Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas

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Valmiki #Ramayana compared with Tulsidas #Ramcharitmanas

Difference #1: Date of Composition It has been estimated that Ramayana was written by Sage Valmiki between 1500 and 500 BC in 24000 slokas in Sanskrit Sage Goswami Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas in the 16th century AD. in Awadhi Chopai format

Difference #3: Wives of King Dasharatha As per Valmiki Ramayana, King Dasharatha had over three hundred and fifty wives out of which three were principal wives, namely: • Kaushalya • Kaikeyi • Sumitra In Tulsidas Ramcharitmanas, King Dasharatha has only three wives

Difference #4: Lakshman Rekha Valmiki Ramayana does not mention the episode of Lakshman Rekha. It has been described that Lakshman moved away from the hut after folding his hands before Sita.

Difference #5: Depiction of Shri Hanuman In Valmiki Ramayana, Shri Hanuman has been depicted as a human who belongs to the “Vanara” tribe. However, Tulsidas Ramcharitmanas, Shri Hanuman, has been depicted as a monkey, and “Vanara” is used as a species of monkeys.

Difference #6: Depiction of Shri Rama In Valmiki Ramayana, Shri Rama has been depicted as a human being referred to as “Maryada Purshottam.” However, in Tulsidas Ramcharitmanas, Shri Rama has been portrayed as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Difference #7: Characterization of Sita In Valmiki Ramayan, Sita Mata has been portrayed as a strong, outspoken, and aggressive woman. However, in Ramcharitmanas, she is shown as a submissive, reticent & soft-spoken woman.

Difference #8: Sita Swayamvara As per Valmiki Ramayana, King Janaka did not organize Sita Swayamvara as a mass function. However, in Ramcharitmanas, King Janaka organized Sita Swayamvara as a contest for lifting the Shiva Dhanus.

Difference #9: The abduction of Sita In Valmiki Ramayana, the abduction & suffering of Sita is real. Ravana forcefully kidnapped Sita and carried her to Lanka. Lord Rama rescued Sita by killing Ravana. Sita is asked to prove her purity to the world by giving Agni Pariksha.

However, in Ramcharitmanas, the real Sita was not kidnapped. Lord Rama foresaw the abduction of Sita. So, he sends the real Sita to Agni Deva and creates the clone of Sita. So, the Agni Pariksha was just a method to exchange the clone of Sita with real Sita.

Difference #10: Ravana’s fight with Lord Rama According to Valmiki Ramayana, Ravana fought with Lord Ram two times. Firstly, Ravana fought with Lord Rama at the beginning of the war. He was humiliated and left alive.

Secondly, Ravana fought with Lord Rama at the end of the war and was killed. However, as per Ramcharitmanas, Ravana came to battle with Lord Rama once at the end of the war and was killed.

Rama’s story ends in Valmiki Ramayana when Lord Rama drowns himself in the Saryu River, saddened by the absence of Sita and Lakshman. However, the story ends in Ramcharitmanas with the birth of twin sons – Luv & Kush to Rama and Sita.

The word “Ramayana” has been made up of two words – Rama + Aayanam (story). So, the meaning of Ramayana is Rama’s story. However, Ramcharitmanas comprises three words – Ram + Charit (good deeds) + Manas (lake). So, Ramcharitmanas means the lake of good deeds of Rama.

Valmiki Ramayana is regarded as the original source of Lord Rama’s story. However, it is said that Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas as heard from Lord Hanuman directly.

Valmiki's Ramayana, Rama was depicted as a human with exceptional conduct and virtues. Hence Rama was called Maryada Purshottam. In Ramcharitmanas, Rama was depicted as an avatar or an incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Please also read this thread how various regions adopted Ramayana as per their local values and ethos. twitter.com/GemsOfINDOLOGY/status/1593263552030068736?t=DNLLHA2liTUyVPzeU6OjDQ&s=19

I took above information from these sources byjus.com/free-ias-prep/difference-between-ramayana-and-ramcharitmanas/#:~:text=In%20Valmiki's%20Ramayana%2C%20Rama%20was,the%20world%20by%20removing%20evil hindutsav.com/valmiki-ramayana-tulsidas-ramcharitmanas/ jstor.org/stable/2942721 Should you find any anomaly or error please i will be happy to rectify. None of the pictures are mine. These are copyrighted by respective owners