Source-only articles drawn from the Valmiki Ramayana (Critical Edition and Southern-only passages). Popular retellings, later regional versions, and modern translations are not used as sources. Click a citation to open the verse; hover or tap to preview the Sanskrit.
Rama is the son of Dasharatha and Kausalya and grandson of Aja in the Valmiki Ramayana , called Raghava and Kakutstha . He is the husband of Sita, daughter of Janaka , and elder brother of Bharata, Lakshmana and the slayer of Lavana . The opening sarga describes him as broad-chested, knee-armed, wide-eyed and bearing auspicious marks . Speakers including Kaikeyi, Sita and the villagers credit him with…
25,146 words · 962 inline citations
Sita, also called Vaidehi and Maithili, is the wife of Rama in the Valmiki Ramayana . She identifies herself as the daughter of Janaka, king of Mithila , and as the daughter-in-law of Dasharatha . In her own account, Janaka found her covered in dust in a ploughed field . She declares her husband her deity and accompanies him to the forest, aware of its hardships . Ravana abducts her , and in Lanka she lives in…
22,539 words · 916 inline citations
Lakshmana is a son of King Dasharatha and of Sumitra . He is commonly called Saumitri and is the younger half-brother of Rama by a different mother . He is the father of Angada and Chandraketu . He follows Rama into exile and guards him . Rama calls him a brother without equal and a helper in battle , and Lakshmana declares himself devoted to Rama in feeling and in truth . Several speakers call him a knower of…
19,900 words · 786 inline citations
Kaikeyi is the wife (bhāryā) of King Dasharatha in the Valmiki Ramayana, styled devī and called his chief queen (mahiṣī) . She is the mother of Bharata . Rama names her as the daughter of King Ashvapati , though Bharata denies that she is Aśvapati's daughter . Dasharatha says that apart from Rama no one is dearer to him . The king had granted her a boon , and her stated wish is that Rama should not obtain the…
11,281 words · 419 inline citations
Ravana is the king of the rakshasas in the Valmiki Ramayana. He is repeatedly called rākṣasendra and rākṣasādhipa , and is known by the epithets Dashagriva, "ten-necked" , and Paulastya . He is called the son of Vishrava (speaker: Ekajata) and the younger brother of Vaishravana (speaker: Mandodari) . His son is Indrajit . The gods attribute his position to Brahma's favor and describe him as dreadful in appearance…
19,793 words · 774 inline citations
Mandodari (Mandodarī) is the wife of Ravana in the Valmiki Ramayana and is described as his chief wife (jyeṣṭhā patnī) . Maya names her as his daughter, borne by the apsaras Hema . Meghanada (Indrajit) is her son . When Hanuman searches Ravana's inner apartments, he sees her lying there: fair, gold-radiant, of charming form, and mistress of the inner apartments . He briefly takes her for Sita . Earlier, she urges…
3,461 words · 123 inline citations
Vibhishana is the younger brother of Ravana and the last son of Kaikasi . He leaves Ravana's court with four rakshasas after being harshly addressed . He then places his kingdom, life and comforts in Rama's hands . The text repeatedly calls him wise and a knower of dharma . Brahma says his mind does not turn to adharma despite his rakshasa birth (speaker: Brahma) . Opposing judgments come from Indrajit, who calls…
9,931 words · 394 inline citations
Kumbhakarna is a rakshasa of the Valmiki Ramayana. He is the son of Vishravas and the younger brother of Ravana , and Ravana calls him Prajapati's grandson . His wife is Vajrajvala , and his sons are Kumbha and Nikumbha . He lies under a curse of Brahma and is known for prolonged sleep . He is described as mountain-sized , crowned , and armed with a spear of dark iron and gold . When roused for the war, he…
9,626 words · 379 inline citations
Surpanakha is a rakshasi who names herself in the Aranya Kanda and is described as a dweller in Janasthana . She is the sister of Ravana and of Khara . Bewildered by desire on seeing Rama , she proposes herself as his wife and disparages Sita , then turns to Lakshmana . When she charges at Sita, her ears and nose are cut off . She appeals first to Khara, who sends rakshasas against the brothers , and she is named…
6,505 words · 277 inline citations
Indrajit, also called Meghanada , is the son of Ravana in the Valmiki Ramayana . He is often designated by the patronymic Ravani . He is the brother of Aksha and the nephew of Vibhishana , and Ravana's lament says he held the position of heir-apparent . Ravana praises him as the best of weapon-knowers and attributes his weapons to propitiation of the Grandfather . The narrator states that after completing his…
11,905 words · 470 inline citations