Word

Ananda Ramayana

Sanskrit

आनन्द रामायण

IAST

ānanda rāmāyaṇa

In General

Ananda Ramayana is a version of Ramayana. The story is slightly different from Valmiki Ramayana, however the authorship is ascribed to Valmiki. The text contain many hymns in praise of Sri Rama. Ramaraksha Mahamantra is from this text.

Purana

Ravana believing prophecy that the son of Dasaratha will kill him tried his best to kill Dasaratha. Desaratha escaped death by the intervention of Brahma and Rama was born to Dasaratha in Kausalya.

Meanwhile the King Padmaksa performed tapa to get Mahalaksmi as his daughter. Mahavisnu gave the King a fruit, from that a beautiful girl was born. The King named her Padma. When she attained marriageable age, the King made preparations for her Svayamvara

On the day fixed for the marriage Raksasas came and destroyed all the preparations and killed King Padmaksa. Because of her sorrow at this disaster Padma jumped into the fire. The Raksasas searched for Padma every where, but they could not find her. They returned in disappointment.

One day, Ravana was travelling in his aerial chariot saw Padma and got fascinated by the beauty of Padma. So he stopped the vehicle and turned towards her. Seeing this, Padma again jumped into fire. Ravana made a search in the pile of fire. But all he got was five jewels. The disappointed Ravana placed the five jewels in a box and took it to Lanka and gave it to his wife Mandodari. One day Mandodari opened that box and saw Padma sitting in the form of a beautiful virgin. Thinking that it .was not proper to keep her who was the cause of destruction to Padmaksa, his family and kingdom, Mandodari exerted pressure on Ravana to cast the box out of Lanka. Ravana with his men took the box from Lanka and buried it in Mithila.

A brahmin of Mithila when ploughed his field got this box. Thinking that it belonged to the King, the brahmin took the box to King Janaka. The King Janaka opened the box found a girl in the box . He named the child Sita and brought her up.

Ravana abducting Ma Parvati with the power of a boon he got from Siva and Ma Parvati escaping from Ravana is a story found only in this text. The origin of Sivalinga of Gokarna is also told in Ananda Ramayana.