Ramayana. The Tale of Krishna

«Ramayana» follows «Mahabharata» in continuing the tradition of the heroic ancient Indian epic. The wandering Rama — the earthly incarnation, avatar, of the god Vishnu — entered into a fierce war with the demon king Ravana, who kidnapped his beloved Sita. In the struggle against the forest man-eaters, the rakshasas, divine monkeys and bears sided with the hero. According to Indian tradition, the author of the epic is considered to be the legendary first poet of India — Valmiki. «The Tale of Krishna» is more than an ancient Indian epic work; it is a religious monument. The plot is based on the life story of the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Due to Brahma's prophecy, the cruel tyrant Kansa wanted to kill Krishna in his infancy, but Vasudeva managed to save his son. Thus began the story of the hero's closest people. This popular rendition of the great Indian texts — «Ramayana» and «The Tale of Krishna» — in Russian has been prepared by scholars in Indology V. Erman and E. Temkin.