Bharathi’s Aitihasika: Ramayana Notes

Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 1 notes

Bharathi V- MyMBJourney — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:53:45 GMT

Slokas 19- 22: Mention that the qualification for being king was not just ‘eldest son’ but virtues and devoted to people.

Slokas 25- 28: Sita named so because she was unearthed from the track left behind by ploughshare

Slokas 29- 34: Who is a Nisada? “Mixed tribe sprung from a Brahmana through a Sudra woman…” in context of Guha

Slokas 39- 40: Nandigrama where Bharata lived during Rama exile was 14 miles from Ayodhya

Slokas 41- 45: During exile, in Dandaka, Rama received a bow, sword and two inexhaustible quivers from Agastya muni

Slokas 47- 55: Maricha was one of two sons of Tadaka/ Ravana was named so because he made people scream in terror

Sloka 86: The Gods who came to rejoice about Rama’s victory gave a boon that everyone who fought on his side would be revived from dead.

Sloka 87: On the way back to Ayodhya, Rama stopped at Prayaga (Rishi Bharadwaja hermitage) to send Hanuman ahead with a message to Bharatha that they were returning home.

Sloka 90: Switches from past to present tense, indicating that this was the point in the story where Valmiki rishi composed the mahakavya.

Ravana family tree

Bharathi V- MyMBJourney — Tue, 19 May 2026 23:49:37 GMT

The Mahabharatha has the story of Rama in many places. In the Vana Parva we have an entire segment called the Ramopakhyana Parva, and within it we have the Ravana family tree laid out clearly as follows:

Interestingly, here, Vishrava is half of Pulastya himself, not his son. Ravana, Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana, Khara, Surpanakha are all progeny of Pulastya/ Vishrava, just becoming grandsons of Brahma rather than great-grandsons.

When was the Ramayana composed?

Bharathi V- MyMBJourney — Wed, 13 May 2026 04:23:05 GMT

Jai Sri Ram

This section is dedicated to my notes and learnings as I read the Valmiki Ramayana from the Geeta Press publication version.

This first post is about WHEN exactly in the timeline of events the Ramayana was composed by the sage.

Book 1, Bala kanda, sarga 1, shloka 90 gives us the answer. Until Shloka 89, we have the incidents narrated in past tense. Shloka 90 talks about Rama’s reign in present tense and then future tense, speaking about how the praja shall be happy and dharmic and prosperous.

Then, shloka 97 says that Rama, having ruled for 11,000 years, will ascend to Brahmaloka.

These place the composition of the Ramayana by Rishi Valmiki very clearly after Rama’s pattabhisheka and prior to Rama sending a pregnant Sita away.

Later, in sarga 3, the last shloka, which is 39, states that Valmiki also narrated in his composition those events that were YET TO HAPPEN. Meaning that Valmiki rishi ‘saw’ these future events with divya drishti and wrote them down even before they happened.