Adhyatma Ramayana
Adhyatma Ramayana (Devanāgarī: अध्यात्म रामायण, IAST: Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa, ) is a 13th- to 15th-century Sanskrit text that allegorically interprets the story of Hindu epic Ramayana in the Advaita Vedanta framework. It is embedded in the latter portion of Brahmānda Purana, and the author is considered to be Vyasa. The Hindu tradition also attributes the text to the Bhakti movement saint Ramananda. The text consists of 7 books, 65 chapters or 4,500 verses in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. Adhyatma Ramayana contains the ideal characteristics of Rama and the precepts related to devotion, knowledge, dispassion, adoration and good conduct. Rama is presented as the supreme Brahman in the text, while the struggles of Sita and him are re-interpreted in an abstract spiritual form. The allegory inspired several later versions of the Ramayana story in languages like Awadhi (Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas), Odia, Bengali and Malayalam version by Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan. Name The word Adhyatma (Sanskrit: अध्यात्म) means "transcendental, relating to Atman (self, soul)". Significance Adhyatma Ramayana represents the story of Rama in a spiritual context. The text constitutes over 35% of the chapters of Brahmanda Purana, often circulated as an independent text in the Vaishnavism tradition, and is an