The Infinite Story

Contents Preface XI Introduction Multiple Streams of the Ramayana Tradition 1 Introductory Remarks 1 The Beginings: Valmiki's Ramayana 3 Character of the Poem and its Hero 5 A few Remarks on the Popularity of the Ramayana 8 The Development of the Tradition in India 12 Sanskrit 12 Buddhist and Jaina Tellings 24 Ramayana in Regional Languages of India 26 Notes on the Cult of Ram (Rambhakti) 38 Introduction 38 Bhakti 42 Rambhakti in North India 46 Rasik Sampraday or Esoteric Rambhakti 48 Part One: The Story And Its Authors Chapter One Before Tulsidas : The Beginings of the Ramayana Tradition in Hindi Literature 59 Introduction 59 Ram's Story in the Sursagar 61 Vinsudas and His Ramayan: Thr Poet's Life and Works 66 Chapter Two In the World of Tulsidas's Ramkathas 72 Introductory Remarks on Tulsidas's Life and Works 72 The Ramcaritmanas 75 Introductory Remarks 75 The Poem's structure 77 Popularity of the Ramcaritmanas 87 Beyond the Ramcartimanas 91 The Ramlalanahacha and the Janakimangal 92 Ask Ram for Assistance-Ramkatha as a Method of Divination 97 Glory-songs of Raghunath': The Gitavali, the Vinaypatrika the Kavitavali and the Barvai ramayan 104 Conclusions 112 Chapter Three Ramkatha in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: In the Shawdow of Tulsidas? 115 Introductory Remarks 115 Artistry of Kesavdas 115 The poet and His Works 115 Moonlit' Ramkatha of the Ramcandrika 117 Characteristic Features of the Ramcandrika 123 Esoteric Ramkathas 128 Conclusions 133 Chapter Four On the Thershold of Modernity: Ramkathas in the Nineteenth Century 135 Transformation of Language and Form 135 Hindi Ramayanas as the Earliest Examples of hindi porse 138 Esoteric Influences 141 Anand Raghunandan: The First Modern Hindi Drama 141 Introductory Remarks 141 The plot, the structure and Dramatis Personae 143 Anand Raghunandan as the First Hindi Drama An Appraisal 146 Conclusions 147 Banadas: A Nineteenth-century Singer of Ram's Glory 149 Ubhay prbodhak ramayan: Double Illumination of Ramkatha 154 Conclusions 160 Chapter Five Modernizing the Tradition: Ramkathas of the First Half of the Twentieth Century 162 Introduction: Contextualizing Ramkathas 162 Transforming Poetical Utterance 163 Maithilisaran Gupta's Saket 176 Introduction 176 How Saket Was Written 177 How Saket Is Written 179 Why Saket. 183 Urmila, Saket and Ramkatha 184 Saket's Appraisal 187 Drama and Novel 188 Conclusions 193 Chapter Six Ramkathas of the Second Half of the Twentieth Century 195 Introduction 195 Ramkatha in Contemporary hindi poetry and Drama 196 Ramkatha in the Contemporary Novel 201 Introductory Notes on Myth in Literature 201 Catursen Sastris Vayam raksamah 205 The Ramkatha Cycle by Narendra Kohli 208 Bhagvan Simh's Apne apne Ram 216 Simh's Ramkatha 217 Towards a New Myth? 220 Conclusions 222 Part Two: The Protagonist Of The Story Chapter Seven On the Nature of Tulsidas's Ram 227 Introduction 227 The Incarnate Absolute 230 Divine Aspects 230 Human aspect 236 Ram the king 241 Chapter Eight The Heaven on Earth Builder: Ram in Gupta's Saket 248 Chapter Nine Creating New Mythological Spaces? On Tradition, Society and the Role of People in Bhagvan simh's Apne apne Ram 257 The Infinite Story? Conclusions Appendices Appendix A: A summary of the story in Tulsidas's Ramcartimanas 273 Appendix B: Names of the Major Characters and places in the Ramcaritmanas 286 Bibliography 293 Index 315