The Adhyatma Ramayanam is as the title would indicate a spiritual version of the Ramayanam. While Valmiki Ramayanam as an Itihasa was composed with the objectives of giving proper advice on all the four goals of life, Dharma, Arth, kama and Moksa, the Adhyatma version is primarily concerned with the last and final goal. Devotion to the feet of the Supreme Lord in the form of Rama is the surest and easiest means of achieving this objective. To give it a special sanctity, the whole composition is in the form of a dialogue between Goddess Parvati and her lord Siva who himself is described as the greatest devotee of Rama. Included at a later stage as an appendix to the Bramanda Purana, its actual authorship is still a matter of speculation. A palm leaf manuscript of great antiquity which is an heirloom of the translator’s family has been utilized for bringing the most authentic version as prevalent in Kerala. The Adhyatma version of the Ramayanam is in the form of a dialogue between Uma and Mahesvara in seven parts described as Kandas. Though the composer has generally followed Valimiki’s version in narrating the story of Rama along with Sita and Laksmana, there are some serious deviations also on occasions. To start with Lord Vishnu is solicited by the Goddess Earth and other two brothers, of the Lord’s a conch and discus. In spite of many variations it will appear that ultimately it is a only a modified version of Valimiki epic composed with the objective of giving proper enlightenment on the different paths of liberation, primacy being given to that of devotion. Lord Siva himself refers to it as the quintessence of the Vedas.
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