such notable and beloved vernacular Ramayanas
are the Krittivas Ramayana in Bengali, the Tulsidas
Ramcaritmanas in Old Hindi, the Tamil Kambara-
mayanam, the Pampa Ramayana of Nagachandra
in Kannada, Ranganatha’s Ramayana in Telugu,
and the Vilanka Ramayana in Oriya. Numerous
Sanskrit versions of the story have also been com-
posed, including the Adhyatma Ramayana and
Yogavasishtha Ramayana.
Tales in Sanskrit about the Rama dynasty
both before and after the events in the Rama-
yana have proliferated, such as Raghuvamsha
and Uttararamacharita. The Jains as well tell
stories of Rama, Ravana, and other characters
from the Ramayana in Sanskrit and other lan-
guages. Every year in northern India the Ram
Lila festival is celebrated, culminating in a grand
burning of the effigies of Ravana, his son, and
his brother.
The Ramayana story also traveled widely out-
side India. Thai and Indonesian versions are still
popular.
Further reading: S. P. Bahadur, trans., The Complete
Works of Gosvami Tulsidas (Varanasi: Prachya Prakashan,
1978–2005); J. L. Brockington, Righteous Rama: The
Evolution of an Epic (Delhi: Oxford University Press,
1985); Harry M. Buck, The Figure of Rama in Buddhist
Cultures (Bhubaneswar: Mayur, 1995); Robert Goldman,
trans. and ed., The Ramayana of Valmiki, 6 vols. (Princ-
eton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1984–2005);
George L. Hart and Hank Heifetz, trans., The Forest Book
of Kampan (Berkeley: University of California Press,
1988); Phillip Lutgendorf, The Life of a Text: Perform-
ing the Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas (Berkeley: University
of California Press, 1991); Shantilal Nagar, trans., Jain
Ramayana-Paumacariu (Delhi: B. R., 2002); Sheldon
I. Pollock, Ramayana, book 2, Ayodhya by Valmiki
(New York: New York University Press, JJC Founda-
tion, 2005); Paula Richman, ed., Many Ramayanas: The
Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1991); Paula Richman,
ed., Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001).
Ram Chandra, Sri Maharaj (1899–1983)
teacher of raja yoga
The boy who became Sri Ram Chandra later in
life was born in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh
state on April 30, 1899, into a BRAHMIN fam-
ily. Following in the footsteps of his scholarly
father he began his education with a particular
interest in philosophy, literature, and geography.
Reports indicated that he was not an outstand-
ing scholar but could hold his own intellectu-
ally. He joined the judicial services, married,
and raised children.
On July 3, 1922, he sought out Guru Sri Ram
Chandra of Fategarh, who preserved and followed
an ancient form of yoga called Pranahuti (divine
transmission), which the younger Ram Chandra
perceived to be superior to the newer methods. He
himself had been practicing a form of PRANAYAMA
or breathing technique for the previous seven
years, but he abandoned this and adopted the
spiritual practices of his new guru, who died in
1931.
Sri Ram Chandra felt that he had absorbed the
teachings from his spiritual leader and was quali-
fied to carry on his inspiration. He believed that
he and his guru had spiritually merged. In 1932,
he received a powerful transmission of spiritual
energy from his guru. In 1944, he had a vision
of white light that revealed Lord KRISHNA’s true
nature. He knew that his mission was to carry on
the work of his master.
Sri Ram Chandra founded the Sri Ram Chan-
dra Mission in 1945 in honor of his guru and in
1976 built an ashram in Shahjahanpur. Through-
out these years he taught raja yoga and gave spiri-
tual guidance to many.
Sri Ram Chandra Maharaj died on April 19,
1983, after many years of service to raja yoga. The
lineage is preserved through his disciple Sri Par-
thasarathi Rajagopalachari of Madras (Chennai),
who assumed the mantle at his bedside and is now
the president of Sri Ram Chandra Mission. He is
affectionately known as “Chariji.”Ram Chandra, Sri Maharaj 355 J