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1. Introduction and Reasons of Birth
2. Childhood and Marriage
3. Var to Kaikeyee and Exile to Raam
4. Viraadh Vadh and Meeting With Muni
5. Agastya Muni, Jataayu, Panchvatee, Khar-Dooshan Vadh, Seetaa's Abduction
6. Friendship With Sugreev, Baali Vadh, Raam-Raavan War
7. Life in Ayodhyaa
8. Other Stories

Seetaa is Back and Raam Returns to Ayodhyaa
After Raavan was killed, Vibheeshan was crowned as King of Lankaa Puree. Seetaa was brought to Raam. After Her Agni Pareekshaa (Fire test) She was accepted by Raam and all took off to Ayodhyaa in Pushpak Vimaan.

They halted at Bharadwaaj Muni's place and Raam sent Hanumaan to Ayodhyaa to inform Bharat about His coming. Once more Ayodhyaa echoed with hustle and bustle of happiness of Raam's coming. The whole city was cleaned, decorated and illuminated. All mothers and Bharat and Shatrughn welcomed Raam, Lakshman and Seetaa back to Ayodhyaa. Bharat handed over Raam's crown back to Raam.

Maanas ends Raam Kathaa here. Vaalmeeki Raamaayan continues it a little bit more. Birth of Raakshas, Raavan's life story, Sugreev's Baali's life, Seetaa's exile, birth of Lav and Kush, killing of Lavanaasur, story of killing Vritraasur, Raam's Ashwamedh Yagya, meeting with Lav, Kush and Seetaa and Seetaa's Swargaarohan, and after 10,000 years Swargaarohan of Raam and His brothers.

Later Part of Raam's Life
It is said that Raam ruled Ayodhyaa for 10,000 years. All brothers had two sons each. Raam had Lav and Kush who were born in Vaalmeeki Jee's Aashram, because Raam exiled Seetaa on doubts of a washerman's (who washes clothes) comments. After 12 years when Raam did Ashwamedh Yagya, Lav and Kush caught His horse and didn't release it at any cost. Raam's army came, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughn came to take that horse but all were defeated. Then Raam Himself had to come to get His horse. A detailed description of Raam's Ashwamedh Yagya may be found in Padm Puraan. Its whole Paataal Khand is devoted to it.

At that time Vaalmeeki Jee held them back to fight with Him saying that He was their father. Later Raam expressed His desire to have Seetaa back but only after giving the proof of Her purity again. Vaalmeeki Jee brought Seetaa in the royal court of Raam. Seetaa said - "If I have always been loyal to my husband then my mother Earth should give me shelter in her laps." Everybody got stunned hearing this kind of proof. But it has already been said. Mother Earth ripped apart and took Her in her lap and Seetaa went to her Lok.

Swargaarohan of Raam
Raam got very sad seeing Seetaa's going to Swarg. His life became hell thinking about Seetaa all the time. One day Kaal came and delivered the message of Brahmaa Jee that His time on Prithvi was now over, so He should come back to His Lok. Raam, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughn settled their sons in their kingdoms and all took Jal Samaadhi in Sarayoo River. Many other people who came with Him (took birth only for His work) also went with Him. Whatever creation was created for Raam, everybody went with Raam's going to Swarg. (read Lakshman's Death also)

Swarghaarohan of Raam: Another Version,  OR 300 Raamaayan
Although I had heard this before also, but when I read it in an article by AK Ramanujan I thought to include it here.

Once Raam was sitting on His throne, that His ring fell off. When it touched the Earth, it made a hole in it and disappeared into it. It was gone. His trusty servant Hanumaan was at His feet. Raam said to him - "Look, My ring is lost, find it for me." Now Hanumaan can enter any hole no matter how tiny it is. he had the power to become the smallest of the small and the largest of the largest thing. So he took a tiny form and entered the hole. he went and went and went and suddenly he fell into the netherworld. There were many women down there. They said - "Look, a tiny monkey. It has fallen from the above." Then they caught him, placed him on a platter (Thaalee).The King of Spirits (Bhoot) who lives in the netherworld like to eat animals, so Hanumaan was sent to him as part of his dinner along with his vegetables. Hanumaan sat on the platter wondering what to do.

While this was going on in the netherworld, Raam sat on His throne, then sage Vashishth and Brahmaa Jee came to see Him. They said to Raam - "Can we talk in privately with you? We don't want anyone to hear what we say or interrupt it. Do we agree?"
"All right", said Raam, "we will talk."

Then they said - "Lay down a rule if anyone comes in as we are talking, his head should be cut off."
"It will be done." said Raam. "Who would be the most trustworthy person to guard the door?" Since Hanumaan had gone down to fetch the ring, Raam trusted no one more than Lakshman, so He asked Lakshman to stand by the door. He said to Lakshman - "Stand by the door and don't allow anyone to enter." Lakshman was standing at the door, that Vishwaamitra Jee appeared and said - "I need to see Raam at once. It is urgent, tell me where is He?" Lakshman said - "Don't go in now. He is talking to some people. It is important." Vishwaamitra Jee said - "What is there Raam would hide from me? I must go in right now." Lakshman said - "I will have to ask permission, before I can let you in." "Go in and ask then." Lakshman said - "I can't go in till Raam comes out, you will have to wait." Vishwaamitra Jee said - "If you don't go in and pronounce my presence, I will burn the entire kingdom of Ayodhyaa with a curse." Lakshman thought, "If I go in now, only I will have to die, but if I don't go, this hot-headed man will burn the whole Ayodhyaa - all the subjects, all the things living in it. So it is better if I alone should die." So he went right in.

Raam asked him - "What is the matter?" Lakshman replied - "Vishwaamitra Jee is here." Raam said - "Send him in."
So Vishwaamitra Jee went in. The private talk had already come to an end. Brahmaa Jee and Vashishth Jee had come to see Raam and say to Him - "Your work in the world of human beings is over. Your incarnation as Raam must now be given up. Leave this body, come up and rejoin the gods." That is all they wanted to say.

Lakshman said to Raam - "Brother, You should cut off my head." Raam said - "Why? We had nothing more to say. Nothing was left. So why should I cut off your head?" Lakshman said - "You can't do this. You can't let me off because I am your brother. There will be a blot on Raam's name. You did not spare even your wife. You sent Her to Jungle. I must be punished. I must leave." Lakshman was an Avataar of Shesh Jee, the serpent on whom Vishnu sleeps. His time was up too. he went directly to the River Sarayoo and disappeared in the flowing waters. When Lakshman left his body, Raam called all His followers - Vibheeshan, Sugreev and others and arranged for the coronation of His twin sons, Lav and Kush. Then Raam entered too in the River Sarayoo.

Meanwhile, Hanumaan was in the Netherworld. When he was finally taken to the King of the Spirits, he kept repeating the name of Raam - "Raam, Raam, Raam..." The King of Spirits asked - "Who are you?" "Hanumaan" "O Hanumaan, Why have you come here?" Hanumaan replied - "Raam's ring has fallen into a hole, I have come here to fetch it." The King looked around and showed him a platter. On that platter, there were thousands of rings. They were all Raam's rings. The King brought the platter to Hanumaan, set it down and said - "Pick your Raam's ring and take it."

They were all exactly the same. Hanumaan said - "I don't know which one it is?" The King of Spirits said - "There have been as many Raam as there are rings on this platter. When you return to Earth, you will not find Raam, Hhis incarnation is over. Whenever an incarnation of Raam is about to be over, His ring falls down. I collect them and keep them. Now you can go." So Hanumaan left.

[This story is usually told to suggest that for every such Raam, there is a Raamaayan. The number of Raamaayan and the range of their influence in South and South-east Asia over the past 2,500 years or more are astonishing. Just a list of languages in which the Raam's story is found makes one gasp - Annamese, Balinese, Bangaalee, Combodian, Chinese, Gujaraatee, Jaavaanese, Kannad, Kashmeeree, Khotanese, Laotian, Malayasian, Maraathee, Udiyaa, Praakrit, Sanskrit, Santaalee, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugoo, Thai, Tibetan - to say nothing of western languages.

Through the centuries, some of these languages have hosted more than one Raam's stories. Sanskrit alone contains some 25 or more tellings belonging to various narrative genres (epic, Kaavya, ornate poetic compositions, Puraan or old mythological stories and so forth). If we add plays, dance dramas and other performances, in both the classical and folk traditions, the number of Raamaayans grow even larger. To these must be added sculpture, bas-reliefs, mask plays, puppet plays and shadow plays, in all the many South and South-east Asian cultures. Camille Bulcke (1950) a student of the Raamaayan counted 300 telling. It is no wonder that even as long ago as the 14th century Kumaarvyaas, a Kannad poet, chose to write a Mahaabhaarat, because he heard the cosmic serpent which upholds the Earth groaning under the burden of Raamaayan poets.]

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