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Re: various versions of the Ramayana

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Vidyasankar Sundaresan • January 30, 1997 


On Fri, 31 Jan 1997, Mohan Sagar wrote:

> 
> It is interesting to note that both Sri Kambar and Sri Tulasidas' renderings
> seem to draw heavily from another Sanskrit version of the Ramayana known as
> Sri Adhyatma Ramayana.  This devotional work of the 14th century is
> attributed to Sri Ramananda of Benares, whose teachings directly reflect the
> philosophies of Sri Pillai Lokacharya and Sri Periavaccan Pillai. 
> 

Kambar's date is much earlier than the 14th century. The direction of
influence could well be the other way round, with the Adhyatma Ramayana 
drawing heavily from Kamba Ramayanam. Sri Ramananda was well known in
north India as a Tridandi sannyasi of the Ramanuja sampradaya, and it is
quite likely that he had read the Tamil Kamba Ramayanam himself. 

Vidyasankar