Ramayana - One page introduction

Ramayana is one of the itihAsa texts and is part of smrithis. The word 'rAmAyaNa' literally means 'journey or rAma'. The text is organized into seven kAnDas, each kAnDa having several sargas and each sarga having many shlOkas.  There are 648 sargas and 24000 (23684 in Gita press rAmAyaNa) shlOkas in rAmAyaNa. The following table provides organizational structure of rAmAyaNa.  The rAmAyaNa is composed in anuShtup chandas.  The chandas has four pAdas of eight akshara in each pAda. 

kAnDa number	kAnDa name	Number of sargas
1	bAla kAnDa	77
2	ayODhya kAnDa	119
3	araNya kAnDa	75
4	kiShkinda kAnDa	67
5	Sundara kAnDa	68
6	yuDdha kAnDa	129
7	uttara kAnDa	111

Contents of each of the kAnDa

bAla kAnDa includes rule of daSaraTha of ayODhya, birth and childhood of Rama, Vishwamitra rishi taking help of rAma to destroy demons who were obstructing yajna of rishis, Sita's swayamvara and subsequent wedding to Rama.

ayODhya kAnDa include the preparations for Rama's coronation in the city of Ayodhya, his exile into the forest, and the crowing of Bharata.

araNya kAnDa include the forest life of Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, the kidnapping of Sita by the demon king Ravana.

kiShkidA kAnDa includes meeting of Rama with Hanuman, destroying the monkey people's king Vali, making Vali's younger brother, Sugriva, king of kiShkinda. Search party led by Angada and Hanuman findout from Sampathi about the location of Sita’s captivity.

sundara kAnDa includes detailed accounts of Hanuman's adventures, meeting of HanumAn with Sita. Traditionally read first when reading the Ramayana, this book's name derives from the fond name given to Hanuman by his mother.

yuDdha kAnDa includes the battle in Lanka between the monkey and the demon armies, defeat of rAvaNa, sItA undergoing test of fire, completes exile with Rama, and they return to Ayodhya to reign over the ideal state

uttara kAnDa includes rumors of impurity about sIta, Sita's banishment, birth of Lava and Kusha, reconcillation of Rama and Sita, ascension of twin boys to the throne of Ayodhya, departing of Rama from the world.