वाल्मीकि रामायण

बालकाण्ड (Bāla-kāṇḍa)

Setting: Ayodhya and the forest hermitages of Vishwamitra

The Ramayana opens with sage Valmiki receiving the story from Narada and being inspired to compose it in verse. Dasharatha, childless king of Ayodhya, performs the Putrakameshthi yajna; Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna are born. Sage Vishwamitra takes the young Rama and Lakshmana to protect his yajna — Rama kills Tataka, subdues Maricha and Subahu, lifts and breaks Shiva's bow at Janaka's court, and weds Sita. The kanda closes with Rama's wedding procession returning to Ayodhya.

Central figure: The young Rama with Vishwamitra and Lakshmana

अयोध्याकाण्ड (Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa)

Setting: Royal court of Ayodhya and the journey into exile

Dasharatha resolves to crown Rama yuvaraja. Kaikeyi, manipulated by her maid Manthara, demands her two boons: Bharata be crowned and Rama exiled for fourteen years. Rama accepts unhesitatingly; Sita and Lakshmana insist on accompanying him. Dasharatha dies of grief. Bharata, returning from his uncle's house, refuses the throne, journeys to Chitrakuta, and begs Rama to return. Rama refuses; Bharata takes Rama's paduka (sandals), places them on the throne, and rules as regent.

Central figure: Rama in his vow of dharma; Bharata in his rejection of the unearned throne

अरण्यकाण्ड (Araṇya-kāṇḍa)

Setting: The Dandaka forest, Panchavati on the Godavari

Rama spends years in the Dandaka forest visiting sages, slaying rakshasas who torment them — including Viradha, Khara and Dushana with 14,000 demons. Shurpanakha, sister of Ravana, falls for Rama; spurned and disfigured by Lakshmana, she runs to Ravana. Ravana enlists Maricha as a golden deer to lure Rama away. Sita is abducted; Jatayu fights Ravana and is mortally wounded. Rama and Lakshmana, returning to the empty hut, begin the search.

Central figure: Sita — her abduction is the hinge of the epic

किष्किन्धाकाण्ड (Kiṣkindhā-kāṇḍa)

Setting: The vanara kingdom of Kishkindha and the search expeditions

Rama meets Hanuman, then Sugriva at Rishyamukha. They make an alliance: Rama will help Sugriva regain his throne from his brother Vali; Sugriva will help find Sita. Rama slays Vali (controversially, from concealment). After the monsoon, Sugriva mobilises vanara armies in four directions to search for Sita. The southern party, led by Angada and including Hanuman, reaches the southern coast and meets Sampati (Jatayu's brother), who confirms Sita is in Lanka. Hanuman leaps the ocean.

Central figure: Hanuman emerges — and Sugriva's loyalty is tested

सुन्दरकाण्ड (Sundara-kāṇḍa)

Setting: The ocean crossing, Lanka, and the Ashoka Vatika

Hanuman leaps from Mahendra hill, defeats Surasa and Simhika, lands in Lanka, finds Sita in the Ashoka Vatika, comforts her with Rama's ring, accepts her chudamani (crest-jewel) as proof, allows himself to be captured by Indrajit, sets Lanka on fire with his tail, and returns to deliver the news. This is the only kanda named after a character's deed rather than a place. Devotees read Sundara Kanda for fulfillment of wishes; its name "Beautiful" reflects Hanuman's perfect bhakti.

Central figure: Hanuman — the ideal devotee

युद्धकाण्ड (Yuddha-kāṇḍa)

Setting: The shore of the southern ocean, Lanka, the battlefield

The vanara army builds the Rama Setu under Nala's direction. Vibhishana defects from Ravana and is accepted. After failed embassies (Angada), war begins. Major duels: Kumbhakarna falls to Rama, Indrajit to Lakshmana (after the Sanjeevani booti episode). Finally Rama and Ravana meet; Rama uses the Brahmastra and slays Ravana. Vibhishana is crowned king of Lanka. Sita undergoes the Agni Pariksha. Rama returns to Ayodhya in the Pushpaka Vimana, is crowned, and Rama Rajya begins.

Central figure: Rama as the warrior-king; Ravana as the great antagonist

उत्तरकाण्ड (Uttara-kāṇḍa)

Setting: Ayodhya years after the coronation; Valmiki's ashram

The Uttara Kanda recounts the back-history of Ravana, Hanuman's birth, and Rama's reign. Hearing public murmurs about Sita's captivity, Rama exiles her — pregnant — to Valmiki's ashram, where she gives birth to Lava and Kusha. The twins learn the Ramayana from Valmiki and recite it at Rama's Ashwamedha yajna. Rama recognises them; Sita is asked to prove her purity again, calls upon Bhumi Devi (her mother Earth), and is taken back into the earth. Rama later relinquishes his body. This kanda is considered a later addition by many scholars but is part of received tradition.

Central figure: Sita — the suffering she absorbs makes her the moral center