Srimad Aandhra Valmiki Ramayanam-Mandaram Sundarakanda (English Version)

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""Sri Ramyanam is the history of the man on this earth, written by the great sage Valmiki. It is not a story imagined by the sage, but it was a real story as envisioned by Valmiki and composed in the form of Slokas as per divine command of four headed Brahma. Whatever it is written in this Sri Ramayana is true to 100% without any exaggerations, no misinterpretations, no flaws and no imaginations. It is very real to its core. This statement was checked from many corners by many thinkers and found to be true. Several seekers found that every word, each letter is much powerful in dispelling the inner darkness of the Sadhaka. Thus they got great benefit out of this divine work Sri Ramayana.

In Sri Ramayana It is said that ""Ramo vigrahavan Dharmaha"" since Bhagavan Rama was an embodiment of Dharma. He was Dharma personified. Dharma is performed in all of actions of Rama and can be put into practice by everyone. Lord Sri Krishna said to Arjuna in Bhagavadgita that whatever the elder or the heads of society do others follow ""....Lokaan tad anuvartate"". Apart from the benefits to the Sadhakas, it also gives the directions for the harmonic way of living to the head of the family, the father and the son, the husband and wife, master and the servant, the brothers, sisters, friends and other roles in the normal life through the actions of Sreerama in Sri Ramayana.

Sree Vavilicolanu Subbarao garu (Alias Sree Vasudasaswamy) who was adored as ""Andhra Valmiki"" by the contemporary scholars who graced this country by his divine presence from 23-1-1863 to 01-08-1936 wrote one poem in Telugu to one Sanskrit Sloka of Valmiki in seven Kandas and dedicated the same to Sreerama, the temple deity, at Vontimitta village of Andhra Pradesh in India. Numbers of scholars those days (about more than 100 years back) have affirmed that the Ramayana in Telugu was exactly the same as the one written by Valmiki. A title of ""Andhra Valmiki"" was conferred to Sree Vasudasaswamy and the tile to the book as ""Andhravalmiki Ramayanam"". The author later wrote a commentary in 1908. He named it as"" Mandaram"" and was written in Telugu. Many have read this and are still available to the public. Now an attempt has been made to bring an English version for this, for the benefit of others to read. In a family everyone will get the benefit by its reading. If the elders in a family enable the children to learn the spirit of Sri Ramayana by reading it, then the family bondage will become strong. Hence let us invite everyone for the glory of this book and be mutually benefitted.

The author of this original book ""MANDARAM"" is Sri VAVILICOLANU SUBBARAO garu. He is popularly known as Sri VASUDASASWAMY VARU. He graced this country with his presence during 28-01-1863 to 01-08-1936. His parents are Smt Kankamma and Sri Ramachndra Rao. He is the middle son of three siblings named Sri Seshagiri Rao as elder brother and Ranga Rao as younger brother. His family is a Hindu Orthodoxy Brahmin, in Golkonda Vypari sub-sect of Niyogi sect. They follow the traditional worship of Lord Vishnu as their deity in their house. He lost his father at his age of eleven and subsequently brought up by his father's younger brother Sri Lakshmana Rao. He was caught with the decease Tuberculoses at the younger age of fifteen years and somehow survived with the medical treatments and in due course by a Unani medicinal rural doctor. Those days the T.B. was incurable and there was no medicine in its place for the treatment excepting placing him in the Sanatorium and treat him with naturopathy. One fine morning this rural doctor named Sri Nannemiya, voluntarily came to their house and requested his mother Smt. Kanakamma to see him and treat. Those days the Unani category of medicine used to be practiced by the Muslim doctors, just like the Aurveda category by the Hindu doctors, and the Muslims were not allowed to enter into Hindu Brahmin families. But after much persuasion by this doctor she allowed him to see and treat him. With this treatment he could survive for the benefit of Mankind. It is felt that this doctor has come for the treatment of Sri Vasudasaswamy under the directions of none other than Lord Sreerama. His marriage took place with Smt Ranganayaki and was having no children. The poet describes at one of the place that his publications are only his children since they generate from his mind. He mentions that, out of such children the eldest son is Sreeramachandramurthy. The initiation of Mantra took place through his guru Sri Chetluri Narasimhachary. The death of his mother in 1904, Elder brother in 1905, Wife in 1910 and Younger brother in 1918 took place.

The writing of Srimad Andhra Valmiki Ramayanam started in 1900.

There are 24,000 Slokas in Sri Ramayanam in Sanskrit language written by Sri Valmiki Maharshi and the same was heard by Sreerama himself while his sons Lava and Kusa were singing in front of him Here in Andhra Valmiki Ramayanam also 24,000 verses were written in Telugu by Sri Vavilicolanu Subbarao garu and was dedicated to Lord Sreerama, the presiding deity of Ontimitta Temple At the function of releasing the book this Ramayanam was red and thoroughly gone through by the contemporary scholars of those days who came to the place as invitees and having accepted this Ramayanam as the true translation of Valmiki Ramayanam, named this book as Andhara Valmiki Ramayanam and the author was conferred with title of ""Andhra Valmiki"". Subsequently, on the advice of Sri....who advised him to write the commentary for his own book since he did very good research in finding out the facts about Ramayanam which will be useful to the common man, wrote the commentary and published as ""Mandaram"" with seven Kndas (Volumes) and is still available for the readers though more than hundred years are passed.

Smt. Vanguri Seetamma, w/o Sri Vanguri Rama Rao and the daughter of his paternal uncle (Younger brother of his father) was cooking food for him and to the visitors. After completion of Srimad Andra Valmiki Ramayanam he dedicated it to Lord Sreerama the presiding deity of temple at Ontimitta village in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh-India. His close friends are Sri Lankapalli Venkata Subbaiah and Sri Kottapalli Padmanabha Sastry. This Padmanabha Sastry has served him as his own person during the hardship days of his continued illness in his life span and also was supporting and encouraging in many ways. The Zamindar of Kolanka and Veeravaram Sri Sri Raja Rao Chellayyammaarao Bahaddur and her daughter-in-law Sri Sri Raja Rao Ramayammrao Bahaddur, have also took personal care of him and assisted financially also.

The other books of Sri Vavilicolanu Subbarao are ""Kumarabhyudayam, Kowsalyaparinayam, Talpagiri Rnaganayaka Satakam, Krishnavatara Tatwam, Krishnaleelamrutham, Dwipada Bhagavdgitha, Subhadravijayam, Sulabha Vykaranam, Aryakandhanidulu-Aryacharitra Rantnavali -Hithacharya (Kumara, Kumari, Pathi, Sathi, Garbhini, Vydhavya) as series books, Adunika Vachanarachana Vimarsanamu, Potana Nikethana Charya, Potaraju Vijayamu, and so on. One book named Tenkayachhippa Satakam is written with hundred verses called as Satakam praising the coconut bowl in his hand which assisted him in collecting the funds required for the renovation of the Temple at Ontimitta. Other books like Nrusimhasatakam on Ghatikachala Narasimha Swamy, Ontimitta Mahatyam, Brahmanulakatmavalokanam etc, were also written by him. Nutitrayam was written as full Ramayanam which can be sung as song before he could start the book.

Sri Valmiki Maharshi wrote Ramayanam in Sanskrit language with 24,000 Slokas and in seven Kandas. The same has been translated in many Indian and other languages but most of them are their own (i.e. the writer's) versions taking the main story from the Sanskrit Ramayana. Sri VAVILICOLANU SUBBARAO GARU from Ontimitta village of Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh state in India has translated the Ramayana in Telugu Indian language without adding and/or deleting any of the Slokas and dedicated to Lord SREERAMA of Ontimitta temple in 1908. In recognition of his work, this book was named as Andhra Valmiki Ramayana and he was conferred with an honour with the name as ""Andhravalmiki"". Subsequently he had written the commentary for his own book and named it as ""MANDARAM"", which was published by Sri Kodandarama Sevaka Dharma Samajam-Angalakuduru, and is available even now, though nearly about 105 years passed off. This indicates the acceptance of the readers for this book. In his commentary, many of the Dharmas are explained in detail and some of the confusions in the minds of people are cleared with his explanations. This is the one of the reason for bringing this book in English version such that it is now open to many other public to their knowledge and enlightenment. It is customary to start Ramayana from Sudarakanda and hence this Kanda is given now and if Lord Sreerama wishes, then the other Kandas will follow one after the other.

Ramayana in Hindu mythology is not a simple story about Sreerama and his concert and brothers. It is the text of Dharma i.e. the principles to be followed by every one of the society stating from Father, mother, brother, wife, son, daughter, Acharya, Sishya, King etc to whom we come across in our walk of life. It is said as ""RAMO VIGRAHAVAAN DHRAMAHA:"" i.e. Rama is the idol form of Dharma. Sri Valmiki maharishi brought out this subject with an intention of preaching these principles to the members of the Society such that the harmony is maintained and a peaceful and cohesive life can be existed. Even now, it can be seen in the world about the existence of the disturbed life, even after the abundant development that took place, due to the non-observance of these principles. If everyone in this society plays his role, as prescribed, then we can have a happy and pleasant lifetime and a peaceful fading off.

This is what, I felt, to be learnt from the characters of Ramayana and with that thoughtful mind, a venture has been made to bring out the English version of this Mandaram. An attempt was made to write the same matter in English as it was written in Mandaram and that is the reason it is given as per the numbers given in the original. After the number, the summary is given first and then the related commentary. In a book a simple and easily understandable language is used to avoid going to the dictionary for the meanings, with an intention of that this can be read, understood, and can be followed by all the sectors of life including the most important sector of Children. If children are nursed, taught and guided properly at that stage, it is the great help for the society since; after all, they are the forthcoming heroines/heroes of this society. That is the reason in all the religions the slogan of ""catch them young"" comes up. This is the simple reason in bringing out this Mandaram as an English version.

Though this book has been started during our stay at our second daughter Chi.Sow.Anuradha's house at Lansing town of United States of America, in the month of May 2013, could be completed, with the blessings of Lord Sreerama and Bhagavati Seetadevi associated by LakashmaNa and Hanuma, in the house of our elder son Chi. Madhavarao at Visakhapatnam in India. Starting of this book took place with an encouragement given by our elder son Chi. Madhavarao supported by our younger son Chi. Narasimha Das and with the co-operation of my wife Smt.Padmavati and our eldest daughter Alamelu Mangatayaru and blessings to their son Chi. Rama Naveen for drawing the beautiful picture of Lord Sreerama and presenting. The support and acceptance for this version given by Guruji of our Asramam Sri RAMANUJADAASA SWAMYVARU is indelible. Here the good support from our brother Chi Kesava Das-Guntur in consultations while in confusions etc is unexplainable. I am indeed grateful to Smt.MADHAVI NADIMPALLI w/o.Sri.VENKATA RAMANA NADIMPALLI, for her intense editing work and gave me very good strength in bringing out this book. In a context it reminds me the words of Sri Vasudasa Swamy varu that it is great wonder of coming together of these two characters for this noble task is nothing but the clemency of Lord Sreeraama. I pray Lord Sreerama to bestow best wishes on her for this contribution.

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