The Ramayana in a single verse
Eka-Śloki Rāmāyaṇam
Composed by Srimad Uttamur Veeraraghavachariar Swamy (1897–1983), honoured as Abhinava Desikan (ஸ்ரீ அபிநவதேசிகன்)
रामो दाशरथिः मुनेरनुचरः सीतापतिः भोगभुक् ।
त्यक्त्वा राज्यं अरण्यभाक् हितकरो भ्रातुर्मुनीन् प्रीणयन् ।
सीतान्वेषणकृत् कबन्धवचनात् सुग्रीव रक्षी विदन् ।
सीतां संहृत लंक एत्य महितो राज्याभिषिक्तस्सुखी ॥
தமிழ் ஒலிபெயர்ப்பு
ராமோ தாசரதி: முநேரநுசர: ஸீதாபதி: போகபுக்
த்யக்த்வா ராஜ்யம் அரண்யபாக் ஹிதகரோ ப்ராது: முநீந் ப்ரீணயந் ।
ஸீதாந்வேஷணக்ருத் கபந்தவசநாத் ஸுக்ரீவ ரக்ஷீ விதந்
ஸீதாம் ஸம்ஹ்ருத லங்க ஏத்ய மஹித: ராஜ்யாபிஷிக்த: ஸுகீ ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
rāmo dāśarathiḥ muner-anucaraḥ sītāpatiḥ bhogabhuk
tyaktvā rājyaṃ araṇya-bhāk hitakaro bhrātur-munīn prīṇayan |
sītānveṣaṇa-kṛt kabandha-vacanāt sugrīva rakṣī vidan
sītāṃ saṃhṛta laṅka etya mahito rājyābhiṣikthas-sukhī ||
Meaning
Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, followed the sage (Viśvāmitra), became the husband of Sītā, and enjoyed royal life.
Renouncing the kingdom, he went to the forest, protected the sages, and delighted his brothers.
While searching for Sītā, following Kabandha's advice, he befriended and protected Sugrīva.
Recovering Sītā, returning from Laṅkā, he was gloriously crowned king and ruled happily.
The whole epic, phrase by phrase
Each compound compresses a turning point of the Ramayana. Follow any phrase into its kāṇḍa.
| Phrase | Episode | Kāṇḍa |
|---|---|---|
| रामो दाशरथिः rāmo dāśarathiḥ | Birth of Śrī Rāma | Bāla |
| मुनेरनुचरः muner anucaraḥ | Accompanies Viśvāmitra | Bāla |
| सीतापतिः sītāpatiḥ | Marriage with Sītā | Bāla |
| भोगभुक् bhogabhuk | Life in Ayodhyā | Ayodhyā |
| त्यक्त्वा राज्यं tyaktvā rājyaṃ | Renounces the kingdom | Ayodhyā |
| अरण्यभाक् araṇya-bhāk | Forest exile | Araṇya |
| हितकरो hitakaro | Protects the sages, destroys the rākṣasas | Araṇya |
| भ्रातुर्मुनीन् प्रीणयन् bhrātur-munīn prīṇayan | Delights Lakṣmaṇa and the sages | Araṇya |
| कबन्धवचनात् kabandha-vacanāt | Kabandha directs him to Sugrīva | Araṇya |
| सुग्रीव रक्षी sugrīva rakṣī | Protects Sugrīva; slays Vāli | Kiṣkindhā |
| सीतान्वेषणकृत् sītānveṣaṇa-kṛt | The search for Sītā | Sundara |
| विदन् vidan | Learns Sītā's whereabouts (Hanumān's report) | Sundara |
| सीतां संहृत sītāṃ saṃhṛta | Regains Sītā after the defeat of Rāvaṇa | Yuddha |
| लंक एत्य laṅka etya | The war at Laṅkā and return | Yuddha |
| महितो mahito | Praised by devas and ṛṣis | Yuddha |
| राज्याभिषिक्त rājyābhiṣiktha | Paṭṭābhiṣeka (coronation) | Yuddha |
| सुखी sukhī | Rāma-rājya — reigns in happiness | — |
Attribution and text per the maintainer's family/parampara; to be confirmed against a printed source before final publication.