The Ramayana

by Ramesh Menon

Budha The planet Mercury; he is also a God.

  Chaitra An auspicious lunar month; also, Kubera’s garden.

  chakra A wheel: in the body, a subtle center of energy along the spinal column and in the brain. See also Sudarshana chakra.

  chakravaka A mythical bird, a symbol of despairing love.

  chamara A whisk made of silk threads.

  chandala An untouchable.

  chandana The sandalwood tree.

  Chandra The Moon God.

  charana An unearthly being.

  Chiranjivi A long-lived, almost immortal person.

  chital A kind of deer.

  Chitraratha The king of the gandharvas.

  choodamani A hair ornament.

  Daitya Any of a group of demons, sons of Diti.

  Daksha A Prajapati who was Brahma’s son and Sati’s father.

  Danava Any of a group of demons, sons of Danu.

  danda A staff; also, punishment.

  darbha A kind of grass.

  darbhasana A seat made of darbha grass.

  Deva Any of a class of celestial, elemental beings; God; also, “Being of Light.”

  devadaru The Himalayan cedar.

  Devaloka The heavenly realm of the Devas.

  devastra The astra of the Devas.

  Devi Goddess.

  Dhanu The constellation Sagittarius; also, a God.

  dhanusha A bow.

  Dhanvantari The original physician, who rose from the sea of milk with the amrita.

  dharma Truth; justice; duty.

  Dhruva The North Star.

  dhyana Meditation.

  diggaja One of the elephants that support the world. There are four diggajas.

  Dikpala The lord of a direction.

  diksha A gift or offering for a brahmana.

  dumarus A two-sided hand drum beaten by stones attached to it by string.

  dundubhi A percussion instrument of the Gods.

  durdina An evil day.

  dwapara yuga The third great age.

  dwarapalaka A gatekeeper or sentinel.

  Dwividha A powerful vanara chieftain.

  ekarnava The original sea of life.

  gaandharva An astra of the gandharvas.

  gana A servitor of Siva.

  gandarvastra An astra of the gandharvas.

  gandharva Any of a race of heavenly minstrels.

  Garuda Vishnu’s Eagle.

  Gayatri The mother of all mantras.

  ghee Clarified butter.

  gochara A planetary transit.

  gotra Subcaste, clan.

  guna An essence of nature. There are three gunas: sattva, rajas, and tamas.

  guru A spiritual teacher or guide; master.

  gyana Knowledge, wisdom.

  Halahala The original poison, which Siva drank.

  Hari Vishnu.

  hatya Murder.

  havis The offering from a sacrifice.

  Himavan The Himalaya.

  Hiranyagarbha Pregnant with the Golden Egg.

  homa Ritual worship.

  Ikshvaku A king, founder of Rama’s royal House of Ikshvaku. A race of the Sun is named after him.

  Indra A God, the king of the Devas.

  Indradhanush A rainbow.

  Jambavan The king of the bears.

  Janaki Janaka’s daughter, Sita.

  Janardhana Vishnu.

  janma nakshatra A lunar birth star.

  jata Dreadlocks of the kind rishis wear.

  jatakarma A caste ritual.

  jaya Victory.

  Jaya vijayi bhava! “Be victorious!”

  jitendriya One who has conquered his senses.

  jivatma An embodied soul.

  jrumbhana An astra.

  kaala Time.

  Kaali The black Goddess.

  kadamba A tree.

  kali yuga The fourth and the most evil of the ages.

  Kama, Kamadeva The God of love.

  Kamadhenu The first, sacred, cow of wishes.

  kamandalu A brahmana’s water pot.

  Kama shastra The sacred arts of loving.

  kanchana Golden.

  kankana A bracelet.

  kanya A virgin; maiden; young woman.

  kanyadana A gift given by a bride or young maiden.

  kanya sulka Bride-price.

  karma Action; duty; also, the fruit of past deeds.

  Karttikeya Siva’s son.

  Kaumodaki, Kaumodiki Vishnu’s mace.

  kavacha Armor.

  kavya Poem.

  kinnara Faunlike being, known to ask riddles.

  kinnari Female kinnara.

  kirtana A devotional song.

  Kodanda Rama’s bow.

  koyal A cuckoo.

  krita yuga The first of the four ages; the purest, most pristine yuga.

  krodhagraha A room reserved for being angry in; “chamber of anger.”

  krosa A measurement of distance.

  kshatriya A member of the caste of royal warriors.

  Kshirasagara A mythical sea of milk.

  Kubera A Deva who is Lord of treasures.

  kula A clan.

  kulaguru The teacher of a royal family.

  kulapati The head of a clan.

  kundala Earrings; studs.

  Kurma The Tortoise: Vishnu’s second Avatara.

  kutila A hut.

  lagna An ascendant, rising sign.

  Lakshmi The Goddess of fortune; Vishnu’s consort.

  linga Siva’s phallic emblem; phallus.

  loka World; realm; dimension.

  Lokapala The Gods; the guardians of the four quarters; also, the world.

  Madhuvana Vineyard.

  magadhi Bard, singer.

  maharathika A great warrior.

  Mahavishnu Vishnu.

  mahima siddhi The occult power to grow big and small.

  mahodadi A great sea.

  mahodara Consumption

  malaya Of a mountain.

  Manasa sarovara A holy lake in the Himalaya that Brahma made from his mind.

  manavastra An astra.

  mandala Dimension; galaxy.

  Mangala The planet Mars.

  mantapa A pavilion.

  mantra A sacred incantation.

  Manu An ancient king and lawgiver.

  Margasirsa, Mrigasirsa An auspicious Hindu lunar month.

  Marut A companion of Vayu, the Wind God. There are forty-nine Maruts.

  matrihatya Matricide.

  Matsya The Fish; Vishnu’s first Avatara.

  maya Illusion; cosmic illusion.

  Maya The Goddess of illusion.

  Mayaa A great demon builder and king.

  mayavi A sorcerer.

  Mohini The Enchantress; Vishnu as a woman.

  moksha Liberation; salvation; enlightenment.

  moolabala Ravana’s crack legion, the principal source of his power.

  mowna Silence.

  mridanga A two-sided percussion instrument.

  mudgara A weapon.

  mudra A hand sign of occult power.

  muhurta A small measure of time; especially, an auspicious moment.

  muni A seer; rishi; also, silent one, knower of minds.

  musth A male elephant’s season of rut.

  naga A great serpent; also, a magical, serpentine being.

  nagapasa An occult serpent noose.

  nagina A female naga.

  nairrita A race of otherworldly beings.

  nakshatra Any of the twenty-seven asterisms in lunar Hindu astrology, considered stellar Goddesses and wives of the Moon.

  nalika An astra.

  Nandana Indra’s garden.

  naracha A fiery missile.

  Narada An ancient sage, the son of Brahma. He was said to have been born immaculately from Brahma’s thought.

  naraka Hell.

  Narasimha The Manticore; an incarnation of Vishnu.

  Narayana The Sleeper on eternity’s waters, which are called the Naara; Vishnu.

  Nilakanta The Blue-throat
ed One; Siva.

  nilgai A species of deer.

  nirvana Moksha; liberation.

  nishada An untouchable.

  nyagrodha The pipal tree.

  OM The primal, holy syllable; AUM.

  oshadhi A healing herb.

  paapa A sin.

  paasa A noose.

  paativratya Fidelity.

  padadhuli Dust—or a spiritual emanation—from an honored person’s feet.

  padma A lotus.

  padmaka A variety of tree.

  Padmanabha Vishnu; “lotus-naveled.” Brahma is born in the lotus that sprouts from Vishnu’s navel.

  padmasana The lotus posture.

  paduka Sandals.

  padya Water for washing the feet.

  pala A variety of tree often inhabited by spirits.

  palasa A variety of tree.

  panchabhuta The five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

  Panchajanya Vishnu’s conch shell.

  Parabrahman Brahman The ultimate, undifferentiated Godhead.

  Paramatman Supreme Soul; God.

  Parasurama Bhargava The Ax-bearer; an incarnation of Vishnu.

  parivrajaka A mendicant holy man.

  Parvati Siva’s wife; “Mountain-daughter.”

  Patala The underworld; netherworld.

  pativrata A devoted wife.

  paurnima, purnima The full moon.

  payasa A liquid sweet.

  pinda An offering to the dead, usually consisting of rice balls.

  pipal A holy tree.

  pisacha An evil spirit.

  Pitama, Pitamaha Grandsire. Often used for Brahma.

  pitr An ancestor; “father.”

  Pitriloka The realm of the manes.

  pradakshina A walking around a person or thing in reverence.

  pragvamsa In this case, one end of a cross-beam.

  Prajapati A lord of the first races of men.

  pralaya The deluge.

  prana Life breath.

  Pranava AUM.

  prayaschitta Penance.

  prayatna A difficult endeavor.

  prayopavesha A fasting for a cause or boon.

  preta A spirit.

  puja Ritual worship.

  Punarvasu The asterism under which Rama was born.

  punnaga A tree.

  punya Virtue; merit.

  Purushottama Vishnu; “best among men.”

  Pushkara A lake sacred to Brahma.

  pushpaka vimana A Kubera’s sky chariot, used by Ravana and later Rama.

  Pushyami The asterism under which Bharata was born.

  putrakama yagna A sacrifice for the birth of a son.

  putrasneha Attachment or love for one’s children.

  raga A traditional musical scale of at least five notes.

  Raghuvamsa The clan of Raghu, an ancient king.

  Rahu A demon; “dragon’s head.”

  Rajarishi A royal seer; a king who is a sage.

  rajasuya A great sacrifice of emperors.

  raksha Protection; protective amulet.

  rakshasa A demon.

  rakshasi A demoness.

  Ramarajya Rama’s rule.

  ratha A chariot.

  raudastra Rudra’s astra.

  reeksha A bear.

  rekha A line of power.

  Rik Veda, Rig Veda The first Veda.

  rishi A sage.

  ritvik A priest.

  Rohini An asterism and a Goddess, the Moon’s favorite wife.

  Rudra Siva; also any of eleven fierce beings associated with Siva.

  rudraksha Holy beads; “Siva’s tears/eyes.”

  sabha Court; hall.

  Sachi Indra’s consort.

  Sadhya A minor divine being; a lesser God.

  sakhi A female companion.

  Sama A Veda.

  samadhi Absorption in the Soul/God; mystical trance.

  sambur A species of deer.

  samsara The world of illusion.

  sanatana dharma Eternal righteousness, justice.

  Sanatkumara One of four original sages, born from Brahma’s mind.

  sandhi Conjunction; cusp.

  sandhya Twilight.

  Sankara Siva.

  sannyasa The condition of being a hermit.

  sannyasi A hermit.

  sannyasini A female sannyasi.

  Saptarishi Seven sages born from Brahma’s mind.

  sarabha A great mythical bird.

  saras A lake.

  sarasa A water bird.

  Saraswati Goddess of learning; Brahma’s consort.

  sarathy A charioteer.

  Saringa Krishna’s bow.

  satsangha Sacred, auspicious company.

  Senapati General; “lord of the army.”

  shakti Feminine power or weapon.

  Shantam paapam “Evil, be still!”

  Sharada Autumn.

  Shastra Scripture.

  shimshupa A kind of tree.

  Shravana A lunar month between mid-July and mid-August.

  siddha A self-realized being.

  siddhi An occult power.

  sirasasana A headstand as a yogic posture.

  sishya A pupil; disciple.

  Siva A God of the Hindu Trinity; the Destroyer.

  sivalinga A phallic emblem of Siva.

  sloka A sacred verse.

  Soma The Moon God; also, lunar nectar.

  srarddha A death ceremony.

  sruti A tone or octave.

  sruva A ladle.

  stamba A post or pole.

  sthula Gross; corporeal.

  stotra Hymn.

  Sudarshana chakra Vishnu’s weapon, a blazing wheel.

  sudra A member of the fourth Hindu caste.

  Sukra Venus, guru to the Asuras.

  sukshma Subtle; incorporeal.

  sumangali A fortunate wife.

  Surya The Sun God.

  Suryanamaskara A yogic ritual for worshipping the sun at dawn.

  suta A bard.

  swaapana A weapon of sleep and dreams.

  swamini A woman swami or saint.

  swapna A dream.

  Swarga Heaven.

  swayamvara The ceremony at which a princess chooses her own husband.

  taala A rhythm; beat.

  tamas The third and grossest guna, or essence, in nature.

  tandava Siva’s dance of dissolution.

  tantra vidya Black or occult arts.

  tapasvin One who sits in tapasya.

  tapasya A long period of penance, meditation, or austerity.

  tapovana A grove of worship.

  tarpana An offering of water for the dead.

  tilaka An auspicious mark placed on the forehead.

  timmingala A mythical whale-eating beast, possibly the giant squid.

  tirtha Sacred place.

  treta yuga The second great age.

  trikalagyani One who sees the three times.

  Trimurti The Hindu Trinity; Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva.

  tripathaga Of three paths.

  Tripura Three sky cities, built by Mayaa, which Siva brought down with a missile of fire.

  trisula A trident.

  Usanas The planet Venus; also, a male God, guru to the Asuras.

  Uttara Phalguni One of the nakshatras or lunar asterisms.

  vaastu shanti A rite for peace in a new dwelling.

  vabdhi A singer, bard.

  vabdya magadha Songs in praise of a king, with which he is awakened each morning.

  vaidurya Lapis lazuli.

  Vaikunta Vishnu’s celestial city.

  vairagya Detachment.

  vaisya A member of the third Hindu caste, the traders.

  vajapeya A sacrifice.

  vajra Indra’s thunderbolt.

  valkala A fabric made of tree bark, worn by hermits.

  Vamana The Dwarf; Vishnu’s fifth Avatara.

  vana Jungle; forest.

  vana devata A forest god.

  vanara A member of an ancient, m
agical race of monkeys; “dweller in the vana.”

  vandhi A singer, bard.

  vanika Wood.

  Varaha A boar; Vishnu’s third incarnation.

  Varuna The God of the oceans.

  vasantha Spring.

  Vasu A class of Gods.

  vayavyastra A wind weapon.

  Veda Any of the four ancient collections of sacred Hindu prayers and hymns. There was originally only one Veda, which became four.

  vedi, vedika An altar.

  vetala A hunter.

  vetali A huntress.

  vidyadhara A magical being.

  vikarni An astra.

  vimana A sky ship.

  vina An Indian stringed instrument, similar to a lute.

  vina nadam The song of the vina.

  vishalyakarani A potent herb of healing.

  Vishnu A God of the Hindu Trinity; the Preserver.

  Viswakarman The divine artisan.

  vrata A vow

  vyuha A battle formation.

  yaama Yama’s astra.

  yaga, yagna A sacrifice.

  yagnapashu A sacrificial beast.

  yagnashala An enclosure for a sacrifice.

  yajaka One who undertakes a yagna.

  Yajus Veda, Yajur Veda A Veda.

  yaksha A forest spirit.

  Tama The God of death.

  yamala A tree.

  yantra An occult symbol.

  yatra A journey, often with religious significance.

  yatudana A demonic being.

  yoga “Union”; union with the Self, with God.

  yogi, yogin One who, through yoga, is united with his higher Self or with God.

  yogini A female yogi.

  yojana A measure of distance; “league.”

  yoni A vagina or vaginal emblem.

  yuddha A war.

  yuga An age.

  yuganta, yugantara A conjunction of two ages; time of change.

  yuga sandhi The cusp between two yugas.

  yuvaraja A crown prince; heir apparent.

  North Point Press

  A division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux

  18 West 18th Street, New York 10011

  Copyright © 2001 by Ramesh Menon

  Introduction copyright © 2003 by Ramesh Menon

  All rights reserved

  Originally published in 2001 by Writers Club Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, as The Ramayana: A Modern Translation

  Published in 2003 by North Point Press

  First North Point Press paperback edition, 2004

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

  Valmiki.

  [Ramayana. English]

  The Ramayana / Ramesh Menon.

  p. cm.

  Originally published: Lincoln, Nebraska : Writers Club Press, 2001.

  ISBN 0-86547-660-8 (hc. : alk. paper)

  I. Ramesh Menon. II. Title.

  BL1139.22 .E54 2003

  294.5'92204521—dc21

  2002027896

  Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0-86547-695-0

  Paperback ISBN-10: 0-86547-695-0