Redhook. 496 pp. $28 – – – “In India and in Southeast Asia, no one ever reads ‘The Ramayana’ and ‘The Mahabharata’ for the first time,” wrote the Indian poet and scholar A.K. Ramanujan. The scope and influence of “The Ramayana” rival those of the Bible: The earliest Sanskrit version, 24,000 verses written by the Hindu poet Valmiki, is more than 2,300 years old. It has had hundreds of adaptations. The epic recounts the life of Rama, a young prince of the ancient kingdom of Kosala and an avatar of the god Vishnu.
