रामायण विषयान्वेषणम्

Project Nature

In today's computer age, the 24,000 verses of Valmiki Ramayana are available online to the general public. Currently, it is possible to search for words within it. This project will create the necessary infrastructure to search for topics from the Ramayana in various languages. Once this project is complete, it will be possible to search for topics such as what is mentioned about cities, rivers, and human relationships in the Ramayana.

Project Benefits

People, specially research scholars in different areas, are interested to know various things whether they are mentioned in Ramayana. For example what Valmiki says about rivers, city planning, human values .... At present there is no way to find answers for such queries. Ramayan, Mahabharat etc are the sources of Indian knowledge system. This project is only the beginning. If the whole Sanskrit literature is subject tagged like Ramayana then its value multiplies in unbelievable scale. At one hand we have a great treasure in our works. In other side many people and institutions are interested in Indian knowledge system. There is a need to access the treasure. At present with the help of computers we can search only words, not topics. This project helps to find how different topics are mentioned or elaborated in Ramayana.

Those who have read the entire Ramayana over many years and can share knowledge gained through study, can easily find and share information with the help of this. People researching in fields other than Sanskrit can learn how the topics they are researching are presented in the Ramayana. Thus, the Ramayana can be brought to those who do not know Sanskrit. One of the greatest challenges is to attract people towards Indian Knowledge System. To achieve this goal instead of glorifying the past we should show whatever people want to know is present in the past in an unbelievable volume and details.

Present generation is information driven. Day to day, many things happen and many debates occur. Most of the time lack of the information takes the debates nowhere. The debates become useless. This is much true in the case of issues related to Indian culture and past. A good information with searching facility changes the whole scenario.

Every branch of knowledge is expanding. In every area lot of research is going on. Many people involved in research works are interested in IKS. They want to compare with it, quote from it and examine the works available. For example a person preparing a paper or document on the city planning, if wants to know about what is the information available in this regard in Ramayana, at present there is no easy help available. This project fills the gap.

Project broader impacts

Traditionally Ramayana is read, taught and preached. In traditional institutions like mutts and temples on the occasions of Ramnavami and other festivals scholars are asked to give lectures on various topics. For example if a scholar is asked to give lecture on 'Virtues of Rama', based on his study and experience he collects points from various parts. There are some famous passages where the big list of virtues of Rama is mentioned. Normally people are happy with that much of information.

But if we carefully see Ramayana, very subtle and interesting things are available about virtues of Rama at the different stages of the story. If they are put together the scope and impact of lecture gets to a new high. At present this is possible for only a scholar who has spent decades together in studying Ramayana.

Unfortunately such scholars are very rare. At the same time listeners are eagerly waiting for such lectures. This project will fill the gap. Once this project is completed if a scholar searches 'Virtues of Rama' he will get what is said on this subject by Narada, Valmiki, common people of Ayodhya, Rama's brothers, mothers, father, friends, people who met Rama first time, enemies etc. together.

Procedures

In this regard we are in the process of developing software specially to search the tagged portion with the help of a young enthusiastic software engineer Hrishikesh V. In today's market value it costs more than two lakhs. It runs for 5000 lines. It’s being prepared in open source so that any body can use it in future. We have also taken the original typed whole Valmiki Ramayana from Geeta Press, Gorakhpur.

Some benefits

This is a very simple but very useful project with the scope of expanding to the whole literature of Sanskrit as well as to other languages. Interesting information could be extracted using this project. For example we can ask students studying Sanskrit at various stages to prepare a note about the first day of forest living of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. Draw the map from Ayodhya to Kekaya including cities, rivers and forests based on Valmiki Ramayana.

Find what was the relationship between Kausalya and Kaikeyi. Find how Ravana got Pushpaka Vimana etc. Based on this project in Sanskrit institutions and universities one can conduct quiz and various competitions so that students easily know about the importance of this work and start using it in their future.

Special Thanks

Special Thanks to Gita Press, Gorakhpur for providing the soft copy of the ramayana text published by them.