This is the edition of The Ramayana that you need to purchase for next week. The translator is R.K. Narayan. — This is the edition of *The Ramayana* that you need to purchase for next week. The translator is R.K. Narayan.

How to pronounce the character names?

These come to us from Scholar Sid Madhu, who kindly recorded the following pronunciations:

Dasaratha: emperor of the Kosala country, with Ayodhya as the capital.
Kausalya: wife of D., and mother to Rama
Kaikeyi: wife of D., and mother to Bharatha
Sumithra: wife of D., and mother to Lakshmana and Sathrugna

Sumanthra: chief minister/adviser to D.
Vasishtha: roal priest to D.
Viswamithra: mentor to both Rama and Lakshmana
Kooni: the handmaid to Kaikeyi, and abused by Rama in his youth
Janaka: Kingo of Janaka
Sita: the foster-daughter of Janaka; also called Janaki

Soorpanaka: the demoness sister to Ravana (first appears to Rama as Kamavalli)
Kara: commander of Soorpanaka's demon army
Jatayu: the great eagle; is pledged to protect Dasaratha's children. He dies to tell Rama and Lakshmana what happened to Sita
Vali: ruler of Kiskinda and the giant monkey race
Sugreeva: Vali's brother who helps Rama overthrow him