Valmiki Ramayana , livre ebook

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traduit par Arshia Sattar

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63 pages

English

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One of India's two greatest epics, the Ramayana pervades the country's moral and cultural consciousness. For generations it has served as a bedtime story for Indian children, while at the same time emgaging the interest of philosophers and theologians. Now this magnificent new translation makes the monumental work available to a new audience. Believed to have been composed by Valmiki sometime between the eighth and sixth centuries BC, the Ramayana tells the tragic and magical story of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, born to rid the earth of the terrible demon Ravana. An idealized heroic tale ending with the inevitable triumph of good over evil, the Ramayana is also an intensely personal story of family relationships, love and loss, duty and honour, of harem intrigue, petty jealousies and destructive ambitions. All this played out in a universe populated by larger-than-life humans, gods and celestial beings, wondrous animals and terrifying demons. In her translation Arshia Sattar has successfully bridged both time and space to make this ancient classic accessible to the present-day English reader. An added attraction is her superb introduction which provides new insights and background information for both the general reader and scholar alike.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Religious text

Hinduism

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Publié par	Penguin Books Ltd
Date de parution	14 octobre 2000
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9788184753530
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0600€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

V lm ki R m ya a
The Book of Wilderness
Translated and abridged by ARSHIA SATTAR

PENGUIN BOOKS
Contents
About the Author
By the Same Author
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Footnotes
Three
Copyright
PENGUIN BOOKS
V LM KI R M YA A
V lm ki is almost indisputably the author of the Sanskrit R m ya a even though it is quite likely that the story of Rama s life was in circulation before V lm ki gave it its present form. As a poet and composer, V lm ki acts within the story that he tells. Later legend has it that V lm ki was a bandit who was converted from his life of looting and pillaging by R ma s grace. His devotion then inspired him to compose and recite the story of R ma s adventures. While it is impossible to establish conclusive dates for V lm ki s life and there is nothing outside the R m ya a itself to prove that he was a historical figure, it is believed that this Sanskrit text was composed between 700 and 500 BC .
Arshia Sattar has a PhD from the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Her areas of interest are Indian epics, mythology and the story traditions of the subcontinent. Her articles appear in various national newspapers and magazines. Her translation of Tales from the Kath saritas gara was published by Penguin in 1995.
PENGUIN EVERGREENS
The Penguin Evergreens are collections of classic stories-fiction and non-fiction-that build on Penguin s original paperback mission of publishing the best books for everyone to enjoy. The Evergreens are drawn from Penguin s wide-ranging list of classics and bestsellers by some of the most recognized writers in the Indian Subcontinent.
The first list of books is
The Mark of Vishnu: Stories , Khushwant Singh Building a New India , A.P.J. Abdul Kalam My Experiments with Truth , M.K. Gandhi Feluda: Stories , Satyajit Ray Kabuliwallah: Stories , Rabindranath Tagore Kamasutra: Selections , Vatsyayana The Mahabharata: Droupadi s Marriage and Other Selections , Vyasa Malgudi: Stories , R.K. Narayan Valmiki Ramayana : The Book of Wilderness The Jungle Book , Rudyard Kipling The Kitemaker: Stories , Ruskin Bond The Quilt: Stories , Ismat Chughtai The Shroud: Stories , Premchand Toba Tek Singh: Stories , Saadat Hasan Manto
One

W hen R ma entered the mighty Da aka forest, he saw that it was inhabited by deer and various other animals, including bears and tigers. The trees in the forest had been enveloped by enormous creepers and vines and none of its ponds and lakes had been looked after. The birds were silent and the only sound that filled the air was the chirping of crickets.
In that forest which was the home of all kinds of fierce animals, R ma came upon a huge r k asa who fed on human flesh. The r k asa , with his sunken eyes and huge maw, roared like thunder. His limbs were twisted and deformed, his huge belly quivered and shook when he moved and he was terrifying to look at. This awful creature, who wore a tiger skin dripping with blood and fat, tormented all the forest animals. He had three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten deer and an elephant s head, it s tusk still smeared with gore, impaled upon the point of his spear as he came rushing towards R ma, Lak ma a and S t .
Looking like Death, the r k asa charged at them and his roar made the earth tremble. He grabbed S t and tucked her under his arm. You are in the forest with the matted hair of an ascetic. But you have brought your wife with you! he shouted. Consider your life at an end! You have entered the Da aka forest armed with bows and arrows! How can you live an ascetic s life when you have a woman with you? Who are you, unrighteous men, who malign the life led by the great sages?
I am the r k asa Vir dha. Every day, I wander through this dense forest preying on sages and eating their flesh. This beautiful woman shall be my wife! And I shall drink the blood of both you wretched creatures on the battlefield! S t trembled like a slender banana plant in a high wind when she heard the r k asa s terrible words.
Look, Lak ma a, said R ma, his face pale as he saw his wife under the r k asa s arm. This beautiful princess, the delicate daughter of Janaka and my lovely wife, who has been reared with every comfort imaginable, is being forced to sit on Vir dha s hip. What Kaikey wished for when she asked for her boons has come to pass all too soon! Not satisfied with the kingdom for her own son, she sent me, whom everybody loves, into the forest. That mother of mine has been granted her wish today! I cannot bear the thought of S t being touched by another man. It upsets me more than the death of my father and the loss of my kingdom!
R ma broke into tears as he said this but Lak ma a was enraged and burst out, hissing in his anger, R ma! You are Indra s equal and the lord of all creatures! How can you act so helpless! You have nothing to fear when I am at your service. I shall kill this r k asa with my arrows and the earth shall drink his blood. I shall direct the anger that I feel for Bharata over the loss of the kingdom towards this creature, just as Indra turned his anger upon the mountains. My mighty arms shall release an arrow with great force. May it drive the breath from his body and leave him lifeless upon the ground!
Who are you and where are you going? asked Vir dha in a voice that filled the entire forest. Tell me, I must know! R ma replied that they were from the Ik v ku clan. We are virtuous k atriyas who have come to spend some time in the forest. Who are you and why do you wander through this forest? he asked the r k asa who blazed like a fire.
Is that what you want to know? said Vir dha. Listen, then, and I will tell you! I am the son of Jaya and my mother is atah d . I am known to all the r k asas on earth as Vir dha. Brahm gave me a boon because of all the austerities I performed. There is no weapon on earth that can maim, cut or pierce me! Leave this woman with me and go from this place with no further expectations. Return to where you came from. I shall not kill you!
R ma s eyes blazed with anger as he shouted back at the r k asa who had bloodshot eyes and wicked intentions. Shame on you for your base motives! You are obviously seeking death. Stand and fight with me and you shall certainly find it! R ma fitted his straightest and sharpest arrows into his bow. Seven gold-tipped arrows blazed like tongues of flame as they flew with the speed of the wind, resounding through the air. They pierced the r k asa s body and he fell to the earth. Vir dha let out a deafening roar. He seemed like death with his mouth wide open and his spear that was as huge as Indra s flagstaff. R ma, the best among all those who fight with weapons, split Vir dha s spear with two arrows as it came through the air like a thunderbolt. Then, Lak ma a quickly cut off his right arm and R ma his left one.
The r k asa , who was as dark as a cloud, fell to the earth with his arms hacked off, like a mountain felled by a thunderbolt. I knew that you were R ma, the illustrious son of Kausaly , and that this was the virtuous S t and that the famous Lak ma a, said Vir dha to the brothers. I am actually the gandharva Tumburu. I have this hideous r k asa body because I was cursed by Kubera. When I begged his forgiveness, he generously said I would be liberated when R ma, son of Da aratha, killed me in combat, and I would recover my natural state and return to heaven.
Now I have been freed from this awful curse by you. I shall return to my own home. May all go well with you! The great sage arabhanga lives close by, less than one and a half yojan s from here. He is as effulgent as the sun. Go to him quickly, for he shall ensure your welfare. As for me, throw me into a pit. That is the primordial ritual for a dying r k asa . Those who are buried in pits shall attain worlds of everlasting happiness. Vir dha was overcome with pain from his wounds as he spoke. He was ready to go to heaven, waiting only to be released from his body. R ma and Lak ma a hurled him into a deep pit and the r k asa with ears like conch shells howled as he fell.
Now that they had recovered S t and the incident with the r k asa was behind them, R ma and Lak ma a went deeper into the forest with their golden arrows, shining like the sun and the moon in the sky.
R ma, Lak ma a and S t visited the settlements of many sages in the forest, including the hermitages of arabhanga and Sut k a. Wherever he went, the sages pleaded with R ma to protect them from the harassment of the r k asas . R ma promised that he would kill any and all the r k asas who bothered the sages.
When R ma had said farewell to Sut k a and they were proceeding on their way, S t spoke gently to her husband. You are a man of great deeds and when you consider the matter carefully, I am sure you will see that dharma is very subtle.
There are three major weaknesses that arise from desire. One is telling lies. The other two are much worse: one is lusting after another man s wife and the other is cruelty without a justified cause for hostility. You have never lied, R ma, nor will you ever do so. You do not covet the wives of others and you have not acted in violation of dharma . These things would only be done by a man who has no control over his senses. I know you are perfectly disciplined.
But the third weakness which men succumb to because of their passions, the inflicting of violence and cruelty upon other beings without reason or enmity, that weakness appears to be present in you now. You have promised to kill the r k asas in combat in order to protect the sages who live in the Da aka forest. This has brought you and your brother to this forest, armed with your bows and arrows.
It disturbs me a great deal when I see you like this. I know you well and I am concerned about your welfare now and in the future. Our journey into the Da