Tulasidasa's Sri Ramacaritamanasa: The Holy Lake of the Acts of Rama (A Romanized Edition)

SHRI RAMACHARITAMANASA of Tulasidasa is the single most popular book of the Hindus, which, for over four centuries, has greatly appealed equally to the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the old and the young, and the scholar and the common man. Keeping in mind people's ever-increasing quest for the epic, this unique edition of the Ramacharitamanasa with verse to verse Hindi and English translation along with Tulasidasa's original text has been prepared. The translation rendered by an accomplished scholar maintains the intrinsic richness of the original. Special care has been taken for making it useful to the Indian brethren living abroad to whom the dialect of Tulasidasa's original may be somewhat incomprehensible. There has been a long-standing demand from the vast Indian community settled abroad for a standard and authentic edition of the Ramacharitamanasa. A speical feature of this edition is the inclusion of Lavakushakanda, Shri Hanumanchalisa and Shri Ramashalaka Prashnavali. This edition is based on our original and widely acclaimed Shriramacharitamanasa-brought out in 1988. The present edition has been designed to meet their requirement by using the most modern printing and processing techniques to make it a work of international standard. The mode of its recitation is given as a separate appendix. Adding to its uniqueness is the inclusion of important section containing Indian, European and American scholars' criticisms on Tulasidasa's Ramacharitamanasa. A glossary of important proper nouns and epithets is given at the end. Review(s) "...Now we have an excellent rendering of the original into simple Hindi and English with its two disputed chapters in the appendices along with opinions of scholars both Indian and European..."-Khuswant Singh, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, December 10, 1988 "The beautifully printed book contains several multicoloured miniatures depicting the various facets of Rama's life... . The book is a highly rewarding experience for those who want to know the essence of Hinduism and the reason why the poet calls the story of Rama a perpetual source of blessing and joy."- A.J. Philip, The Hindustan Times, Patna, March 26, 1980 "The volume... is principally concerned with popularising the liberal devotional teaching of Tulsidasa."- Kailash Vajpeyi, Times of India, March 4, 1990 "The inclusion of the Tulasi text and the modern Hindi version makes this a better edition than the standard English translations of the Manasa... . The book is recommended for Manasa scholars as well as those interested in the Ramayana tradition."-Chicago South Asia Newsletter, Vol.13, No.3, September, 1989 "Prasad was brave in undertaking so daunting a task, and the readers can now pick up a single volume and peruse the original and the translations simultaneously. The Publishers have taken considerable care in producing the book. The text is easily readable and each page is handsomely decorated... ." - Pratapaditya Pal, India Currents, December, 1990 About the Author(s)

DR. R. C. PRASAD was University Professor of English in Patna University where he taught for about three decades. He was an eminent author, translator and editor. He had a good number of books to his credit.