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Contents: Vol.1: Bala-Kanda, Part-I; Vol.2: Bala-Kanda, Part-II; Vol.3: Ayodhya-Kanda, Part-I; Vol.4: Ayodhya-Kanda, Part-II; Vol.5: Aranya-Kanda Kiskindha-Kanda; Vol.6: Sundara-Kanda; Vol.7: Lanka-Kanda; Vol.8: Uttara-Kanda.

Ramcharitmanas by Goswami Tulsidas is a highly revered and the holiest of all the versions of the divine Story of Lord Ram, universally known as the Ramayana. It derives its unique value of holiness, divinity and authenticity primarily because it was first conceived by Lord Shiva during his meditation, and subsequently revealed to goddess Parvati; from there it came down to us orally through a chain of exalted sages such as Kaagbhusund, Yagyawalkya and Bharadwaj, and finally, to our good fortune, in the form of a 'written word' by Tulsidas who himself heard it from his guru. The 'written version' of Lord Ram's divine story ensured that it retained its original purity, authenticity, pristine beauty and charm, without being subjected to tweaking, interpolation or distortion of any kind in times to come. Ramcharitmanas is remarkable in a variety of ways: (a) It is written in perfect grammar using a style of composition known as Chaupai and Doha. The remarkable thing is that these verses are so melodious and versatile that they can be easily adapted to suit different systems of Indian classical music, and sung using a variety of tunes and musical instruments. (b) Its beginning, i.e. the first half of Baal Kand (Canto no. 1), is quite unique in the sense that it acts as an initiation process by first introducing the reader to the importance and spiritual value of the story, then going on to narrate how and why this book is so holy and revered, followed by three important episodes that form the backdrop of the story itself. First is the detailed narration of Lord Shiva's marriage with goddess Parvati, telling us the perils of disbelieving on the holiness of Lord Ram, and how Lord Shiva revealed the story of the Ram Charit Manas to Parvati to calm her tormented soul; the second is the episode of sage Narad's infatuations that deluded him so much that he cursed Lord Vishnu; and the third is the narrative of how the righteous king Pratap Bhanu became the demon king Ravana. (c) The end of the Book follows the pattern of the Upanishads: The second half of Uttar Kand (the last Canto no. 7) is a conversation between sage Kaag- bhusund and Garud, wherein the spiritual philosophy and the importance of the stellar spiritual virtues of Bhakti, i.e. love, affection, submission and devotion for Lord Ram, the Supreme Being in a human form, are explained in great detail.

The present edition examines the entire text of Ramcharitmanas in a fine, detailed commentary presented in a comprehensive and analytical way, using a lot of references and detailed explanations to make the reader acquire an in-depth and wide-angle knowledge of this magnificent book that is soaked in the sweet nectar of Bhakti for Lord Ram, the Supreme Being who came down to live among us to bless all creatures of this world personally, as well as to set an example of a life marked by the virtues of righteousness, probity, propriety, morality and goodness.

The English language would enable this Gem-of-a-Book to be easily accessible to and readable by the world at large, overcoming the inherent obstacle of the vernacular language that may have prevented its spread and reach amongst the readers of the world who would now be able to enjoy the pleasure and the sweetness that comes by enabling the soul to interact with the divinity in a subtle way by reading a Holy Book dedicated to Lord Ram.