Culture in The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of Indian Epic by Narayan - Book Report/Review Example

The modern version, written by Narayan, combines the master-strokes of the novelist along with the paintings by an eleventh-century poet Kamban into the scheme of recreating the tale of wisdom, culture, conflict, and mythology.“The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of Indian Epic” captivates myriad facets of rich culture and heritage of ancient India. On one plane, it captivates the political system of hierarchy prevailing at that time in India. On the other side, it indicates and speaks about the necessary virtues that should be present in a complete man portrayed through the character of the king, Rama.

The most pertinent theme of the story, The Ramayana, is the victory of good over evil represented through the glorious victory of King Rama over the demon Ravana. In the Epilogue of the book, the author mentions, “Rama entered Ajodhya, after fourteen years of exile, a time during which he rid this world of evil forces that had tormented it for centuries.” (Narayan, “The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic”, Pg - 78)The book also captivates theme of righteousness and the battle does not end up with the wining over battles with physical evils in the literal world but the epic speaks essentially about the winning of the vices or the demons which are present within one’s soul, “But there are creatures hovering about waiting to disturb every holy undertaking there, who must be overcome in the same manner as one has to conquer the five-fold evils within before one can realize holiness.

” (Narayan, “The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic”, Pg – 7-8)