावदेव आख्यानं सोत्तरं ब्रह्मपूजितम्

7100026c रामायणमिति ख्यातं मुख्यं वाल्मीकिना कृ तम्

indicating that it represents पाद s a to d of the 26th verse of book 7,

chapter 100.

If the line is part of a verse in त्रिष्टु भ् or other longer metre, the

division between the पाद s is marked with a semicolon:

1001079a पठन्द्विजो वागृषभत्वमीया;त्स्यात्क्षत्रियो भूमिपतित्वमीयात्

2. Encodings
------------

The text is available in three encodings (character sets) commonly used for
Sanskrit and other Indian languages: Unicode Devanagari, Unicode Roman (using
the conventions defined in ISO 15919), and ASCII (using the Harvard/Kyoto
conventions).

3. Spelling conventions
-----------------------

Forms such as किं चित् (/चन/अपि) are everywhere spelt as two words in
Roman representations of the electronic text (assuming that sandhi does not
prevent this, as in कापि), whatever the usage in the printed text. The word
कच्चित् of course is unchanged, as are compounded forms such as
यत्किं चित्कारिन् “acting wilfully”.

In the Devanagari versions of the text, forms such as किं चित् are spelt as
single words to respect normal usage in Indian scripts.

The phrase अथ वा is always written as two words. The same applies to

periphrastic perfects: कथयां बभूव, etc.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes on the electronic text

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Occasionally the electronic text differs from the text as given in the printed
edition. The following is a complete list of such differences: each line or
stanza is quoted as it is actually printed, followed by a comment explaining
the apparent discrepancy. Note that changes made purely to adhere to the
spelling conventions listed above are not included. Note also that all
corrections included in the printed edition's various lists of errata, etc.,
have been applied to the electronic text: they too are not referred to here.
(Among the corrections to Book 1, The Bālakāṇḍa, are changes to the line
numbering affecting passages 1.9.7–8, 1.13.22–4, 1.15.25–7 and 1.26.16–19: the
numbering in the electronic text implements these corrections.)

1001025a पौरैरनुगतो दूरं पित्रा दशरथेन च

1001025c शृङ्गवेरपुरे सूतं गङ्गाकू ले व्यसर्जयत्
In the Critical Notes, the editor remarks, “Read 59* in the text after 25.”
This and similar insertions have not been made here as they would scramble
the line numbering. Star passage 59* reads:
गुहमासाद्य धर्मात्मा निषादधिपतिं प्रियम्
गुहेन सहितो रामो लक्ष्मणेन च सीतया

1001029a मृते तु तस्मिन्भरतो वसिष्ठप्रमुखैर्द्विजैः

1001029c नियुज्यमानो राज्याय नैच्छद्राज्यं महाबलः
In the Critical Notes, the editor remarks, “After 29, 70*, 71* and 73*
should be read in the text.” Star passage 70* reads:
अयाचद्भ्रातरं राममार्यभावपुरस्कृ तः
Star passage 71* reads:
त्वमेव राजा धर्मज्ञ इति रामं वचोऽब्रवीत्
Star passage 73* reads:
न चैच्छत्पितुरादेशाद्राज्यं रामो महाबलः

1001048a हनुमद्वचनाच्चैव सुग्रीवेण समागतः

1001048c सुग्रीवाय च तत्सर्वं शंसद्रामो महाबलः
In the Critical Notes, the editor remarks, “Read 96* and 97* after St. 48 in
the text.” Star passage 96* reads:
सुग्रीवश्चापि तत्सर्वं श्रुत्वा रामस्य वानरः
Star passage 97* reads:
चकार सख्यं रामेण प्रीतश्चैवाग्निसाक्षिकम्

1006022a अञ्जनादपि निष्क्रान्तैर्वामनादपि च द्विपैः

1006022c भद्रमन्द्रैर्भद्रमृगैर्मृगमन्द्रैश्च सा पुरी
In the Critical Notes, the editor remarks, “Put the star passage 243* in the
text after 22ab” — i.e., between the two existing lines of this श्लोक.
Star passage 243* reads:
भद्रैर्मन्द्रैर्मृगैश्चैव भद्रमन्द्रमृगैस्तथा

1073016a तस्मिंस्तमसि घोरे तु भस्मच्छन्नेव सा चमूः

1073016c ददर्श भीमसंकाशं जटामण्डलधारिणम्
In the Critical Notes, the editor remarks, “Read 1348* in the text as 16ef”
— i.e., as a third line of this श्लोक.” Star passage 1348* reads:
भार्गवं जामदग्न्येयं राजराजविमर्दनम्

2095019a सीते मृतस्ते श्वशुरः पित्रा हीनोऽसि लक्ष्मण

2095019c भरतो दुःखमाचष्टे स्वर्गतं पृथिवीपतिम्
In the Corrigenda, the editor remarks, “After 2.95.19, 2179* and 2178* are
to be read above in the Crit. Text as 2.95.20 and 21 and 22 respy., with the
changes सा सीता (for जानकी) and स्वर्गलोकगतं नृपम् for b in st.
20.” Star passage 2179* reads:
जानकी श्वशुरं श्रुत्वा सर्वलोकगुरुं मृतम्
नेत्राभ्यामश्रुपूर्णाभ्यां न शशाके क्षितुं पतिम्
Star passage 2178* reads:
ततो बहुगुणं तेषां बाष्पं नेत्रेष्वजायत
तथा ब्रुवति काकु त्स्थे कु माराणां यशस्विनाम्
ततस्ते भ्रातरः सर्वे भृशमाश्वास्य भार्गवम्
अब्रुवञ्जगतीभर्तुः क्रियतामुदकं पितुः