Page:Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists.djvu/26

 CHAPTER II: THE RĀMĀYANA

Sources

ĀLMĪKI is a name almost as shadowy as Homer. He was, no doubt, a Brāhman by birth, and closely connected with the kings of Ayodhyā. He collected songs and legends of Rāma (afterwards called Rāma-Chandra, in distinction from Parashu-Rāma); and very probably some additions were made to his work at a later time, particularly the Uttara Kanda. He is said to have invented the shloka metre, and the language and style of Indian epic poetry owe their definite form to him. According to the Rāmāyana, he was a contemporary of Rāma, and sheltered Sītā during her years of lonely exile, and taught the Rāmāyana to her sons Kusa and Lava.

The material of the Rāmāyana, in its simplest form, the story of the recovery of a ravished bride, is not unlike that of another great epic, the Iliad of Homer. It is not likely, however, although the view has been suggested, that the Iliad derives from the Rāmāyana: it is more probable that both epics go back to common legendary sources older than 1000 years

The story of Rāma is told in one of the Jātakas, which may be regarded as a shorter version, one of many then current. Probably at some time during the last centuries preceding Christ the current versions of Rāma's saga were taken up by the Brāhman poet, and formed into one story with a clear and coherent plot; while its complete form, with the added Uttara Kanda, may be as late as 400. As a whole, the poem in its last redaction seems to belong essentially to the earlier phase of the Hindu renaissance, and it reflects a culture very similar to that which is visibly depicted in the Ajanta frescoes (first 6