Sources

The Ramayana of Valmiki

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "The Ramayana of Valmiki." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-ramayana-of-valmiki.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). The Ramayana of Valmiki. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-ramayana-of-valmiki

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-the-ramayana-of-valmiki,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {The Ramayana of Valmiki},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-ramayana-of-valmiki},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

This edition of the Ramayana is a primary text whose own publication year is deliberately left unset here for the text itself, since the epic was composed and expanded over a long, disputed period rather than at one datable moment, a gap this record states rather than assigns a false precision to. Robert Goldman's general editorship situates the translation within documented scholarly debate about that composition history: Goldman himself proposed oral composition around 750 to 500 BCE, with Books 2 through 6 the oldest layer, while Jacobi argued Books 1 and 7 are later additions and Brockington extends the latest stages to around 300 CE, a live scholarly disagreement this record names rather than resolves. Use it for the content of a specific book or passage of the Ramayana as this edition presents it; a claim resting on one specific dating theory needs a dedicated scholarly source addressing that debate.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

A primary Sanskrit epic attributed to Valmiki, presented here in Robert Goldman's scholarly edition; the text's own composition history is genuinely disputed among scholars, with Goldman proposing oral composition roughly 750 to 500 BCE and later books argued by others to be still later additions, a disagreement this record states rather than resolves.

Notes

PublicationYear left NULL for the text itself. Goldman proposed oral composition c. 750-500 BC. Books 2-6 are the oldest; Jacobi argued Books 1 and 7 are later additions, and Brockington extends later stages to c. 300 CE.

Citation

Author

Valmiki (attributed); Robert P. Goldman (general editor)

Publisher

Princeton University Press

The seven-volume Goldman/Sutherland Goldman critical edition (Princeton Library of Asian Translations) already named in the author field here. The composition date of the underlying text stays disputed and unfilled, as intended.

Source Type

primary-text

Claims Backed By This Source (154 claims)

This source backs 154 claims across the atlas. As facts: 110 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 15 holds. Plus 28 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Scripture Portions, 49 claims: 35 well-attested, 7 holds, 7 general references.
Figures, 33 claims: 22 well-attested, 4 holds, 7 general references.
Articles, 19 claims: 19 well-attested.
Deities, 16 claims: 10 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 5 general references.
Myths & Sacred Narratives, 12 claims: 8 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.
Religious Events, 8 claims: 4 well-attested, 4 general references.
Sources, 6 claims: 6 well-attested.
Scriptures & Texts, 4 claims: 3 well-attested, 1 general references.
Mythical Creatures, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
Holidays & Festivals, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Languages, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.