Where to read the Valmiki Ramayana online
Read the complete Valmiki Ramayana free on Ramayana.com, with all seven kandas and 648 sargas, in Sanskrit with Hindi and English meaning. Maharshi Valmiki's account of Shri Ram is available chapter by chapter, so we can begin at the opening of the scripture and continue steadily through the whole text.
What is the Valmiki Ramayana?
The Valmiki Ramayana is the Sanskrit epic by Maharshi Valmiki. It is called the Adi Kavya, the first poem, and Maharshi Valmiki is honoured as the Adi Kavi. Tradition counts about 24,000 shlokas in its seven kandas. Devotees place the events it describes in the Treta Yuga.
Tradition tells that Maharshi Valmiki uttered the first shloka in grief after a hunter killed one of a pair of krauncha birds beside the Tamasa river. Lava and Kusha, the sons of Shri Ram and Mata Sita, learned the poem from him and sang it. The scripture thus comes to us as a poem to be heard as well as read.
How the kandas and sargas are organised
A kanda is a major division of the epic. Each kanda contains chapters called sargas. The seven kandas, in order, are Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kishkindha, Sundara, Yuddha and Uttara. Yuddha Kanda is also called Lanka Kanda.
The edition on Ramayana.com contains 77 sargas in Bala, 119 in Ayodhya, 76 in Aranya, 67 in Kishkindha, 68 in Sundara, 128 in Yuddha and 113 in Uttara. These make 648 sargas altogether. Reading one sarga at a time gives us a clear place to pause and return.
What to look for in an online edition
Keep the Sanskrit beside the meaning. The original text lets us return to the words of the scripture as we read its translation. Choose an edition that makes both easy to follow on a phone.
Look for a faithful translation with a named source. Ramayana.com uses the Gita Press Sanskrit-Hindi edition, with Hindi translation by Pandey Ramnarayan Dutt Shastri, and the Gita Press English edition. Naming the edition tells readers whose rendering they are studying.
Distinguish word meanings from translation. Individual word meanings help us examine an expression closely. A translation explains the passage in connected language. When comparing editions, check which kind of help each provides.
For continued reading on the phone, the free Ramayan app includes both the Valmiki Ramayana and the Ramcharitmanas, with offline reading and bookmarks.
A printed edition worth owning
Gita Press publishes a Sanskrit-Hindi Valmiki Ramayana in two volumes. It is a useful choice for keeping the original Sanskrit and Hindi meaning together in print. Ramayana.com is free and has no advertising. Its purpose includes encouraging readers to study the scripture and own printed books.
Questions people ask
Can I read the whole Valmiki Ramayana here for free?
Yes. The complete Valmiki Ramayana is available free on Ramayana.com, including all seven kandas and 648 sargas. You can read the Sanskrit with Hindi or English meaning. The site has no advertising and takes no payments or donations, so you can continue reading without a purchase.
Is this the same as the Ramcharitmanas?
The Valmiki Ramayana is Maharshi Valmiki's Sanskrit epic. The Ramcharitmanas is Goswami Tulsidas's retelling in Awadhi, composed in the sixteenth century. Both tell the story of Shri Ram. In everyday speech in north India, “Ramayan” usually refers to the Ramcharitmanas, which many Hindi-speaking families read and recite.
Where should I start reading?
Begin with Bala Kanda, the first of the seven kandas, and continue in order. The sarga divisions give you manageable stopping places. Read the Sanskrit alongside your chosen meaning, allowing time to understand each passage before continuing. A regular portion makes sustained reading easier.
Which printed Valmiki Ramayana should I buy?
The Gita Press Sanskrit-Hindi Valmiki Ramayana comes in two volumes and keeps the Sanskrit text with Hindi meaning. It is worth owning if you wish to continue studying in print. Choose according to the language you understand comfortably, so that reading becomes a regular practice.