Ramayana, in the original

Three lamps for every scene

Each scene has three diyas: the film, Valmiki and Tulsidas. A lit lamp means the moment is in that version. Tap a lamp to read what that version has, in the original with plain English.

• In this version
• Mentioned, not shown
• Not in this version
• Film: not yet known

The scenes, in story order

1. Bal Kand

   Ahalya and the stone

   Tulsidas adds the stone

   Did Valmiki write that Ahalya became a stone?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiNot in the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. The trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. No stone. Ahalya lives unseen, on air, in the hermitage, and the princes bow at her feet.

   What the text has instead

   वातभक्षा निराहारा तप्यन्ती भस्मशायिनी।अदृश्या सर्वभूतानामाश्रमेऽस्मिन् वसिष्यसि

   Living on air, taking no food, doing penance, lying on ash, unseen by every creature, you will live in this hermitage.

   राघवौ तु तदा तस्याः पादौ जगृहतुर्मुदा

   Then the two princes of Raghu’s line gladly touched her feet.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. Ahalya waits as stone until Ram's foot touches her.

   गौतम नारि श्राप बस उपल देह धरि धीर।चरन कमल रज चाहति कृपा करहु रघुबीर॥

   Gautama's wife, under a curse, has taken a body of stone and waits with patience. She longs for the dust of your lotus feet. Show her grace, Raghubir.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Read the whole scene

2. Bal Kand

   Sita's swayamvar and the bow

   Both break the bow; Tulsidas adds the assembly

   Was there a swayamvar for Sita in Valmiki's Ramayana?

   FilmIn the filmValmikiIn the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. In the film's telling (from trailers and the makers): the trailer shows Ram breaking Shiva's bow.

   Source: Esquire India, trailer breakdown, 31 Jul 2026

   Valmiki. Ram breaks the bow. The kings had tried and failed earlier, on other days.

   न शेकुर्ग्रहणे तस्य धनुषस्तोलनेऽपि वा

   They could not take hold of it, or even lift it.

   लीलया स धनुर्मध्ये जग्राह वचनान्मुनेः

   At the sage's word he took the bow by the middle, as if it were play.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. Ten thousand kings fail together, then Ram breaks the bow before the full assembly.

   भूप सहस दस एकहि बारा।लगे उठावन टरइ न टारा॥डगइ न संभु सरासनु कैसें।कामी बचन सती मनु जैसें॥

   Ten thousand kings tried to lift it at once, and it would not move. Shiva's bow stayed as unmoved as a faithful wife's heart before a seducer's words.

   तेहि छन राम मध्य धनु तोरा।भरे भुवन धुनि घोर कठोरा॥

   In that instant Ram broke the bow in the middle, and a hard, terrible sound filled the worlds.

   देवनागरीIAST

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3. Ayodhya Kand

   Kaikeyi's two boons

   In both; Tulsidas adds Saraswati

   How do Valmiki and Tulsidas tell Kaikeyi's two boons?

   FilmIn the filmValmikiIn the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. In the film's telling (from trailers and the makers): the trailer includes Ram accepting Kaikeyi's wish and giving up the throne.

   Source: Esquire India, trailer report, 30 Jul 2026

   Valmiki. Kaikeyi names the two boons herself: the crown for Bharata, the forest for Ram.

   नव पञ्च च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः॥चीराजिनधरो धीरो रामो भवतु तापसः

   For nine years and five, let Ram live in the Dandaka forest as an ascetic, in bark and deerskin.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. The same two boons, with Saraswati turning Manthara's mind first.

   नामु मंथरा मंदमति चेरी कैकइ केरि।अजस पेटारी ताहि करि गई गिरा मति फेरि॥

   Kaikeyi had a maid of little sense named Manthara. Saraswati made her a box of ill fame, turned her mind, and left.

   सुनहु प्रानप्रिय भावत जी का।देहु एक बर भरतहि टीका॥मागउँ दूसर बर कर जोरी।पुरवहु नाथ मनोरथ मोरी॥

   Listen, dearest, to what my heart wants. With one boon, crown Bharat. With folded hands I ask the second. Fulfil my wish, my lord.

   रघुकुल रीति सदा चलि आई।प्रान जाहुँ बरु बचनु न जाई॥

   This has always been the way of Raghu's line: life may go, a given word may not.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Read the whole scene

4. Ayodhya Kand

   Kevat washes Ram's feet

   Tulsidas adds

   Is Kevat washing Ram's feet in Valmiki's Ramayana?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiNot in the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. The trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. Guha's men bring a boat. No one washes Ram's feet.

   What the text has instead

   सुप्रतारां दृढां तीर्थे शीघ्रं नावमुपाहर

   Bring a strong boat to the landing at once, one that crosses well.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. The boatman washes Ram’s feet first and refuses any fare.

   मागी नाव न केवटु आना।कहइ तुम्हार मरमु मैं जाना॥चरन कमल रज कहुँ सबु कहई।मानुष करनि मूरि कछु अहई॥

   Ram asked for the boat, and the boatman would not bring it. 'I know your secret,' he said. 'Everyone says the dust of your feet is a herb that turns things into people.'

   पद कमल धोइ चढ़ाइ नाव न नाथ उतराई चहौं

   Let me wash your lotus feet, then take you aboard. I want no fare, my lord.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Read the whole scene

5. Ayodhya Kand

   Bharat refuses the throne

   In both

   Does Bharat refuse the throne in the original Ramayana?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiIn the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. Bharat is in the cast, but the trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. Bharata refuses in Ayodhya, then carries Ram’s sandals home from Chitrakoot.

   रामः पूर्वो हि नो भ्राता भविष्यति महीपतिः।अहं त्वरण्ये वत्स्यामि वर्षाणि नव पञ्च च॥

   Ram, our eldest brother, will be king. I will live in the forest for nine years and five.

   अधिरोहार्यपादाभ्यां पादुके हेमभूषिते।एते हि सर्वलोकस्य योगक्षेमं विधास्यतः॥

   Step onto these gold-worked sandals, brother. They will keep the whole people safe and provided for.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. The same refusal, told slowly, ending with the sandals on Bharat’s head.

   एकहिं आँक इहइ मन माहीं।प्रातकाल चलिहउँ प्रभु पाहीं॥

   My mind holds one resolve: at dawn I go to my lord.

   प्रभु करि कृपा पाँवरीं दीन्हीं।सादर भरत सीस धरि लीन्हीं॥

   In his kindness the Lord gave his sandals, and Bharat placed them on his head with reverence.

   देवनागरीIAST

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6. Aranya Kand

   Sita into the fire before the abduction

   Tulsidas adds

   Did the real Sita go into the fire before Ravana took her?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiNot in the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. The trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. No exchange of this kind. Ravana seizes Sita herself (Aranya Kanda, sarga 49).

   Tulsidas. Ram keeps the real Sita in the fire; her reflection stays in the hut.

   तुम्ह पावक महुँ करहु निवासा।जौ लगि करौं निसाचर नासा॥

   Stay within the fire until I have destroyed the night-prowlers.

   निज प्रतिबिंब राखि तहँ सीता।तैसइ सील रूप सुबिनीता॥

   Sita left her reflection in her place, with the same nature, the same form, the same gentleness.

   देवनागरीIAST

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7. Aranya Kand

   The golden deer

   In both, told differently

   How is the golden deer told in Valmiki and Tulsidas?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiIn the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. The trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. Sita wants the deer; Lakshman says it is Maricha.

   आर्यपुत्राभिरामोऽसौ मृगो हरति मे मनः

   My lord, this lovely deer has stolen my heart.

   तमेवैनमहं मन्ये मारीचं राक्षसं मृगम्

   I think this deer is Maricha himself, the rakshasa.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. Ram knows what the deer is and goes anyway.

   तेहि बननिकट दसानन गयऊ।तब मारीच कपटमृग भयऊ॥अति बिचित्र कछु बरनि न जाई।कनक देह मनि रचित बनाई॥

   When Ravana reached the edge of that forest, Maricha became a false deer, too strange to describe, its body gold and set with jewels.

   तब रघुपति जानत सब कारन।उठे हरषि सुर काजु सँवारन॥

   Raghupati knew the whole reason, and rose gladly to do the work of the gods.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Read the whole scene

8. Aranya Kand

   Sita's words to Lakshman

   In both, toned differently

   What did Sita say to Lakshman before he left her?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiIn the textTulsidasIn the text

   Film. The trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. Sita speaks at length and harshly; Lakshman leaves her with a blessing.

   रामं बिना क्षणमपि नैव जीवामि भूतले

   Without Ram I will not live on this earth for a single moment.

   रक्षन्तु त्वां विशालाक्षि समग्रा वनदेवताः

   May every spirit of this forest keep you safe, wide-eyed one.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. One line for her words, one for his leaving.

   मरम बचन जब सीता बोला।हरि प्रेरित लछिमन मन डोला॥बन दिसि देव सौंपि सब काहू।चले जहाँ रावन ससि राहू॥

   When Sita spoke words that cut to the heart, Lakshman's mind wavered, moved by Hari. He gave her into the care of the forest, the directions and the gods, and went toward Ram, who is to Ravana what Rahu is to the moon.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Read the whole scene

9. Aranya Kand

   The Lakshman Rekha

   Tulsidas mentions it

   Is the Lakshman Rekha in the original Ramayana?

   FilmNot yet knownValmikiNot in the textTulsidasMentioned only

   Film. The trailers and the makers have not shown this scene, so the film’s version is still unknown.

   Valmiki. No line. Lakshman leaves Sita with a blessing.

   What the text has instead

   रक्षन्तु त्वां विशालाक्षि समग्रा वनदेवताः

   May every spirit of this forest keep you safe, wide-eyed one.

   देवनागरीIAST

   Tulsidas. No line in the scene. Mandodari mentions one later, in Lanka Kand.

   What the text has instead

   मरम बचन जब सीता बोला।हरि प्रेरित लछिमन मन डोला॥बन दिसि देव सौंपि सब काहू।चले जहाँ रावन ससि राहू॥

   When Sita spoke words that cut to the heart, Lakshman's mind wavered, moved by Hari. He gave her into the care of the forest, the directions and the gods, and went toward Ram, who is to Ravana what Rahu is to the moon.

   रामानुज लघु रेख खचाई।सोउ नहिं नाघेहु असि मनुसाई॥

   Ram's younger brother drew a small line, and you could not cross even that. Is this your courage?

   देवनागरीIAST

   Read the whole scene

10. Aranya Kand

    Jatayu fights Ravana

    In both

    What does Jatayu say to Ravana in the Ramayana?

    FilmIn the filmValmikiIn the textTulsidasIn the text

    Film. In the film's telling (from trailers and the makers): Jatayu is in the film; press reports in 2024 said the bird would be voiced as a cameo. How the fight plays is not yet known.

    Source: GlamSham via IMDb News, 9 Sep 2024

    Valmiki. Jatayu stands up to Ravana; Ram cremates him as kin.

    वृद्धोऽहं त्वं युवा धन्वी सरथः कवची शरी।न चाप्यादाय कुशली वैदेहीं मे गमिष्यसि॥

    I am old, and you are young, with bow, chariot, armour and arrows. Still you will not carry Vaidehi off past me unharmed.

    एवमुक्त्वा चितां दीप्तामारोप्य पतगेश्वरम्।ददाह रामो धर्मात्मा स्वबन्धुमिव दुःखितः॥

    Saying this, Ram laid the king of birds on the blazing pyre and, grieving, cremated him as he would his own kin.

    देवनागरीIAST

    Tulsidas. Jatayu warns Ravana, fights, and Ram performs his last rites.

    सुनत गीध क्रोधातुर धावा।कह सुनु रावन मोर सिखावा॥तजि जानकिहि कुसल गृह जाहू।नाहिं त अस होइहि बहुबाहू॥

    Hearing her cry, the vulture flew at him in fury. 'Listen to me, Ravana. Leave Janaki and go home safe. If you do not, many-armed one, this is what will happen.'

    अबिरल भगति मागि बर गीध गयउ हरिधाम।तेहि की क्रिया जथोचित निज कर कीन्ही राम॥

    Asking only for unbroken devotion, the vulture went to Hari's home. Ram performed his last rites with his own hands, as they should be done.

    देवनागरीIAST

    Read the whole scene

11. Aranya Kand

    Shabari's berries

    A later retelling

    Did Shabari taste the berries before giving them to Ram?

    FilmNot yet knownValmikiNot in the textTulsidasNot in the text

    Film. The film’s version is still unknown. Part 1 reportedly ends near Sita’s abduction, so this scene may belong to Part 2.

    Valmiki. Forest food gathered for Ram. No tasting.

    What the text has instead

    मया तु संचितं वन्यं विविधं पुरुषर्षभ॥तवार्थे पुरुषव्याघ्र पम्पायास्तीरसम्भवम्

    For you, best of men, I have gathered many kinds of forest food from the banks of the Pampa.

    अर्चितोऽहं त्वया भद्रे गच्छ कामं यथासुखम्

    You have honoured me, good woman. Go now, wherever you wish, in peace.

    देवनागरीIAST

    Tulsidas. Roots and fruit, eaten with love. No tasting.

    What the text has instead

    कंद मूल फल सुरस अति दिए राम कहुँ आनि।प्रेम सहित प्रभु खाए बारंबार बखानि॥

    She brought roots, bulbs and fruit, rich with juice, and gave them to Ram. He ate them with love, praising them again and again.

    कह रघुपति सुनु भामिनि बाता।मानउँ एक भगति कर नाता॥

    Ram said: listen, good lady. The only kinship I count is devotion.

    देवनागरीIAST

    Read the whole scene

After the credits

• Seven mornings after the filmFour Ramayana lines, then three from the Bhagavad Gita, one a day.
• Valmiki and Tulsidas, side by sideLanguage, length, how each tells Ram, and what the film draws on.
• The homecoming, as Valmiki and Tulsidas tell itThe return to Ayodhya behind Diwali, line by line.
• हिंदी में पढ़ेंThe same scenes, with Hindi meanings.

Lines to keep

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Questions people ask

Which Ramayana is the film Ramayana: Part 1 based on?

The makers have not published a list of the texts they used, and press reports on the credits name screenwriter Shridhar Raghavan for the story. Several scenes people know best, like Kevat at the river and the Lakshman Rekha, come from Tulsidas or later tellings, so a film that shows them is drawing on more than Valmiki.

Is the Lakshman Rekha in Valmiki's Ramayana?

No. In Aranya Kanda, sarga 45, Lakshman leaves Sita with a blessing for the forest spirits to protect her. Tulsidas mentions the line once, through Mandodari in Lanka Kand.

Did Ahalya turn to stone in the original Ramayana?

Valmiki has no stone: Gautama's curse leaves her unseen in the hermitage, living on air, until Ram arrives (Bala Kanda, sargas 48 and 49). The stone body is in Tulsidas's Bal Kand.

Did Shabari give Ram berries she had tasted?

Neither Valmiki (Aranya Kanda, sarga 74) nor Tulsidas (Aranya Kand, doha 34) says so. Both have her offer Ram forest fruit and roots; the tasted berries come from later devotional retellings.

How much of the Ramayana does Part 1 cover?

Reports say Part 1 ends around Sita's abduction, with Hanuman arriving only at the climax. In the texts that is Valmiki's Bala, Ayodhya and Aranya Kandas and the same three kands of the Ramcharitmanas.