Annotated Bibliography: The Ramayana

Aastha Ahuja

AP Human Geography

Annotated Bibliography-Hinduism

Primary Sources

Dharma, Krishna, and Vālmīki, trans. Ramayana: India 's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom. Los Angeles, CA: Torchlight Pub., 1998. Print. (5 pts.)

The Ramayana is a Sanskrit poem that goes back to about 300 B.C. about the Hindu god, Sri Rama and his interesting life story. It consists of 24,000 verses put into seven large books. “Ramayana” literally means the “journey or advancing of Rama”, who is one of the several incarnations of the supreme god Vishnu. In this epic, Rama’s step-mother exiles him to the forest for fourteen years only to go with his brother, Lakshmana, and wife, Sita. He was announced to be king just the day before, but the evil

At first, it was regarded as its own piece of writing, but later it became part of the Mahabharata. It explains karma, dharma, yoga, and reaching nirvana, which later becomes the foundation for Buddhism. It is written by Vyasa, who appears as the grandfather of both the Kauravas and Pandavas. The Kauravas and Pandavas are two groups lead by Vyasa’s sons who both disagree and war over many problems, and later this leads to their children doing the same. The document is the conversation between Arjuna, the leader of the Pandavas, and Krishna, his charioteer (also a very important God). King Dhritarashtra, the younger son of Vyasa and part of the Kauravas, is the king of Hastinapura during this time. The rightful heir to the throne is the Pandavas family, yet the Kauravas take over. Dhritarashtra was trying to preserve it for his son Duryodhana, also a Kaurava, but Dhritarashtra’s nephew, Arjuna has come to take it back. Arjuna is actually unconcerned for the throne and doesn 't want to fight in the war, however Krishna explains why it is the correct thing to do, on the way to the battle. This story is more about a way of life, which later travels all through-out India, rather than a religious

She explains the four Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda, which are one of the most ancient texts still in existence. They are the hymns, prayers, and rituals of ancient India put into four books. She also writes about the Upanishads, which are a large number of texts that explain the philosophy behind Hinduism, also setting the stage for many other cultures such as Buddhism and Jainism. The book summarizes the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and explains their importance. Duneja also describes every Hindu God and Goddess and their numerous forms. She also gives every Hindu celebration a page in the book to define what festival marks what relevant event in Hindu history.

Subramuniyaswami, Satguru Sivaya. Dancing with Śiva: Hinduism 's Contemporary Catechism = Śivena Saha Nortanam Sanātanadharmapraśnōttaram. India: Himalayan Academy, 1993. Print. (5 pts.)

Subramuniyaswami explains why he names his book about Hinduism “Dancing with Siva” in the first chapter. He believes that all motion begins and ends with God, meaning that the flowing universe is Siva’s dance. We are dancing while Siva is with us. The unique concept that everything in the world is movement is presented by this brilliant author. The book consists of twelve Upanishads, one for each month of the year, that are demonstrated with a collection