The Ramayana Research Foundation - RRF 3.18

About Ramayana:
Indian arts & culture is the pinnacle of human civilisation. Devotion and dedication to the almighty is the epicentre of the arts and culture of this great continent masquerading as a country. The fabric of this great culture is composed of knowledge, tradition and culture. The culture of this great nation is deeply influenced by essence of Ramayana, Mahabharata and the vedas.

Ramayana is a holy river of wisdom having originated from the mountain of knowledge named Valmiki. By portraying the duties of relationships, by describing the aspect of idealness and by exploring human values and dharma, Ramayana has registered itself in the hearts of people as the ambassador of the rich and glorious history of this Nation.

kujantam rama rameti madhuram madhuraksaram
aruhya kavitasakham vande valmikikokilam

I salute sage Valmiki - the nightingale, who sings in sweet voice the sweet name of Rama, Rama, from the 'tree' of poetry.
The word Ramayana is the 'Tat Purusha' compound of the word 'Rama' and 'Ayana' which translates to 'going' and 'advancing'. Every word in this epic echoes the righteousness of the reliever of suffering, the destroyer of evil, the bestower of all riches, the soul of the epic, Lord Sree Rama. Incidentally the first letter of every 1000 verses (total 24) makes the Gayatri mantra. Hailing from the Surya Clan of rulers founded by the son of Manu named Ikshvaku, Rama was the 40th emperor of the mighty Ayodhya dynasty. Verses in the Ramayana are written in a 32-syllable meter called anuṣṭubh.

The Ramayana is not just a story: it presents the teachings of ancient Hindu sages in narrative allegory, interspersing philosophical and devotional elements.

Impact of Ramayana:

मां निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः।
यत्क्रौंचमिथुनादेकम् अवधीः काममोहितम्॥'
mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhā tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
yat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam

These lines from Valmiki Maharshi changed the course of Sanskrit Language. Emerging spontaneously from Valmiki's rage and grief, this was the first shloka in the 32-syllable meter called anuṣṭubh. The Valmiki Ramayana has impacted, influenced and inspired authors of various languages.

Ramayana & Mahabharata has a strong influence on the various forms of the Indian arts. From temple architecture to jewellery, from Classical dance to Classical Music, from the life style of people to their thinking style, from the names of people to the names of businesses, Ramayana has influenced every single aspect of this great country. Ramayana is the ambassador of equality and true secularism.

Every single government order in Malaysia is passed in the name of ‘Seri Paduka’ the holy footwear of Lord Rama. Every ruler’s name of Thailands Chakri Dynasty is Rama. Koreans adore Ayodhya as their Mother land since the first queen of Gaya Kingdom Heo Hwang-ok was a descendent of lord Rama. Indonesians says Islam is our religion but Ramayana is our culture. Such is the charisma of Lord Rama who is the creator of creator and the destroyer of the destroyer, the Parabrahman.

Ramayana has inspired lives of millions like Mahatma Gandhi. In brief Ramayana has a Socio, Economical & Political influence on the sub continent and south East Asia.

Misconceptions & Misinterpretation:

Lord Rama is the epitome of virtue and righteousness and Ramayana is the Ocean of wisdom. However both lord Rama and Ramayana is not free from misinterpretations, misunderstanding and misconceptions. The fact that Valmiki Ramayana showcased aspects like Continental Drift theory, the existence of Binary star, the evolution of man from monkeys, aeronautical engineering and many such marvels before it was given by people from west, proves the advancement of the then society in every field of knowledge.

The dawn of English Educational Setup made India to forget various aspects of science, technology, mathematics, management, court of law, architecture and various such disciplines found in the world’s greatest epic, Ramayana.

Moreover the people of the country are forgetting the human values and the sanctity of relationships depicted in this great epic.

One of the main aims of The Ramayana Research Foundation (R.) and the allied Trusts are to clear these misconceptions people have on this great epic and to establish World peace by bringing Ramayana back to the world. The Ramayana Foundations have planned various activities for the purpose.

About Us:
The Ramayana Research Foundation & The Foundation for Ramayana Consciousness (The Foundations) was established in the year 2012 & 2014 respectively. The RRF inculcates research on Ramayana which is later spread by the FoRaCo.

The foundations are the offshoot of the prestigious Sree Ramaseva Mandali Bangalore, a 78 year old organisation which is the organiser of the largest Indian Classical Music festival & Ramanavami Celebrations.
The foundation had successfully organised the fist World Ramayana Conference in the year 2015 and is organising a second one in the year 2017.

The Foundation has also started “Everything about Ramayana” web platform to bring out a Cultural Revolution & world peace by the means of Ramayana.

The vision of the Ramayana Foundations is:
“To clear misconception and misunderstandings people have on Ramayana and to bring out a cultural revolution in the world by the means of Ramayana”

The mission of the Ramayana Foundations is:
“To organise world conferences on Ramayana, to establish a theme park based on Ramayana and establish institutions to research, analyse and apply (RAA of Ramayana) the spirit of Ramayana in the society”
The foundation is desirous of establishing Rama Grama - Ramayana Theme park in Karnataka. Both the foundations are registered Charitable, Educational & Cultural Trusts with 12AA and 80G certificates from the Income Tax department.

The Foundation has an advisory committee by the name RAA Committee which acts as a Knowledge Partner for our endeavour. The committee has 35 eminent personalities from various walks of life. The committee includes scholars, philanthropists & scientist. The EAR platform was created for the members of RAA Committee to share their knowledge and expertise on the epic.

The foundations are the brain child of S.N.Varadaraj & Abhijith Varadaraj S who have dedicated their lives in the service of lord Rama.