There are over 300 versions of the Ramayana and Valmiki himself had written many of them.
Other Religious sects of India,Buddhism and Jainism have adapted this to suit their Philosophy.
“Depending on the methods of counting, as many as three hundred versions of the Indian epic poem, the Ramayana, are known to exist. The oldest version is generally recognized to be the Sanskrit version attributed to the sage Valmiki.’
- Adhyatma Ramayana or spiritual Ramayana is extracted from the Brahmananda Purana, traditionally ascribed to Vyasa.
- Vasistha Ramayana (more commonly known as Yoga Vasistha) is traditionally attributed to Valmiki.
- Laghu Yoga Vasishtha, by Abhinanda of Kashmir, is an abbreviated version of the Yoga Vasistha.
- Ananda Ramayana is traditionally attributed to Valmiki. While it briefly recounts the traditional story of Rama, it is composed primarily of stories peripheral, though related, to Valmiki’s narrative. These include Ravana’s abduction of Sita and Rama’s installment of the Shiva Lingam at Rameswaram.[6]
- Agastya Ramayana is also traditionally attributed to Agastya.
- Adbhuta Ramayana.
The Jain Ramayana in short.
“According to the Jain version of Ramayana, Dasharatha, the king of Saketa had four queens: Aparajita, Sumitra, Suprabha and Kaikeyi. These four queens had four sons. Aparajita’s son was Padma, and he became known by the name of Rama. Sumitra’s son was Narayana: he became to be known by another name, Lakshmana. Kaikeyi’s son was Bharata and Suprabha’s son was Shatrughna. Furthermore, not much was thought of Rama’s fidelity to Sita. According to Jain version, Rama had four chief-queens: Maithili, Prabhavati, Ratinibha, and Sridama. Furthermore, Sita takes renunciation as a Jain ascetic after Rama abandons her and is reborn in Heaven. Rama, after Lakshmana’s death, also renounces his kingdom and becomes a Jain monk. Ultimately, he attains Kevala Jnana omniscience and finally liberation. Rama predicts that Ravana and Lakshmana, who were in fourth hell, will attain liberation in their future births. Accordingly, Ravana is the future Tirthankara of next half ascending time cycle and Sita will be his Ganadhara.”
Citation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versions_of_Ramayana
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