Ramayana

Compared to the western epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata are more complete story of Hindu, religious, cultural and social imagination and more exact narration of evolutionary rise of man. In this book, William Buck has succeeded better than anyone else in conveying the spirit of the

original.

The task of presenting a faithful image of the original text, its metaphysical nuances as well as its chronological sequence the world's largest epic in a small book is a stupendous task.

Mainly as a narration, the version of William Buck will serve as an interesting and complete tale to the English speaking reader. Valmiki was called the Adikavi or "first poet" of Sanskrit literature and some of his remarkable talent shines forth in the English rendering. The reader will find pleasure in reading it aloud to himself or the others.

Review(s)

"To say the Ramayana is one of the great epics of India may be a misleading understatement, for it is of far greater importance to India than the Greek epics are to Western thought... Buck has succeeded better than anyone else in conveying the spirit of the original." - Choice

"For the purpose of the general reader, the book is flawless: a marvellous tale, told with all the elan of Tolkien, charmingly but unobtrusively illustrated, and with an introduction by a prominent Sanskritist." - Pacific Affairs

"The Ramayana is simply a fascinating story of courtly intrigue, fierce battles, and sacrifice on an heroic scale... Buck has done a real service in making available to the English-speaking world this imcomparable Indian epic." - The Virginia Quarterly Review

"The task of presenting a faithful image of the original, though so greatly reduced in size, is here on the whole fulfilled to a truly remarkable degree... To call it inspired is no overstatement." - The Asian Student

"This is divine storytelling at its finest. When he finished his manuscripts, William Buck wrote, 'Based on the words of ancient songs, I have written books. I tried to make them interesting to read. I don't think you will find many other books like them.' He was absolutely correct." - Bo Lozoff

"This cannot be called a literal translation of the epic, but a retelling of it in the form of a story. And what a retelling! The language is simple and poetic and will delight both the grown up and the young alike." - Swami Satyamayananda, Prabuddha Bharata Vol.108, May 2003

"The work is not only a mere translation but stands as a literary work of great significance. The author has full command over the language of his expression and he has accomplished the tough task of rendering it into English with a commendable effort." - Prof. Ravinder Kaur, Journal of Religions Studies Vol.31, No.122, Spring-Autumn 2000