The Indian epics retold

Rama was the crown prince of Ayodhya. He was a brave hero and the protector of Dharma. By his bow, demons perished by the hundreds under the tutelage of the mighty sage Vishwamitra.

And by his hand, the great Parashurama learnt the meaning of humility. However, the very edicts he believed in began his ruin when his stepmother Kaikeyi demands her long forgotten boons from his father, Dasharatha.

Rama must leave Ayodhya and go into exile for fourteen years, forfeiting his claim to the throne. The ever-obedient son swears to hold his father’s word and leaves his home for life as a recluse.

He takes his newly wedded wife Sita with him, and his loyal brother Lakshman follows. However, Rama’s troubles have only begun, for the demonic ruler of the island kingdom of Lanka, Ravana, seeks to make Sita his own. When Ravana steals Sita away from Rama, the prince of Ayodhya begins to rally a most unlikely army to battle the rakshasa hordes to win her back. The Ramayana has enchanted children of all ages for millennia, and it continues to enthral readers to this very day.

This book presents R. K. Narayan’s spin on the Kamba Ramayana, as well as his retelling of the great epic battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas in the Mahabharata.

Also included is his collection of stories, Gods, Demons and Others, bringing together portions of Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntalam, the Tamil epic Silappathikaram, the Shiv Purana and the Devi Bhagavatam.