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Book-Summary - Ramayana Unravelled

Ramayana Unravelled, book by Ami Ganatra is a fascinating read. It had lot of “ah! I had not thought it like this” moments as I read through the book. There were many things which I thought to belonged to actual Ramayana but aren’t. I realized Rishi Valmiki’s Ramayana is eternal and relevant to the current age. This has given me another boost shot to spend sometime weekly to read Ramayana from its source.

I have not read the Ramayana written by Rishi Valmiki. I knew about the overall story of Ramayana. I have read or listened to different versions of Ramayana stories which are like re-written or condensed versions from the source. Due to the very nature of these stories and the way it is communicated, I had developed a not so favorable opinion of the entire story. I felt that it may not be relevant in the current times. The values prescribed in the book might be too idealistic and not applicable in the current time frame.

This book was an eye opener. It explains popular sub stories/incidents of the Ramayana in a very clear way. It is explained in such a way that the values, the situations and the decision process during these incidents feels so relevant to current times. Each characters action and thinking is very pragmatic. Many of the popular stories associated to Ramayana is actually not present in the Rishi Valmiki’s Ramayana. They were from later rewritten versions and had lot of extra stories introduced to appeal to the people of that era.

I feel that anyone in India should read Valmiki’s Ramayana from an young age in Sanskrit. This not only teaches our culture but also gives a practical framework for handling any situation in a Dharmic way. There is so much to learn from each characters whether it is Rama, Lakshmana, Seeta, Hanumantha, Bharatha, Sugreeva and many more. Here is an example - “Rishi Valmiki explains that for a person to achieve success in life, following characteristics are important - “

  • Dhriti - strong willpower that keeps one firm in one’s resolve
  • Dhrishti - Vision or wisdom to see long term consequences
  • Mathi - Intellect for objective reasoning
  • Dakshya - Skill/capability in implementation

The book also gives the historical perspective of how our ancestors lived. The other aspect I realized, is that a person who knows Sanskrit would enjoy Ramayana even more with the way Valmiki has written it. The information is condensed and yet communicated to the fullest. This is based on the few Sanskrit shlokas quoted in the book. Example, to describe Rama he explains “रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः (Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmah - Rama is dharma incarnate)”

Overall, a must read book! Even if you have read Ramayana from source, I feel Ami Ganatra’s narration blends in her management lessons expressed via Ramayana adhering to Valmiki’s content, gives a new perspective.