Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.225

c9.225

4) *The traditional belief in Rāmāyaṇa.* According to Indian belief Śrī Rāma lived at the end of Tretāyuga, which came to its close in 8,67,100 B.C. As per Rāmāyaṇa Śrī Rāma ruled the country for 11,000 years. He was forty years old when he ascended the throne. Vālmīki began writing the Rāmāyaṇa after Lavakuśas were born. In the light of the above facts, certain scholars opine that the Rāmāyaṇa was written near about 878000 B.C. But, western critics and some eastern critics do not accept this view. Professor Jacobi holds the view that the original Mahābhārata is anterior to Rāmāyaṇa. Most scholars do not agree with this view. A great majority of critics are of opinion that Rāmāyaṇa is anterior to Mahābhārata. They argue as follows :—
(i) The traditional belief in India is that Rāmāyaṇa was written much earlier than Mahābhārata.
(ii) Rāmāyaṇa makes no reference to any of the characters of Mahābhārata.
(iii) The Śrī Rāma story is referred to in many a Jātaka story of the Buddhists.
(iv) Vālmīki has made no mention about the city of Pāṭaliputra established near about 380 B.C. It is an irrefutable fact that Śrī Rāma had passed by the city.
(v) During the reign of emperor Aśoka the Prākṛta language was spoken in the areas where the incidents mentioned in Rāmāyaṇa took place. But, Rāmāyaṇa was written much anterior to the emergence of Prākṛta language. According to Professor Keith Rāmāyaṇa was written in 300 B.C.