Concordance of the Fauna in the Ramayana
By Sibadas Chaudhuri
Summary
Sibadas Chaudhuri compiles a concordance of animal life in Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa, listing the fauna mentioned in the epic along with the canto and verse numbers where each term occurs. The author systematically catalogues mammals, birds, reptiles and mythical creatures, grouping citations by kāṇḍa (book) and noting variant spellings and synonymsfile:///home/oai/share/563030_compressed-109-216.pdf#:~:text=Concordance%20of%20the%20Fauna%20in,38%2C%207a%2C%2017b%29%2C%20Ixxxti. By doing so he constructs an index that allows scholars to trace the ecological and symbolic roles of animals in the narrative—whether as steeds of gods, inhabitants of forests or metaphors for human qualities. The concordance reveals that the epic preserves a rich zoological vocabulary, ranging from domesticated animals like horses and elephants to wild species such as lions, deer and monkeys. Chaudhuri occasionally provides brief commentary on ambiguous names and the probable identity of obscure creatures. The compilation does not analyse the cultural significance of each species in depth but instead offers researchers a ready reference for locating passages about fauna. This tool is valuable for comparative studies of Sanskrit literature, archaeology and environmental history, because it highlights how the Rāmāyaṇa reflects the biodiversity of ancient India and how certain animals become central to the epic’s moral and mythological themes.
Conclusion
The concordance provides a comprehensive index of animals in the Rāmāyaṇa, enabling scholars to identify where and how fauna are woven into the epic’s narrative. Although interpretive commentary is minimal, the work stands as a useful reference for studies of Sanskrit literature and ancient Indian zoology.