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Stories of the Ramayana for Families

Fifteen evenings with Valmiki's Ramayana, for children and elders together.

Narrated byThe Sage Narrator
See the path, day by day

At a glance

Lectures
0 of 15 lectures
Listening time
—
Languages
Hindi and English
Level
For all ages

About this course

The Ramayana of Valmiki is called the first poem. For more than two thousand years, families across India and Southeast Asia have told it to their children.

This course tells the main episodes from Valmiki's text in fifteen short lectures, gentle enough for children and rich enough for adults. Each ends with a question for the family to talk about together.

We follow Valmiki's Ramayana, and we mention when a well-known detail comes from a later Ramayana, such as Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, instead.

What you'll take away

  • Know the main episodes of all the kandas
  • Hear key verses of Valmiki in Sanskrit with meaning
  • Talk about values together as a family

From the texts

  • The Ramayana begins with a question about character: who in this world is truly virtuous?

    Source: Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.2

  • The first shloka was born when Valmiki's grief (shoka) for a krauncha bird became verse.

    Source: Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sarga 2

  • In Valmiki's text Rama breaks Shiva's bow at Janaka's court as a test of strength.

    Source: Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sarga 67

Day by day

Walk the text one day at a time. A lamp is lit for every lecture that is open to you.

  • Free to hear
  • Open for you
  • Opens with enrolment
  • Opens at its hour
  • Being prepared

  1. Bala KandaDays 1 to 4

    1. Day 1The First PoemValmiki's question to Narada, the krauncha birds, and how grief became the first verse.Being prepared3 min
    2. Day 2The Birth of RamaBeing prepared
    3. Day 3With Sage VishvamitraBeing prepared
    4. Day 4Shiva's Bow at MithilaBeing prepared

  2. Ayodhya KandaDays 5 to 6

    1. Day 5Kaikeyi's Two BoonsBeing prepared
    2. Day 6Bharata and the SandalsBeing prepared

  3. Aranya KandaDays 7 to 9

    1. Day 7Life at PanchavatiBeing prepared
    2. Day 8The Golden DeerBeing prepared
    3. Day 9Jatayu and ShabariBeing prepared

  4. Kishkindha and Sundara KandaDays 10 to 12

    1. Day 10Hanuman Meets RamaBeing prepared
    2. Day 11The Leap across the OceanBeing prepared
    3. Day 12Sita in the Ashoka GroveBeing prepared

  5. Yuddha KandaDays 13 to 15

    1. Day 13The Bridge to LankaBeing prepared
    2. Day 14Vibhishana's Refuge and the BattleBeing prepared
    3. Day 15Return to AyodhyaBeing prepared
The Sage Narrator

Your teacher

The Sage Narrator

A storyteller in the tradition of the sutas who recited the Itihasa in forest hermitages. He tells the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as the texts tell them.

The Sage Narrator is an artistic character, not a historical person. Where a story comes from later tradition rather than the critical text, he says so.

In review

Scholar review

Scholar review in progress

About the narration

Lectures are narrated using AI from scripts reviewed against the texts. The teacher character is an artistic interpretation.

Questions about this course

Is the teacher really Krishna, Chanakya or a rishi?

No. The teacher is an artistic character with an AI-narrated voice. Every lecture is a written script, checked against the cited texts and reviewed by a scholar before it is published. The character never improvises and never claims divine authority.

Can I try before paying?

Yes. The first lecture of every course is free, with no login needed.

Will it work on my phone with a weak network?

Yes. Lectures are audio with a painted scene, so they use far less data than video. Audio-only mode saves even more.

I found a mistake. What do I do?

Please use the Report an error button on the lecture. Every report goes to our review queue.