Namaste, I Am Rāma, and This Is Rāmāyaṇa

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N a m a s t e ,
R ā m a
I Am ,
and This Is
R ā m ā y a
ṇ
a
Based
on
Valmiki’s Ramayana
Written
& Illustrated by
Rajendra Prabhu

Special Instructions
This is just a book sample,
with full enforcement of copyrights by the owner.
For procuring hardcover version of this book, please
visit www.namasteprabhu.com/buy
In case of any queries, write to:
namaste.i.am.here@gmail.com

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N a m a s t e ,
R ā m a
I Am ,
and This Is
ṇ
R ā m ā y a
a
Based on
Valmiki’s Ramayana
Written & Illustrated by
Rajendra Prabhu

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Namaste, I Am Rama, and This Is Ramayana
Copyright © 2022 Rajendra Prabhu.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
written permission from the copyright owner except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
To request permissions, contact the author at namaste.i.am.here@gmail.com
Printed in India.
ISBN: 978-93-5607-062-2 (Hardcover)
First printed edition: April 2022
Book design by Rajendra Prabhu
Printed by Arihant Printer, Mumbai, India.
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
namasteprabhu.com

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Dedication
To my son Advaya,
for whom I wrote this book,
To my wife Ashwini,
who gave all the support to make it happen,
And to the owner of this book:
who is blessed with good reading habits.
Rama Setu or Nala Setu
The remnants of this bridge (see Pages 40-41) are visible from the high skies for all to admire.

iv
N
amaste. I am RAJENDRA PRABHU, the author-illustrator of
this book. I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did as its
writer and illustrator. Visit me at: www.namasteprabhu.com
Let me take this opportunity to thank the many individuals whose
contributions made this book in its present form a reality.
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
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First and foremost, my immense gratitude and obeisance towards Maharshi Valmiki and successive
generations of yogis and truth-seekers who documented, preserved, and wrote commentaries on the
Ramayana for us to enjoy and feel inspired to this day.
Special thanks to Shri Desiraju Hanumanta Rao and Shri K M K Murthy who have made Srimad
Valmiki Ramayana with its original shlokas in Sanskrit along with English translations easily
accessible via their website valmikiramayan.net. The English translations of Sanskrit shlokas from
Valmiki Ramayana mentioned in this book have been taken from this website (copyright dated
1998-2008) with minor modifications if at all.
Additionally, a note of thanks to authors of other Ramayana books, especially those by Shri R K
Narayana and Shri C Rajagopalachari, and other sacred and philosophical books which were vital
research materials for this book and inspired my writings.
Deepest thanks to Shri Girish Prabhu K, Shri (Dr.) Vikram Dravid, and Shri Premanand Bhat, who
generously gave their time whenever sought, and whose invaluable inputs and feedback on multiple
drafts have enriched this book significantly. I am much obliged to them for their love and care
towards making this book as complete and accurate as possible.
A big thank you also goes out to Shri Dhaval Jamnadas, and Sanskrit scholar Shri (Dr.) Nayan
Manindra Jha, Ph.D., for providing their editorial services with the same devotion that I had when I
wrote my manuscript. I am truly humbled by their dedication and their guidance to me for the
success of this book.
When it comes to self-publishing, it truly helps when you have supportive friends and relatives you
can bank on. I sincerely thank Shri Dilip Shah whose prior experience as a self-publishing author of a
children’s book series (“The Story Pyramid”) has been a blessing in disguise for me. It is because of
many such noble souls who have provided much-needed support and encouragement at the right
times that I could proceed further along on this project. My earnest gratitude to all of them.
Finally, heartfelt gratitude to my parents who
Sanatana Dharma and spirituality, and all
inspired me to stay true to the spiritual path.
kindled my early interest in the tenets of
those I have encountered in my life who have

v
A U T H O R’ S
N O T E
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Let me share my intent behind writing this
book by referring to the three important words
in its title:
NAMASTE. नम#े
Namaste is a greeting from the Sanskrit
language which means, that which is divine in
me bows to that which is divine in you. It is said
respectfully with folded palms and a slightly
bowed head. With this meaning in mind, and
in the stated posture, let me greet you,
‘Namaste’. May you be comfortable in using
this meaningful greeting in your everyday life.
May the few shlokas and Sanskrit words I have
mentioned in this book (with pronunciation
keys) inspire my young readers to learn the
Sanskrit language. Let us all take efforts to
make this beautiful language of Gods (deva
vāni) more widely spoken, within and without
the boundaries of Bharat (bhārata).
RĀMA. राम
When Lord Shiva was asked by His Consort,
Goddess Parvati, what is the easiest way to
reap benefit which is equivalent to chanting
Vishnu-Sahasranaama (the thousand names of
Lord Vishnu), the Lord replied:
राम रामेति रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे ।
सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥
rāma rāmeti rāmeti rame rāme manorame ।
sahasranāma tat tulyaṃ rāmanāma varānane ॥
The name of Rama is as great as the thousand
names of Lord Vishnu.
May the name and form of Rama resonate
blissfully in us. May this book lead the
reader to this end.
RĀMĀYAṆA. रामायण
According to Sanatana Dharma, Ramayana is
the first Sanskrit epic poem ever composed by
a human. Hence, its composer, Maharshi
Valmiki, is regarded as Aadi Kavi — the First
Poet. What better scripture will I find as a
subject for my first book! I am presenting the
Ramayana with a unique narration scheme.
May my young readers find this approach
enjoyable and an easy way to recollect the
entire storyline once they have read the book. I
request parents to help their wards
understand any difficult passages and discuss
with them Hindu ideas such as Dharma,
Moksha, etc. mentioned briefly in this book.
At times, I have chosen folklore over Valmiki
Ramayana. When I do, I mention it in
footnotes. Moreover, to maintain this unique
narration scheme and to keep the subject
matter interesting for children, my primary
readers, I have deviated slightly from the
original Valmiki Ramayana in some places.
These changes are very limited in scope, and,
to a large extent, the book is true to Valmiki
Ramayana, as vetted by Shri (Dr.) Nayan
Manindra Jha by referring to the publication
from Gita Press, Gorakhpur. May the kind
reader not be critical of these changes, and
also of any errors that might have crept in
despite the multiple self and editorial reviews
and not consider them as irreverence to the
holy scripture.
May this beautiful story of Shri Rama and
those affiliated to him, namely, wife Seeta,
brothers Bharata, Lakshmana, and
Shatrughna, devotees Hanuman, Jatayu and
Shabari, and friend Sugreeva, inspire all to
lead a life which is in adherence to Dharma.
Respectfully,
Rajendra Prabhu.

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॥ +ी राम जय राम जय जय राम ॥
॥ śrī rāma jaya rāma jaya jaya rāma ॥

P R O L O G U E
vii
M
aharshi Valmiki asks Narada Muni, the immortal mind-son of Lord Brahma, the
Creator:
“O Devarshi (Divine Sage),
who in this world of ours is the most virtuous,
who is powerful and feared even by demigods to engage in battle,
who is grateful, truthful, and keeps his word,
who adheres to Dharma, has good character traits, and is kind towards all beings,
who is learned and competent, has control over his anger, and is pleasant in appearance?
I desire to chronicle the life of such a great one.”
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Narada Muni replies:
“I am pleased with your request. It is indeed difficult to find all these qualities in one person. There
is, however, one such man, for I have known him myself. Today I shall reveal him to you.”
Narada’s answer in about one hundred verses is known as Moola Ramayana.
Maharshi Valmiki, after Narada Muni has left for the heavens, goes into seclusion. When he is
done, he has for us our very first epic — THE RAMAYANA!
Valmiki teaches his poetic composition to his two disciples, Kusha and Lava. On the King’s
invitation, the two boys in ochre robes sing this divine legend in the august royal court of Ayodhya:
sarvā pūrvam iyam yeṣām āsīt kṛtsnā vasundharā …
I
t is Treta Yuga — the yuga (era) that follows Krita (also known as
Satya) Yuga, and which shall be followed by Dvaapara and Kali Yugas
in that order. The Rakshasas have caused dreadful havoc in the world we
know of. Their evil king Ravana is eager to wage combat against any and
everyone who puts up resistance and is unafraid to snatch anything his
evil heart desires. With a boon of invincibility conferred by Lord Brahma,
he boldly goes after Gods, demigods, and other beings. The heavenly
Gods, afraid of Ravana’s devastating power, seek Lord Vishnu’s help. Thus
starts our tale.

viii
Y
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P R O N U N C I A T I O N
K E Y
ou will come across special symbols like a dash or dot above or below some of the letters in this
book. This representation of Sanskrit letters is called International Alphabet of Sanskrit
Transliteration or IAST. This is to ensure we can correctly pronounce these Sanskrit-originated words
and names. Here’s a key to pronouncing vowels and consonants from the Sanskrit language by
referring to the closest sounding syllables in English words. We hope it helps improve your Sanskrit
diction.
VOWELS
(Read from left to right, top to bottom.)
अ a another आ ā art
How to correctly pronounce a Sanskrit word:
namaste
नमस्ते
1. identify individual syllables
इ
i
ill
ई ī
eel
na ma ste
न म स्ते
उ
ऋ
u
ṛ
pull
cringe
ऊ ū
ॠ ṝ
pool
reed
n
2. identify vowels & consonants
a
न् अ
m a
म् अ
लृ
ḷ
jewelry
ॡ
ḹ
(not used)
s
t
e
स्
त्
ए
ए e
ओ o
day
goat
ऐ ai
औ au
aisle
cow
3. locate each letter of the Sanskrit language in the
table. (Note: Some of them are written using two letters
of the English alphabet, e, g., ‘ai’, ‘th’, ‘dh’, etc.)
अं
ṃ
om
अः
ḥ
(pronounced as an echo of the preceding vowel)
CONSONANTS
(Read from left to right, top to bottom. Observe the part of the tongue or mouth
that makes the consonant sounds in each of the first five rows.)
क् k
bike
ख् kh
blockhead
ग् g
guitar
घ् gh ghost
ङ्
ṅ
king
च् c
chap
छ् ch
beachhead
ज् j
jog
झ् jh
bridgehead
ञ् ñ
bunch
ट् ṭ
time
ठ् ṭh
ant-hill
ड् ḍ
day
ढ् ḍh god-head
ण्ṇ
under
त् t
taj
थ् th
thick
द् d
father
ध् dh dharma
न्
n
never
प् p
pie
फ् ph
loop-hole
ब् b
butter
भ् bh abhor
म्
m
mother
य् y
yard
र् r
rule
ल् l
leaf
व्
v
vase
श्
ś
shine
ष्
ṣ
bushel
स्
s
soul
ह्
h
hand

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R Ā M Ā Y A Ṇ A
RAMA rāma
BĀLA KĀṆḌA
AYODHYĀ KĀṆḌA
(… in Ayodhya)
MANTHARA mantharā ............................. 11
KAIKEYI kaikeyī ...................................... 12
KAUSALYA kausalyā ................................. 13
SUMANTRA sumantra ............................. 14
GUHA guha ............................................ 15
SHRAVANA KUMARA śravaṇa kumāra ...... 16
SHANTANU śantanu ................................ 17
................................... 18
........................ 19
BHARATA bharata
SHATRUGHNA śatrughna
........................................................ 1
(Section on events of childhood)
DASHARATHA daśaratha ................................ 2
RISHI VASISHTHA ṛṣi vasiṣṭha ....................... 3
RISHI VISHVAMITRA ṛṣi viśvāmitra ............... 4
TATAKA tāṛakā .................................................. 5
SUBAHU subāhu ................................................. 6
AHALYA ahalyā ................................................... 7
JANAKA janaka .................................................. 8
PARASHURAMA paraśurāma
ARAṆYA KĀṆḌA
(… in the forests)
VIRADHA virādha ........................................... 20
SHOORPANAKHA śūrpaṇakhā ...................... 21
KHARA khara .................................................. 22
AKAMPANA akampana .................................. 23
MAREECHA mārīca ....................................... 24
LAKSHMANA lakṣmaṇa ................................ 25
VRIKSHA vṛkṣa .............................................. 26
JATAYU jaṭāyu ................................................. 27
KABANDHA kabandha .................................. 28
SHABARI śabarī .............................................. 29
N A R R A T O R S
Prologue.......... vii
Epilogue * ......... 64
* covers Uttara Kanda
KIṢKINDHĀ KĀṆḌA
(… in Kishkindha)
VALI vāli ........................................................... 30
SUGREEVA sugrīva ........................................... 31
TARA tārā ......................................................... 32
JAMBAVANTA jāmbavanta ............................. 33
SUNDARA KĀṆḌA
(… with beauty)
........................ 10 HANUMAN hanumān ..................................... 34
YUDDHA KĀṆḌA
(… of war)
MAINDA mainda .............................................. 38
SAGARA sāgara ................................................ 39
NALA nala......................................................... 40
SARAMA saramā .............................................. 42
ANGADA aṅgada .............................................. 43
NEELA nīla ........................................................ 44
INDRAJIT indrajit .............................................. 45
TRIJATA trijaṭā ................................................ 46
GARUDA garuḍa .............................................. 47
PRAHASTA prahasta ....................................... 48
MANDODARI mandodarī ............................... 49
KUMBHAKARNA kumbhakarṇa .................... 50
HANUMAN hanumān ...................................... 52
VIBHEESHANA vibhīṣaṇa .............................. 53
SUSHENA suṣeṇa ............................................ 54
MATALI mātali ................................................. 55
RAVANA rāvaṇa .............................................. 56
RISHI AGASTYA ṛṣi agastya ......................... 58
LORD SHIVA śiva ............................................ 59
SEETA sītā ....................................................... 60
MAHARSHI VALMIKI mahaṛṣi vālmīki ........ 62
Do you notice orange-coloured texts with special letters? They are there to help us correctly
pronounce these Sanskrit words. Please refer to the Pronunciation Key on page viii. Aren’t you
excited to learn a few words from the beautiful Sanskrit language? As a bonus, we have included the
complete Aditya Hridaya Stotram from Valmiki Ramayana at the end of the story (pages 67-70).
ix

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ॐॐ
आपदामपहर्तारं दातारं सर्वसम्पदाम् |
लोकाभिरामं श्रीरामं भूयो भूयो नमाम्यहम् ||
āpadāmapahartāraṃ dātāraṃ sarvasampadām |
lōkābhirāmaṃ śrīrāmaṃ bhūyo bhūyo namāmyaham ||
I BOW AGAIN AND AGAIN TO SHRI RAMA,
WHO REMOVES (ALL) OBSTACLES,
GRANTS PROSPERITY, AND PLEASES ALL.

N
R Ā M Ā Y A Ṇ A
amaste namaste. I am RAMA rāma, Prince of Ayodhya ayodhyā, the eldest
son of King Dasharatha daśaratha. I am a Soorya Vamshi sūrya vamśi (of
Solar Dynasty). I am the seventh avatar avatāra of Lord Vishnu viṣṇu.
1
LORD VIṢṆU as
ANANTAŚAYANA
LORD
BRAHMĀ
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GODDESS
LAKṢMĪ
1. MATSYA
fish
2. KŪRMA
tortoise
3. VARĀHA
boar
4. NARASIṂHA
half-lion,
half-man
5. VĀMANA
dwarf
6. PARAŚURĀMA
7. RĀMA 9. KṚṢṆA
8. BALARĀMA*
* In many sampradayas (traditions), instead of Balarama, Buddha is considered in Dashavatara, coming after Shri Krishna.
10. KALKI
As you turn each page, please say ‘namaste’ to each speaker who shares progressive events
from my life journey, the RAMAYANA rāmāyaṇa. Bless you, dear reader!

2
BĀLA KĀṆḌA
N
amaste. I am KING DASHARATHA, the ruler of Kosala kosala
kingdom. My beautiful capital city Ayodhya is on the bank of the river
Sarayu sarayu. I belong to the dynasty of Ikshvaku ikṣvāku and Raghu raghu.
Meet my beautiful wives:
1. Queen
Kausalya
kausalyā
2. Queen
Sumitra
sumitrā
3. Queen
Kaikeyi
kaikeyī
My deepest sorrow is
that I have no children.
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On the advice of my minister Sumantra
sumantra, I invite Rishi Rishyashringa ṛṣi
ṛṣyaśṛṅga to perform a year-long
Putrakameshti Yagnya putrakāmeṣṭi yajña
(a fire ritual to beget sons). This rishi
(sage) has a horn on his head.
Miracle! A celestial being has appeared
from the yagna kunda yajñakuṇḍa (sacred
fire-pit)! He hands me a vessel containing
divya payasa divya pāyasa (divine rice
pudding or kheer) and disappears in the
flames. I feel immensely blessed.
My three queens partake the divine food
in turns. In due course, we are blessed
with four lovely sons:
Rama, born r of
Queen Kausalya,
the eldest
of the four
Bharata bharata, born of
Queen Kaikeyi
on the day (first half)
following Rama’s birthday
Twins Lakshmana lakṣmaṇa and
Shatrughna śatrughna, born of Queen
Sumitra on the day (later half)
following Rama’s birthday
r
RAMA: Every year Hindus joyously celebrate my birth as ‘Rama Navami’, which falls on the ninth day of
Shukla Paksha (when the moon is waxing, that is, growing to be a full moon) in the month of Chaitra.

Rama is
adored by all.
He is a sweetnatured,
kindhearted
and
brave prince.
He is a born
leader.
N
amaste. I am RISHI VASISHTHA vasiṣṭha. I am the kulaguru kulaguru
(family priest, teacher and advisor) of the Ayodhya Kings. My wife
Arundhati arundhatī and I are widely recognized as an ideal married couple.
I gave names to King Dasharatha’s sons. The eldest one gets the most
beautiful name ‘Rama’, which means, one who delights all. All four boys have
grown up into handsome princes. They are well-trained in weapons, yoga
yoga, philosophy, and many other subjects.
Bharata and Shatrughna
Lakshmana is
enjoy each other’s company
always around
the most.
with Rama.
3
BĀLA KĀṆḌA
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Today, Rishi Vishvamitra viśvāmitra has arrived at King Dasharatha’s court. He wants Prince
Rama to help him kill some demons in his region. The King summons Rama and Lakshmana.
They arrive respectfully.
We find Rama has lost interest in worldly affairs. I start a dialog with Rama r . I answer all his
questions about how the world was created, is sustained, and will finally
come to an end. He wants to know the purpose of life. Rama is a good
listener. He asks only relevant questions.
Rama’s doubts are cleared. He now has a pleasing smile, worthy of his name.
r
RAMA: This episode is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana. It is in a separate book, titled ‘Yoga
Vasishtha’. Do remember to read this book when you are grown up. It will help you live a meaningful life.

4
BĀLA KĀṆḌA
N
amaste. I am RISHI VISHVAMITRA, son of Gaadhi gādhi. Before
becoming a rishi, I was King Kaushika kauśika. I once battled Rishi
Vasishtha for his wish-fulfilling cow Shabala śabalā. It changed my life
forever. As an acclaimed rishi, I built alternate heaven called Trishanku
Swarga triśaṅku svarga for a former king belonging to Ikshvaku dynasty.
I have arrived at King Dasharatha’s palace to take Rama with me for an
important mission. Rama is not even sixteen years old. Dasharatha pleads
to be of service instead of Rama. I reject his offer. I know what the future
holds for Rama and I want him to be ready for it.
Dasharatha finally lets me take Rama, and
with him Lakshmana. On the way to my
place, I teach the boys Bala balā and Atibala
atibalā mantras
mantra to overcome
hunger and
thirst.
Later, I teach them how to invoke energized
weapons. I am pleased with their archery
skills r . I inspire them with stories of great
kings and rishis of the past who
were fully committed to
their Dharma a
dharma.
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r
RAMA: I like my bow. I take it with me everywhere. Therefore, people also call me Kodandarama
kodaṇḍarāma. There is another Rama. He likes to carry an axe. I shall meet him shortly.
a
RAMA: Dharma is your duty as per your role in society. E.g., the Dharma of a king is to rule justly. It is to
act rightfully when dealing with others and as per your relationship with them (e.g., brother, friend, etc.).

H
e! He! He! I am RAKSHASI rākṣasī (demoness) TATAKA tāṛakā,
daughter of Suketu suketu and wife of Sunda sundā. I have two sons
– Mareecha mārīca and Subahu subāhu. My husband was killed by Rishi
Agastya agastya. Since then, I have taken a vow to not let anyone live
peacefully in Malada maladā and Karoosha karūṣā regions.
5
BĀLA KĀṆḌA
What do I see here?!! Rishi Vishvamitra, accompanied by two young
boys with bows and arrows!
Haha! This will be fun.
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My life ends here.

6
BĀLA KĀṆḌA
H
a! Ha! Ha! I am RAKSHASA rākṣasa (demon) SUBAHU, son of
Sunda and Tataka. I love to accompany my brother Mareecha
and our demon army and disturb the rishis of Siddhashrama
siddhāśrama during their fire rituals.
This time we strike on the final night of Rishi Vishvamitra’s sixday
yagnya. We find two kids with bows and arrows on their
guard. This is going to be double the fun. Ha! Ha!
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Who are these two young men? The dark-skinned one (Rama) shot the Manavastra
mānavāstra missile and threw brother Mareecha to some distant land. He then struck me with
the powerful Agneyastra āgneyāstra missile. Ah! I am badly hurt.
My life ends here.

Special Instructions
This is just a book sample,
with full enforcement of copyrights by the owner.
For procuring hardcover version of this book, please
visit www.namasteprabhu.com/buy
In case of any queries, write to:
namaste.i.am.here@gmail.com

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ABOUT THE BOOK
Namaste! I am Rama, the celebrated
Prince of Ayodhya. Within the covers of
this book, enjoy a unique rendition of the
Valmiki Ramayana, with me as your
first narrator. More than fifty prominent
Ramayana characters are eagerly waiting
inside to narrate to you the events
happening in my life as they unfold!
namasteprabhu.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rajendra Prabhu, a qualified
software engineer and executive
manager by profession, has
always been fascinated by the
Sanskrit language and the
beautiful stories from the land of
Bharata (India). With an intent
to keep this fascination alive in
future generations, Rajendra has
embarked on a journey as an
author of books for children,
illustrating stories from the
Sanatana Dharma. He makes his
debut with this book, a one-ofa-kind
retelling of the Ramayana
of Valmiki, which also covers
some of the better-known
variations from folklore. He has
taken special care to give his
young readers a comprehensive
understanding of this sacred
Hindu text and a feel for the
Sanskrit language. Rajendra
resides in the USA with his wife
and son.
Not just that, expect to learn the correct
pronunciation of Sanskrit words! You
might even pick up a catchy Sanskrit
sentence or two! Even preschoolers will be
attracted to the colorful illustrations on
every page and get introduced to my life
journey. As a bonus, the book includes the
complete Aditya Hridaya Stotram, a
hymn to the Sun God, which I learnt
during my war with Ravana.
May you find joy in going through these
timeless stories from the Ramayana and
imbibe the good qualities I demonstrate
despite the many challenges I face
throughout my life!
Interest Level: 0-99+ Reading Level: 8+
₹ 395
$ 18.95
Children ❂ Religion ❂ Hinduism