one of the two great epics of India, written in Sanskrit some time after the Mahabharata and telling of Rama
Origin:
Sans Rāmāyaṇa
See Ramayana in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A Sanskrit epic, traditionally attributed to Valmiki, that concerns the banishment of Rama from his kingdom, the abduction of his wife Sita by a demon and her rescue, and Rama's eventual restoration to the throne.
Origin:
Origin: Sanskrit Rāmāyaṇam, the going of Rama
Origin: : Rāmaḥ, Rama
Origin: + ayanam, a going, way (from eti, ay-, he goes; see ei- in Indo-European roots)