Number of slokas in the Ramayana 1.4.2-3

The Ramayana has twentyfour thousand slokas. It starts with tapassvadhyaya and ends with tadbrahmapyanva manyata. There are five hundred sargas in the first six kandas only, i.e. excluding the Uttarakanda. Balakanda comprises 2280, Ayodhyakanda 4415, Aranyakanda 2732, Kiskindhakanda 2620, Sundarakanda 3006, Yuddhakanda 5990 and Uttarakanda 3277 granthas (verses). The 277 additional granthas we get here is due to the excess of syllables in metres like Tristubh and Jagati. Now Balakanda consists of 77, Ayodhyakanda 119, Aranyakanda 75, Kiskindhakanda 67, Sundarakanda 68 and Yuddhakanda 131 sargas. Thus we have 537 sargas. In the Uttarakanda there are 110 sargas. The Uttarakanda is not grouped with the other kandas in statements like satkandani tathottaram (the six kandas and also the Uttarakanda). It is due to the poet’s highest regard for that kanda. Rama’s superiority (or divinity) is contemplated in all these kandas, but it is very much manifested in the Uttarakanda. Another excellence: there all the denizens of the Kosala country reach the abode of Visnu along with Rama. Hence it is called the Uttarakanda because it is better than all the other sargas. Bhavisyam is the remainder of the poem after Brahman tells Rama who was angry on account of Sita’s entry into the earth: Pravistayam tu Vaidehyam etc. instead of Prayunjiyat, or ‘who would be able to reach’.

Composition of music of the Ramayana 1.4.8-13

Starting from pathye geyeca up to Ramadehat tathaparah, it is a kulaka group of slokas forming a single sentence. Pathye is pronouncing the syllables in their natural form. Geyam is singing with special svaras (or melodious rendering). ‘Pramanas or measurements are traysra, caturasra adm mistra which define the sounds of music, or the fast, the middle and the slow’. Eighteen in number are the jatis which may be pure, mixed or deformed. Among them seven, sadja are prominent. Gandharvam is the group of svaras such as sadja, which are made to manifest with attention paid to the tala embedded in the words. Dattila says the multitude of svaras in the words which is measured by tala and made to manifest with attention is called gandharva.
Mirchanasthana Kovidan: ‘Murchana’ is the completeness of the svaras, sadja etc. Sandilya says murchana occurs where good svaras are complete. Sthana is the place of the production of sounds: chest, throat and head. Again, sound is of three types viz., mandra (low), madhya (middle) and tara (high). In Bimbadiva, bimba is a form intelligently prepared for making an image. The two boys Lava and Kusa were like two images that were made or carved out of Rama’s body. One and a half sloka makes one sentence here meaning that the two princes sang it with composure.

Singing of the Ramayana 1.4.14-31

Even though the singing took place long ago, Valmiki describes the way of singing by Lava and Kusa after the sages showered praises. The purport is that they sang keeping the feelings of the poet in their heart so that the rasas (sentiments) were evoked fully. It was sweet in diction and song and hence adorned with the wealth of musical notes with proper tunes. Here the poet describes the reaction of the sages who were overwhelmed by listening to the Ramayana. They sang it in such a manner that it was beautiful to the srutis. Rama once saw them singing. They sang the song in which the length of the svaras was chosen according to the desire of the singer. Marga is universal, Desi is local. Marga is a melody common to all regions.