Sugriva sent one hundred thousand Vanaras each to all directions, so a total of ten lakhs.

Sugriva told Rama that the vanaras came from various forests and islands, ready to take up any task. They are part of Devas, appearing here as Vanaras to serve Rama, including Jambava, Hanuman, Neelan, Gajan, Gavayan, Gavakshan, and so many famous Vanaras.

They were given thirty days to complete the task. Those who return after thirty days without getting the whereabouts of Sita will be facing death.

Picture Credit: Dr. K.U Krishnakumar and Guruvayoor Devaswom

When the vanaras were about to leave, Rama called Hanuman aside and said: "I have a great feeling that you will be the one who is going to meet Sita. When you meet her, please give her this ring engraved with my name so that she will be convinced. Also, please tell her this secret word, which only she and I know."

In other translations of Adhyatma Ramayana, there is no mentioned of secret word. Rama only tells Hanumanji to show the ring in secret.

In Valmiki Ramayana, it is Sugriva who tells Hanuman that he is confident that Hanuman would be the one to find the whereabouts of Sita. Seeing Sugriva’s confidence in Hanuman, Rama gives him a ring. There is no mention of a secret word.

Additional Source: Adhyatma Ramayana, Lala Baij Nath

Picture Credit: J Martin and Manoj Publications

They entered the dark forest and the Vanaras were tired of hunger and thirst. They saw a ditch and decided to enter the ditch. After walking a while, they saw a beautiful place, golden hued, with lots of water springs. They saw a woman, a Yogini, who was meditating without any movement, resplendent like the flame of an un-flickering lamp. She asked who the vanaras were.

The Yogini then told Hanuman that she is Svayamprabha, the friend of Hema, daughter of Vishwakarma. Mahadeva was pleased with Hema’s dances and gifted her this place. Hema was a Vishnu devotee and attained Brahmaloka and gifted Svayamprabha this place. Svayamprabha got a boon that she will meet the vanaras searching for Sita; and will thereafter meet Rama and attain liberation.

Picture Credit: Dr. K.U. Krishnakumar

The Yogini left the cave and reached Rama. She started chanting a wonderful hymn praising him. She wonders how people who are limited like her can see Rama, the ultimate reality? She expounds on how Maya clouds the ability to see the ultimate reality. She sought the ability to chant Rama’s name all the time. She sought unshaken devotion, the company of Rama’s devotees and the ability to keep Rama’s ornamented form always in her mind. She sought the very means that Rama told Sabari about achieving liberation through devotion.

In Valmiki Ramayana, there is only a mention of Svayamprabha showing the monkeys the way out of the cave. There is no mention of her meeting Rama.

Additional Source: Adhyatma Ramayana, Lala Baij Nath

Picture Credit: Chandamama

Shri Ramcharitmanas is an epic poem in Awadhi, part of the Eastern Hindi language family, composed by Goswami Tulsidas (c.1532–1623). Its title means "The Lake of the Deeds of Rama," reflecting its bhakti-oriented retelling of Valmiki’s Ramayana.

Tulsidas compared the seven Kandas of the poem to seven steps descending into the sacred Himalayan Lake Mansarovar (Manasa), believed to purify both body and soul. He began writing the scripture in 1574 CE in Ayodhya on Ram Navami—a date noted within the poem itself—and later composed much of it in Varanasi, where he spent most of his life.

Today, Ramcharitmanas is regarded as one of the greatest works of Hindu literature. Tulsidas made the Ramakatha accessible to the common person, a legacy visible in North India's Ramlila enactments during Dussehra, which largely draw from his works. Tulsidas also authored the Hanuman Chalisa, one of the most widely recited prayers among Hindus in northern India.

Source: http://www.ramcharitmanas.org/about-ramcharitmanas.html

Tulsidas Temple at Rajapur, near Chitrakoot. Picture Credit – Twitter Aman Chaurasiya.

The British used indentured labor from India as a replacement for slavery, referring to these laborers as girmitiyas, derived from the term girmit, meaning "agreement" in local dialects.

In 1884, when a boat carrying migrants capsized, many perished, but they managed to save a Ramayana wrapped in red cloth (laal kapde mein liptee Ramayana). For these girmitiyas, the Ramacharitmanas held deeper significance than it might for many Indian Hindus. In their Ramlila, when a husband lamented British duplicity, his wife would remind him to draw strength from Ram and Sita’s trials in exile.

To them, the Ramayana symbolized a protective force. In Fiji, the British slogan “Rani ki jai ho” (“Long Live the Queen [Victoria]”) was met with the girmitiyas' reply, Maharani Ramayana ki jai—"Victory to the great queen, the Ramayana." This became a rallying cry of resistance, affirming the Ramayana as their ultimate authority over the British.

Source: https://swarajyamag.com/culture/when-the-british-said-hail-the-queen-hindus-in-fiji-replied-ramayana-maharani-ki-jai

Picture Credit - Girmityas of Fiji, Global Indian Network

The Pampa Ramayana is an 11th-century CE work by Nagachandra, also known as Abhinava Pampa—a worthy successor to the Kannada Adikavi, Pampa. Prior to this, all Ramayanas were written in Sanskrit, various Prakrits, or Apabhramsa.

The Pampa Ramayana belongs to the tradition of Jain Ramayanas and draws heavily from Vimalasuri’s Maharashtri Prakrit work from the 1st-2nd century CE, later translated into Sanskrit as the Padmapuran. In this tradition, Jains referred to Rama as Padma to differentiate him from Balarama (Krishna’s brother), who is also venerated. Nagachandra portrays Ravana as a tragic hero, initiating a trend of humanizing epic villains. In alignment with Jain principles of non-violence, Lakshmana, rather than Rama, is depicted as the one who slays Ravana.

The Pampa Ramayana is celebrated for its nuanced use of Kannada. The first full Hindu version of the Ramayana in Kannada was composed around 1500 CE by Narahari of Torave village near Bijapur, known as the Toraveya Ramayana. Since then, Kannada literature has produced several exquisite works in the epic tradition, including contributions by modern masters like D.V. Gundappa and S.L. Bhyrappa.

Source: shastriyakannada.org

Known as Rajaji, he was one of the most influential leaders of India’s freedom movement. He served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Governor General of India, and Governor of West Bengal.

Rajaji also founded the Swatantra Party, which became a prominent opposition party during the 1950s and 60s. A multifaceted personality, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. Rajaji’s Ramayana was first published in 1957 by K. M. Munshi’s Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

This abridged English retelling of the Valmiki Ramayana followed an earlier version he had published of the Kamba Ramayanam. Rajaji regarded both this book and his Mahabharata as his greatest contributions to his countrymen.

In December 2001, then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee released the one-millionth copy of each epic—Ramayana and Mahabharata—authored by Rajaji, underscoring the enduring appeal of his works. Vajpayee shares his birthday with Rajaji’s death anniversary.

Source: Various

The picture is of Rajaji National Park near Haridwar