Vedic Audio Knowledge Presents
The historic first audio recording in English
of the unabridged
RAMAYANA OF VALMIKI

     Welcome to the historic first audio recording of the unabridged Ramayana. The Ramayana is the story of the supreme hero-Rama-whose divine purpose was to purify the world of ignorance and negativity. Cognized by the illustrious sage Valmiki, the Ramayana was composed in Sanskrit, the language of the Vedic civilization of ancient India.  The date of composition of the Ramayana cannot be fixed, since for thousands of years, in the tradition of Vedic knowledge, Vedic literature was handed down orally singer to singer, generation after generation. Reading Rama's epic tale is powerful, but listening to it as part of this original oral tradition yields even deeper experiences.
     Of the many different aspects or branches of Vedic literature, the Ramayana belongs to the Itihasa branch, which also contains another great epic, the Mahabharata. The Ramayana was written in poetry of unsurpassed dramatic power and richness and contains over 24 thousand couplet verses, or slokas, making it one of the longest epic poems ever written (after the Mahabharata).
     The translation chosen for this recording is the Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam, by renowned Indian journalist, N. Raghunathan (Vighneswara Publishing House, India). His translation is a literal translation, not a paraphrase, and with his direct and simple style, using rhythmic prose, rather than poetic meter (which often does not translate well), he has captured the essence of the original. His translation has also adapted beautifully from the written to spoken word.

Volume I

     Volume I, read by Richard Ross, contains the first two books--Bala Kanda, the book of Rama's youth, and Ayodhya Kanda, which describes the affairs of Ayodhya, the capital city of Rama's realm. This volume describes the betrayal by Kaikeyi, Rama's exile to the forest, the grief of his father and the country, and the famous debate between Bharata and Rama in the forest. The beauty of these first two books is also contained in the many "stories-within-the-story" featured only in this unabridged production. Stories such as the battle between the great rishis Vasishta and Vishwamitra and the origin of the Ganges offer a rare glimpse into Vedic civilization in the time of Rama's realm.
     The reader, Richard Ross, an artist and singer with a life-long interest in Vedic literature, was chosen for his refinement of speech and beauty of voice.

Volume II

     Rama's epic tale continues in the next three books of the Ramayana: Aranya, Kishkindha and Sundara Kandas. As the story builds in dynamism in these sections, it is fitting that Volume II features a new voice that of talented Shakespearean actor Stephen White, who adds a dramatic power and depth to the production.
     Some of the most beloved scenes of the Ramayana unfold in Volume II, beginning with Aranya Kanda, the Book of the Forest Life, including: Rama's meeting with the wise rishis of the forest, the gaining of Agastyas's divine weapons, Rama's slaying of the 14,000 Rakshasas at Janasthana, the allure of the golden deer, and Ravana's abduction of Sita. Next, Kishkindha Kandas continues with the alliance with Sugriva, king of the monkeys; Rama's friendship with Hanuman; the slaying of Vali; and the worldwide search for Sita by Rama's Vanara allies. Volume II concludes with Sundara Kanda, including Hanuman's great leap across the ocean, his discovery of Sita and his faithrestoring message to her, the burning of Lanka, and Hanuman's triumphant return to Rama with a message from Sita.

Final Note

     While these events recounted in the Ramayana represent its outer value, the deeper action resides at a much subtler level within our own consciousness. The impulses of the Ramayana are actually structures of our own consciousness, our own Self. At this level, the Ramayana can be experienced as the "blossoming of totality", the living reality of the absolute level of life within boundaries. All the characters in the Ramayana, then, are aspects our own nature, playing out all its possibilities and tendencies. The vanquishing of ignorance and the reestablishment of Rama's realm are really our own "inner" drama, within our own Self.
      We hope that on all levels, your experiences and delight will continue to deepen as you listen to the story of totality on the move--the new audio Ramayana!

The Ramayana was recorded at Heavenly Mountain Resort in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  Here is the view from our
recording studio--a most serene environment for this auspicious
production.

 The Translator: N. Raghunathan (1893 - 1982)

Mr. N. Raghunathan was a brilliant writer, a profound scholar in English and Sanskrit, and the doyen of Indian journalism. After  thirty years as Assistant Editor of The Hindu, the well-known national English daily of Madras, he retired as its Chief Editorial Executive in 1957. At the age when most individuals would have retired comfortably, Mr. Raghunathan undertook the monumental task of translating both Srimad Bhagavatam and Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam from Sanskrit into English. After a decade of work and well into his eighties, and with failing health, Mr. Raghunathan devotedly completed his translation of the Ramayana shortly before passing on at age 89. There is perennial vitality in the Ramayana, and N. Raghunathan's translation in English, faithful to the original and attuned to modern ears, should help to enliven the age-long tradition of Vedic knowledge and inspire those outside the tradition with the secret of the eternal charm of Sita and of the hero in whom goodness and greatness were uniquely combined.

The Reader (Volume I): Richard Ross

Richard Ross is an artist, singer and actor whose work celebrates the revival of Vedic knowledge--knowledge which, when applied to the arts, illumines the link between higher states of consciousness and artistic fulfillment. For the past seventeen years he has been a member of Purusha, a group of single men who are dedicated to creating enlightenment for themselves and peace and prosperity for the world.  He lives and works at The Spiritual Center of America in North Carolina.

The Reader (Volume II): Stephen White

Stephen White (now known theatrically as Steve Black) is a graduate of the Trinity Rep. Theatre Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island, and the British-American Acting Academy in London. He has worked as an actor, director and stage combat fight choreographer with the Camden Shakespeare Co., the National Shakespeare Co., the Montana Shakespeare Co., Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, Seattle's Group Theatre and many others, including three of his own theatre companies in Fairfield, Iowa. Stephen, a long-time practitioner and teacher of the Transcendental Meditation Program, is originally from Los Angeles, where his father was a cameraman for Cecille B. DeMille and his uncles all pioneer film producers and directors in the "Golden Age"of Hollywood.

 The Producer/Director : Michael Sternfeld

Art, inspired from the depths of consciousness, has been Michael Sternfeld's life-long passion. He began his performing career exploring mythic art as a professional modern dancer and went on to produce, direct and/or perform in over four hundred theater, music, dance, and video events. Discovering the Vedic literature--in particular the Ramayana--he went on to co-direct a full theatrical production of the Ramayana with over four hundred children, created an educational program for students called RamQuest, and developed The Hero's Quest, an outdoor theme park based upon themes from the Ramayana. Most recently, he has produced numerous audio books with Vedic themes, including a collection of stories from the Upanishads, an introduction to Ayurveda, and several volumes of Panchatantra stories for children.

Michael Sternfeld (l.) and Stephen White (r.) beaming during production of the Ramayana in their recording studio.

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