Sundarkand - All 60 Dohas + Every Chaupai with Meaning + The Story Behind Each Scene + Sundarkand Path Vidhi (Illustrated eBook)
Guaranteed safe & secure checkout
SUNDARKAND
All 60 dohas and every chaupai, in the original Awadhi — each one with its sound written out and its meaning in plain English.
- ✦The complete fifth chapter of the Ramcharitmanas. Nothing skipped, nothing summarised.
- ✦Every verse in Devanagari, with the pronunciation in English letters underneath.
- ✦A plain-English meaning for every single numbered verse — 334 of them.
- ✦Told in 14 illustrated scenes, each opening with what is about to happen and who is in it.
- ✦Sundarkand Path Vidhi, a glossary and an index of first lines at the back.
- ✦184 pages. 14 original paintings. Instant PDF download.
Every verse is in this book
Most Sundarkand books give you highlights, a summary, or the Devanagari with no meaning. This one gives you the whole chapter, counted out and accounted for.
Three things under every verse
You do not need to know Awadhi, and you do not need to read Devanagari. Both are handled on the page.
The Awadhi, in Devanagari, set large enough to read aloud from — and numbered the way a printed Sundarkand numbers it, so you can follow a recitation without losing your place.
The sound, written in English letters underneath, for anyone who does not read Devanagari comfortably. A bar over a vowel means hold it longer.
The meaning, in plain English, one for every numbered verse. No word you need a dictionary for.
A real page from the book — Devanagari, pronunciation, meaning.
A look inside
These are real pages, photographed from the finished book. Not mockups.
Made for this book alone
Every scene has its own full-page painting in the classical devotional style. None of them is stock art.
The fourteen scenes
Grouped so the story runs the way Tulsidas tells it — and so you always know where you are.
You are never dropped in the middle of it
Most people who open a Sundarkand give up in the first few pages — not because the verses are hard, but because nobody told them who Jambavan is, or why an army is standing at the sea.
So every scene in this book opens with three things: what has happened so far, who you will meet, and what happens in this scene — doha by doha, in plain words, before you read a single verse.
Read that one page and the verses stop being difficult.
Sundarkand Path Vidhi
Which day, the sankalp, the usual order of the reading, the courtesies — and whether to read it in one sitting or spread it over several days, with the traditional authority for both.
It begins by saying there is no single correct way to do it, and it marks plainly where households differ. If your family does it another way, your family is not doing it wrongly.
Followed by a glossary of the 65 Awadhi words that keep coming back, and an index of first lines so you can find any doha in seconds.
What this book does not do
We would rather tell you now than have you find out afterwards.
It promises you nothing. Tradition says a great deal about what reading the Sundarkand brings. This book records that tradition says it, and leaves it there. We make no claim about what it will do for you.
It is not a Hindi edition. The book is in English, with the original Awadhi kept in full. If you want a Hindi translation, this is not that book.
The English is our own reading. Tulsidas wrote four and a half centuries ago and many of his words carry more than one sense. Where a line is read in more than one way, we say so and give both rather than choosing. Where your family or teacher reads a line differently, neither of you is wrong.
It follows no single published edition. The Devanagari was collated from several published editions and every disagreement between them was checked against a printed edition before we chose a reading.
What it does do: gives you the complete Sundarkand, accurately, with the meaning of every line — and makes it readable by somebody who has never opened it before.
Written for four kinds of reader
The one who already does the path every Tuesday, and has never known what most of the lines actually mean.
The one who cannot read Devanagari and has been mouthing along from memory for years.
The one starting out, who wants to understand the story before learning to recite it.
The one who wants it in the house — the whole chapter, properly made, to hand to a child or a parent.
Format
Before you decide
Is the complete Sundarkand really in it?
Yes. All 3 opening shlokas, all 60 dohas, all 526 lines of chaupai and all 6 chhands, in the original Devanagari. Nothing is summarised and nothing is left out. The contents page lists every scene with its doha range so you can check.
I cannot read Devanagari. Is this book any use to me?
Yes. Under every verse the sound is written out in English letters, and under that the meaning in plain English. Many readers use the English letters to recite and the meaning to understand, and never touch the Devanagari at all.
Is it in Hindi?
No. The book is in English, with the original Awadhi verses printed in full. We say this plainly because it matters — if you want a Hindi translation, this is not the right book for you.
Can I follow a recitation with it?
Yes. The verses are numbered the way a printed Sundarkand numbers them — doha number, then chaupai number within the doha — so you can follow along with a printed copy or a recitation and not lose your place.
How is this different from a free PDF online?
Free copies give you the Devanagari and nothing else. This book gives you the pronunciation, a meaning for every numbered verse, fourteen illustrated scenes that explain what is happening and who is speaking, a word-by-word breakdown of the most-loved lines, the path vidhi, a glossary and an index.
Can I print it?
Yes. It is set at 6 × 9 inches and prints cleanly. Many buyers keep it on a phone and print a copy for the puja room.
How do I get it after paying?
The download link is sent immediately after payment. There is nothing to wait for and nothing to ship.
One chapter out of seven, and the only one families take out and read on its own. Nothing is won in it. One devotee is told what He is capable of, believes it, crosses a sea, and comes back with the news — and everything after it becomes possible.
