AbstractThe Rāmāyaṇa tradition has evolved through centuries of literary reinterpretation. While the VālmīkiRāmāyaṇa establishes the foundational narrative of Rāma’s life, later poets re-envisioned the epic through aesthetic,devotional, and dramatic lenses. This paper examines selected early episodes Rāma’s birth, Viśvāmitra’s request,Tāṭakā-vadha, and the protection of the sacrifice with special reference to Jānakīharaṇam of Kumāradāsa. Throughcomparative textual analysis with the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Rāvaṇavadham (Bhattikāvya), and select dramaticadaptations, the study highlights how Kumāradāsa transforms epic narrative into refined mahākāvya poetry. The paperargues that Jānakīharaṇam does not merely retell the epic but poetically re-creates it, preserving narrative structurewhile intensifying emotional and aesthetic expression. This transformation reflects the dynamic continuity of theSanskrit literary tradition.KeywordsJānakīharaṇam, Kumāradāsa, Rāmāyaṇa tradition, mahākāvya, epic transformation, comparative Sanskritliterature.
Abhaya Kumar Biswal (Fri,) studied this question.