International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

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Valmiki Ramayana: A Spiritual Hermeneutic Reading

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Ramayana is a Hindu epic literature that is popular among the traditional Indian community. The Ramayana is known as the masterpiece of the Indian traditional literature. The original text of the Ramayana was written in Sanskrit by Valmiki in the 2nd Century. Currently, there are many versions and revisions of the Ramayana. The author of the revised version Ramayana included the cultural values and the societal norms without changing the original context of the tale as written by Valmiki. For the purpose of this study, a simplified version of Valmiki Ramayana, which was adapted by Rajendra Tandon was used. In 2013, Valmiki Ramayana was translated to English and published by Rupa Publication. The tale of Ramayana was recited by Rajenda, with the aim to ease the readers’ understanding of its contents. In this study, the Valmiki Ramayana was analysed based on the hermeneutic spiritual theory introduced by Md. Salleh Yaapar. The rationale behind this is because Valmiki Ramayana contains symbolism related to the value, norm, cultural myths and customs of the traditional India community. The study revealed the factors that promote the use of the symbolism in Ramayana.
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In-Text Citation: (Balakrishnan & Hamid, 2018)
To Cite this Article: Balakrishnan, P., & Hamid, R. A. (2018). Valmiki Ramayana: A Spiritual Hermeneutic Reading. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(10), 1235–1244.