This is the first of seven volumes of a translation of the Valmiki Ramayana, the great Sanskrit epic of the life of Rama, ideal man and incarnation of the great god Visnu. This renowned work of ancient India has profoundly affected the literature, art, religions, and cultures of countless millions of people in South and Southeast Asiaan influence that is perhaps unparalleled in the history of world literature. Balakanda, the opening portion of this first translation to be based on the critical edition (Oriental Institute, Baroda), is presented here in a compact volume without the section of notes that appears in the hardcover book.

List of Abbreviations ix
Preface xiii
Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation xix
PART 1. INTRODUCTION 1
1. General Introduction 3
2. History and Historicity 14
3. Introduction to the Balakanda 60
4. The Ramayana Text and the Critical Edition by Sheldon I. Pollock 82
5. Translating the Ramayana by Leonard E. Nathan 94
6. The Translation and Annotation 96
PART II. BALAKANDA 119
Glossary of Important Proper Nouns and Epithets 271
Bibliography of Works Consulted 277
Index 291