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Valmiki Ramayanam in Audio Form for Tamil Children — தமிழில் வால்மீகி ராமாயணம் – ஒலி வடிவில்

Most probably for the first time, Valmiki Ramayanam for children is now available in audio form in Tamil, as a serial, narrated in the most child-friendly tone and texture in the Internet, available for free listening.

அனேகமாய்த் தமிழில் முதன் முறையாக வால்மீகி ராமாயணக் கதை, குழந்தைகள் கேட்பதற்கென்று ஒலி வடிவில், இணையத்தில் ஒரு தொடராக வரத்தொடங்கியுள்ளது.

Deepika Arun, is one of the most famous Audio book narrators, whose Tamil audio books are very popular in her Kadhai Osai Channel (both in Youtube and other podcast channels), is rendering the story of Ramayana through her Podcast for Children — Chittukuruvi in famous podcast sites like Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast etc.   In fact, this podcast contains many children stories in Tamil narrated by Deepika.

ஒலி வடிவில் தமிழ்க் கதைகளை வழங்கிவரும்  கதை ஓசை ஒலிப்புத்தகத் தளத்தின் மிகப் பிரபலமான கதை சொல்லியான தீபிகா அருண், தமது அருமையான குரலில் தமிழில் ராமாயணக் கதையை தமது “சிட்டுக்குருவி போட்காஸ்ட்”  மூலம் ஸ்பாட்டிஃபை, கூகிள், போட்காஸ்ட், ஆப்பிள் போட்காஸ்ட் போன்ற தளங்கள் வழியே சொல்லத் தொடங்கியுள்ளார். அவர் குழந்தைகளுக்காகவென்றே சொல்லியுள்ள பல பிரபல கதைகள் ஏற்கனவே ‘சிட்டுக்குருவியில்’ இருக்கின்றன.

This Tamil Valmiki Ramayanam audio series for children is now available at Spotify. It has started from the auspicious Pongal Day, 15th January 2023.  Each episode will be for about 15 to 20 minutes and are scheduled to be released weekly, every Sunday. New listeners can register at Spotify free of cost and continue to listen it every week.

இப்போது தமிழில் வால்மீகி ராமாயணம் ‘ஸ்பாட்டிஃபை’ தளத்தில், இந்தப் பொங்கல் நன்னாள் (ஜனவரி 15, 2023)  அன்று தொடங்கி, முதல் அத்தியாயத்தை வெளியிட்டுள்ளார். இனி வாரா வாரம் ஞாயிறன்று ஒரு அத்தியாயம் வெளியிடுவது எண்ணம். புதிய ரசிகர்கள், அத்தளத்தில் தங்களைப் பதிவு செய்துகொண்டு, இலவசமாக இக்கதையைக் கேட்டு மகிழலாம்.

(Links given at the bottom of this article)

அதற்கான இணைப்புகள் கீழே தரப்பட்டுள்ளன.

The story is being written by writer ‘Sandeepika‘ (who also writes in English by name C.V.Rajan).  Beginning with the popular story of Ratnakar, the bandit who turned into the poet Valmiki, the narrative will continue, reasonably elaborately with Bala kandam,  Ayodhya Kandam, Aranya Kandam and so on. The narrative by Deepika is in a very children-friendly conversational tone, in simple Tamil, with enough dose of emotions and voice modulations.

இந்தத் தமிழ் ராமாயணக் கதைத் தொடரை  எழுதுபவர் எழுத்தாளர் சாந்தீபிகா. சி.வி.ராஜன் எனும் பெயரில் எழுதும் எழுத்தாளரும் இவரே. ரத்னாகரன் எனும் காட்டு வழிப்பறிக் கொள்ளைக்காரன், வால்மீகி முனிவராகப் பரிணமித்த கதையிலிருந்து தொடங்கி, ஓரளவு விரிவாகவே பால காண்டம், அயோத்தியா காண்டம், ஆரண்ய காண்டம் என்று கதை தொடரும். குழந்தைகளுக்கு எளிதில் புரியும் வகையில், மிகுந்த நட்புணர்வுடன், எளிய பேச்சுத் தமிழில், உணர்ச்சிகரமாகவும், கதா பாத்திரங்களுக்கு ஏற்பக் குரல் மாற்றியும் வெகு சுவையாக இக்கதையை வழங்குகிறார் தீபிகா அருண்.

Narrator Deepika Arun says, “The Itihas Ramayana has been living with us across thousands of years, enthralling kids and grownups alike, teaching dharma, values, morals and devotion to children generations after generations. Ramayana and Mahabharata continue to be the most popular bed time stories for children from time immemorial, verbally told by grandmas, grandpas and also parents.  Is it not a wonder by itself?  Present day parents are not able to spend enough time with their children to narrate stories. Even many parents may not remember the whole story of Ramayana with all its details and nuances to tell their children. I thought it will really benefit parents and children alike if Valmiki Ramayana, which is the source of all other Ramayana forms,  is narrated verbally. Unlike seeing a tele serial of Ramayana, the verbal narration will kindle lots of imagination in children to mentally form their own images of the scenes and characters.”

The author C.V.Rajan adds, “As for as I know, Rajaji was the pioneer in writing Ramayana and Mahabharata keeping children in mind as the potential readers, in addition to adults.  In fact, I grew up reading Rajaji’s Ramayanam. But he, just like Kambar who wrote the Tamil magnum opus Kamba Ramayanam, opted to end the story with Rama Pattabhishekam (crowning of Rama as the king), after he annihilated Ravana and returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. It may be because most children and adults love stories that end in a happy note.  But Rama’s story will not be complete unless Uttara kandam is also narrated. Uttara kandam covers the detailed story of the Rakshas Ravana and also Rama abandoning Sita in the forest. The story goes on till the end of Rama’s life.  I do believe that we should not shy away from narrating these stories too to children.  Only then Rama’s story will be complete. Let children too try to grasp the nagging questions behind Rama leaving Sita at the hermitage of Valmiki. ”

Tamil children and parents are welcome to enjoy Valmiki Ramayanam episode by episode narrated in Deepika’s sweet voice. Here are the links:

தமிழ்ப் பெற்றோர்களையும் குழந்தைகளையும் வால்மீகி ராமயணக் கதையைக் கேட்டு மகிழ வரவேற்கிறோம். கீழ்க்கண்ட இணைப்புகளை சொடுக்குங்கள்:

1) Introductory Chapter 1 – Valmiki’s story – அறிமுகம் 1 – வால்மீகி முனிவரின் கதை

2) Introductory chapter 2  – The evolution of Ramayana Story- அறிமுகம் 2 – ராமாயணம் உருவான விதம்

3) Bala Kandam 1 – Arrival of Rushyashringa Rishi for conducting Ashwamedha Yaga – பால காண்டம்: அசுவமேத யாகம் நடத்த ருஷ்யசிருங்க முனிவர் வருகை

4) Bala Kandam  2 – Avatar of Rama – பால காண்டம் – ராமர் அவதரித்தார்

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With so many Puranas and stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata and so on, is not Hinduism just a religion of fairy tales?

When we teach rudiments of Hinduism to kids (like Gods, worship, praying, getting boons, morals, right and wrong, good habits and bad habits etc) we teach them with stories of Gods and demons from puranas, itihasas etc. All the stories may look like fairy tales.

How many of us who have heard Ramayana and Mahabharata stories as kids have bothered to re-read more elaborate versions of these stories after we became adults? If and when we read them, we can grasp so many things related to dharma, adharma (right and wrong conduct) in actual situations in life. Mahabharata will turn out to be a real story for adults and hardly a fairy tale for children! One will be wonderstruck by analyzing the various characters and how we actually see many people similar to those characters in attitude and behavior in our real lives!

We see how dharma can be wrongly interpreted by many people to suit their own whims and fancies; how deep wisdom about life and living is so intrinsically woven with the story and characters.

Then comes the bombshell – The Bhagavad Gita in Mahabharata! Does it not totally shake up our whole perception about God, religion and spirituality? Does it not turn the ‘fairy tales’ to one grand discourse to grasp the intricate and profound spiritual wisdom of Hinduism?

Unfortunately, so many of us are still kids when it comes to sticking to the fairy tales part of Hinduism and refuse to grow up. Like little kids fighting to establish that their favorite cinema Hero is the greatest, we keep still fighting about supremacy of Shiva over Vishnu and so on!

For those who refuse to grow up from the shackles of ‘fairy tale’ part of Hinduism and for those who never get exposed to the great saints and sages of Hinduism and their teachings, Hinduism will only look like a fantasy.

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Vishnu prayed to Lord Shiva in all his forms, but Shiva didn’t pray to Vishnu. Why?

Your intent in posing this question is to get either a reply that Shiva is a greater God, most probably, or just to indirectly convey to Vishu-worshipers that Shiva is the supreme God or simply stir a debate on it!

Hinduism permits worship of multiple Gods who are endowed with different looks, powers and attributes; they, in reality, represent the One God, known as Brahman, Parabrahman, Paramatman or Satchidananda. Hinduism acknowledges that there are basic differences in every person in tastes, temperaments and capacity of intake in the matter of religion. In real life, a woman found distasteful to one man can be the soul stirring sweet-heart of another man. When such a difference is taste can exist, why not allow different tastes in worshiping the God?This is precisely the logic behind the idea of multiple God forms in Hinduism.

Thus, Hinduism permits you to choose a specific God form most appealing and lovable to you; it encourages you to believe wholeheartedly that that particular God form indeed is the one supreme God. A chaste woman considers her husband alone to be the most handsome and most wonderful person; likewise, at the lower steps of religion, a believer’s conviction that his personal God alone to be the most powerful and the “only true God” is also encouraged.

It is a common mentality amidst devotees of a specific God forms to think their God is the supreme God and all other Gods are subservient to Him. While it helps in focusing one’s devotion to his Ishta and get single pointed devotion, the negative side is that unless one develops in spirituality and grows up, he ends up in becoming a “selling agent” for one’s ishta!

Surprisingly, the same mentality seems to have existed in those sages who wrote specific Puranas like Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana etc. The Shiva Purana, Linga Purana etc would claim Shiva to be the Ultimate God and Vishnu is a worshiper of Him. The Vishnu Purana will say vice Versa. The Devi Bhagavatam will say Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were created by Devi!

If you are an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and if you read Srimad Bhagavatam, particularly the episode about Vishnu taking Mohini Avatar and Shiva getting infatuated with Mohini, you would feel highly enraged and disturbed!

Puranas do serve a purpose. But if you take them too seriously, no specific spiritual benefit would accrue. Puranas can be used as a ladder at lower levels to step into higher level of spirituality so that the ladder can be discarded.

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