श्री राम

Ramayana

रामायणम्

Twenty-three thousand verses. Seven kandas. One ideal life. The story Valmiki sang two and a half millennia ago — read freely, in seven Indian languages.

Explore the StoryMeet the personalities →
7
Kandas
648
Sargas
23,402
Sacred Shlokas
7
Languages
Scroll into the story
Invocation · मङ्गलाचरण
तपः स्वाध्यायनिरतं तपस्विनं वाग्विदां वरम् ।
नारदं परिपप्रच्छ वाल्मीकिर्मुनिपुङ्गवम् ॥
Tapaḥ svādhyāya-niratam tapasvinaṁ vāgvidāṁ varam,
nāradaṁ paripapraccha vālmīkir-munipuṅgavam.
Valmiki, the sage, asked Narada — best among speakers, devoted to penance and study — the question that would become this entire poem.
Bāla Kāṇḍa · 1.1.1 — the very first shloka
explore the project · प्रकल्पः

Six ways into the epic

From the seven kandas to the hundred souls who touch Rama's life — choose where to begin.

कथा
The Story
All seven kandas, from Bala to Uttara — the full arc of Sri Rama's ideal life.
Read the chapters →
यात्रा
The Journey
Trace Rama's path on a map — Ayodhya to Lanka and back, fourteen years on foot.
Walk the map →
प्रदक्षिणा
Pradakshina
The 108 names of Sri Rama — tap a diya, chant each one, complete the round.
Begin the parikrama →
पात्राणि
Personalities
A hundred souls who touch Rama's life — devotee, brother, foe, sage.
Meet them all →
भाषाः
Languages
The same verse, the same dharma — in seven Indian scripts and English.
Read in your tongue →
दानम्
Support the Mission
Sustain a free Ramayana for the world — no ads, no paywalls, no accounts.
Offer a diya →
about · परिचयः

About the Ramayana

The Ramayana (Sanskrit: रामायणम्, Rāmāyaṇam, “Rama's Journey”) is one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India, composed by Maharishi Valmiki, revered as the Ādi-Kavi — the first poet of human literature. It tells the story of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, his wife Sita, his brother Lakshmana, and the devoted Hanuman, across 14 years of exile and the war against the rakshasa king Ravana.

The Valmiki Ramayana contains 23,402 shlokas organised into 648 sargas across 7 Kandas (books): Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Yuddha Kanda, and Uttara Kanda. Every shloka is a meditation on dharma — righteous duty — and together they form the foundational narrative of an ideal life, ideal king, ideal devotee, and ideal family.

On Ramayana.info, the complete Sanskrit text is available free of charge — in Devanagari alongside Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam scripts — with progressive prose translations rolling out in English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. No ads, no paywalls, no accounts. Just the eternal story, told in your language.

the seven books · सप्तकाण्डानि

Seven Kandas of the Valmiki Ramayana

From the divine birth of Rama in Bala Kanda to the golden age of his righteous reign in Uttara Kanda.

I
Bala Kandaबालकाण्ड
The Beginning
The birth of Rama, his early adventures, and the breaking of Shiva's bow at Mithila.
77 sargas · 2,217 shlokas
→
II
Ayodhya Kandaअयोध्याकाण्ड
The Exile
A prince renounces his throne the night before his coronation, for his father's honour.
119 sargas · 4,262 shlokas
→
III
Aranya Kandaअरण्यकाण्ड
The Forest
Thirteen years in Dandaka, the golden deer, and the abduction of Sita.
75 sargas · 2,439 shlokas
→
IV
Kishkindha Kandaकिष्किन्धाकाण्ड
The Alliance
Rama meets Hanuman, befriends Sugriva, and the vanara army is raised.
67 sargas · 2,445 shlokas
→
V
Sundara Kandaसुन्दरकाण्ड
The Beautiful
Hanuman's leap across the ocean, the burning of Lanka, and Sita's message.
68 sargas · 2,772 shlokas
→
VI
Yuddha Kandaयुद्धकाण्ड
The War
The bridge over the sea, the great war with Ravana, and Rama's return to Ayodhya.
131 sargas · 5,693 shlokas
→
VII
Uttara Kandaउत्तरकाण्ड
The Legacy
The reign of Rama, the testing of Sita, and the ascent into eternity.
111 sargas · 3,574 shlokas
→
See the complete journey on a map →
questions · प्रश्नाः

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the Ramayana, Valmiki, and this platform.

Who wrote the Ramayana?

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The Ramayana was composed by Maharishi Valmiki in Sanskrit, traditionally regarded as the ādi-kāvya — the first poem of human literature. Valmiki is called the Ādi-Kavi, the first poet.

How many shlokas are in the Valmiki Ramayana?

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The complete Valmiki Ramayana contains 23,402 shlokas organised into 648 sargas (chapters) across 7 Kandas (books): Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kishkindha, Sundara, Yuddha, and Uttara.

What are the 7 Kandas of the Ramayana?

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The seven Kandas are Bala Kanda (the beginning, 2,217 shlokas), Ayodhya Kanda (the exile, 4,262 shlokas), Aranya Kanda (the forest, 2,439 shlokas), Kishkindha Kanda (the alliance, 2,445 shlokas), Sundara Kanda (Hanuman's leap, 2,772 shlokas), Yuddha Kanda (the war, 5,693 shlokas), and Uttara Kanda (the aftermath, 3,574 shlokas).

In which languages can I read the Ramayana on this site?

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The Sanskrit shlokas are rendered in 7 Indic scripts — Devanagari, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Malayalam, and transliterated Latin — with prose meanings progressively rolling out in English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam.

What is the difference between the Ramayana and the Mahabharata?

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The Ramayana (by Valmiki) tells the life of Lord Rama and his victory over Ravana across 23,402 shlokas. The Mahabharata (by Vyasa) is a later, much longer epic (~100,000 shlokas) centred on the Kurukshetra war. The Ramayana is older and focuses on an ideal dharmic life; the Mahabharata explores dharma's complexities.

Is reading the Ramayana on Ramayana.info free?

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Yes. The complete text, translations, commentaries, and character index are freely available to everyone — no ads, no paywalls, no account required. The platform is sustained by voluntary donations from those it has blessed.

What is Sundara Kanda and why is it special?

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Sundara Kanda (The Beautiful Book) is the 5th book, centred on Hanuman's journey to Lanka in search of Sita. It spans 68 sargas and 2,772 shlokas and is traditionally recited for protection, courage, and overcoming obstacles — the only Kanda routinely chanted as a standalone devotional practice.
जय श्री राम

A Mission of Dharma

This platform is free and open to all. No ads, no algorithms designed to exploit — only the timeless story of righteousness, devotion, and the triumph of good over evil. We believe Lord Rama's teachings can bring light to every corner of the world.

लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु

“May all beings everywhere be happy and free”

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