The most ancient Sanskrit epic poem, estimated to have been composed by sage Valmiki about 5000 B.C, the Ramayana describes the life of Sri Rama. The epic is a storehouse of spiritual wisdom and has helped to shape the ideals and character of the Indian people since antiquity. The present work is a beautifully condensed retelling of the Ramayana in simple English.
Those who die, merely suffering the woes of life like cats and dogs, are they human beings? The worthy are those who, even when agitated by the sharp interaction of pleasure and pain, are discriminating and, knowing them to be of an evanescent nature, become passionately devoted to the Atman. This is all the difference between human beings and animals.
-Swami Vivekananda