''Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu'' is the most popular

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

version of the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Hindu epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''. It is believed to have been written by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan in the early 17th century, and is considered to be a classic of

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puduchery, is one of the six classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary text ...

and an important text in the history of Malayalam language. It is a retelling of the Sanskrit work '' Adhyatma Ramayana'' in Kilippattu (bird song) format. Ezhuthachan used the Grantha-based Malayalam script to write his ''Ramayana'', although the

Vatteluttu ''Vatteluttu'' (, ' and , ', ), also transliterated as ''Vattezhuthu'', was an alphasyllabic or syllabic writing system of south India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Sri Lanka formerly employed for writing the Tamil language, Tamil and Malayalam ...

writing system was the traditional writing system of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

then. Recitation of ''Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu'' is very important in Hindu families in Kerala. The month of Karkitakam in the

Malayalam calendar The Malayalam Calendar, or the Kollam Era (), is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, commemorating the establishment of Kollam. There are many theories regarding the origin of t ...

is celebrated as the Ramayana recitation month and Ramayana is recited in Hindu houses and temples across Kerala.

Date and authorship

Tradition ascribes the authorship of the Sanskrit '' Adhyatma Ramayana'' to

Ramananda Jagadguru Swami Ramananda (IAST: Rāmānanda) or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet Sant (religion), saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the f ...

since it is said to be an integral part of the ''

Brahmanda Purana The ''Brahmanda Purana'' () is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas, a genre of Hindu texts. It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana in almost all the anthologies. The text is also referred in medieval Indian literature as th ...

''. However, some scholars attribute it to the period 14th - 15th century CE and the author as unknown. The ''Adhyatma Ramayana'' is the portrayal of a conversation between the god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and his wife

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

, as reported by the god

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

to the sage

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

. It is this work that provided Tulasidas with the inspiration to compose his immortal work, the '' Ramacharitamanasa''. This is the same work which was translated by Thunchathu Ezhuthachan into

in the form of ''Kilippattu,'' a South Indian genre in which a parrot recites the text to the poet.

Deviation from Valmiki Ramayana

# In Adhyatma Ramayana everyone praises and chants the hymn on Rama starting from

Vamadeva Vamadeva () is a ''rishi'' (sage) in Hindu literature. He is credited as the author of Mandala 4 of the ''Rigveda''. He is mentioned prominently in the ''Upanishads'' as well, particularly the '' Brihadaranyaka'' and the '' Aitareya''. He is des ...

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

Bharadwaja Bharadvaja (, ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages ( maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis). His ...

, Viradha,

Sarabanga River The Sarabanga River is a river flowing in the Salem district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The origin of the river is traditionally placed at the Servarayan hills in Tamil Nadu. The river fulfills demands for agricultural irrigation in Dan ...

, Sutikshna, Agasthya, Viswamitra,

Vasishta Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigv ...

, Jatayu, Kabhanda,

Shabari Shabari (, ), also known as Bhilni, Bhilani, and Shramana, is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's blessing due to her bhakti towards him. Story Shabari w ...

, Swayamprabha,

Parasurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

Vibhishana Vibhishana () is the younger brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka, in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana,'' and one of the eight Chiranjivis. Though a rakshasa himself, Vibhishana turned his back on Ravana, and defected to Rama's side, owing ...

, and

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

. This is absent in Valmiki's.

References

External links

Audio of the Adhyathma Ramayanam - Rendering by Dr. A. P. Sukumar

Adhyatma Ramayana in Devanagari, Malayalam and other Indian Scripts as webpages and PDF

Adhyatma Raramayanam - Malayalam - Tunchathu Ezhuthachan
{{Ramayana Malayalam language Works based on the Ramayana

Date and authorship

Deviation from Valmiki Ramayana

See also

References

External links