The Ramayana of Valmiki. an Epic of Ancient India. Volume VII. Uttarakanda

Princeton: Princeton University Press. Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. 2017. First Edition. Hardcover. 0691168849 . Xxii, 1522 pp. Notes, glossary, bibliography, index. Colored plate at frontis. Large octavo. Glossry bright blue dust jacket with painting of Lord Rama entering the Sarayu River. Very minor shelf wear to the DJ. Book itself is clean and crisp, virtually as new. Very nice copy. In English with some Sanskrit. Heavy for int'l shipping. From the publisher: The seventh and final book of the monumental Ramaya of Valmiki, the Uttaraka brings the epic saga to a close with an account of the dramatic events of King Rama’s millennia-long reign. It opens with a colorful history of the demonic race of the raksas and the violent career of Rama’s villainous foe Rava, and later recounts Rama’s grateful discharge of his allies in the great war at Lanka as well as his romantic reunion with his wife Sita. But dark clouds gather as Rama, confronted by scandal over Sita’s time in captivity under the lustful Rava, makes the agonizing decision to banish his beloved wife, now pregnant. As Rama continues as king, marvelous tales and events unfurl, illustrating the benefits of righteous rule and the perils that await monarchs who fail to address the needs of their subjects. The Uttarakanda has long served as a point of social and religious controversy largely for its accounts of the banishment of Sita, as well as of Rama’s killing of a low-caste ascetic. The translators’ introduction provides a full discussion of these issues and the complex reception history of the Uttarakanda. This translation of the critical edition also includes exhaustive notes and a comprehensive bibliography." ; The Ramayana of Valmiki; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 1522 pages .