Gayathri Ramayanam

Valmiki Ramayana consists of 24000 slokas wherein the 24 Beejaksharas (seed letters) of Gayatri Mantra were installed by sage Valmiki in 24 Slokas. All the 24 slokas containing Beejaksharas of Gayatri Mantra are called Gayatri Ramayanam. As suggested by the title, this is not the story of Rama. It signifies that Ramayana is the essence of the entire Vedas and Sri Rama is Narayana. Listening and chanting of Sri Gayathri Ramayanm bestows peace and bliss. Valmiki Ramayana contains 24000 slokas divided into 7 Kandas, namely, Balakanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha kanda, Sundara kanda, Yuddha kanda and Uttara Kanda. The first letter of the first sloka in each group of 1000 slokas is taken from the Gayatri Mahamantra in the same sequence namely - ta, sa, vi, tu, va etc.

Which is for every thousand verses, the first verse commences with one letter of the Gayatri mantra. "Tapah svadhyaya nirataam tapasvi vagvidam varam, naradam paripapracha valmikih muni pumgavam" is the first verse. ‘Ta’ is the first letter. Tat savitur varenyam is how the Gayatri commences; and the next one thousand verses starts with the next letter of Gayatri i.e. ‘Sa’ and slokha goes like this "Sa hathwaa Rakshasaan sarvaan, yagnagnaan Raghu nandana, rishibhi poojithasthathra, yadendro vijaye puraa". The twenty-four thousand verses of the Valmiki Ramayana have hidden, within them, at every thousandth verse, a letter of the Gayatri mantra.