🌟 Fourth Edition of the Valmiki Ramayana Critical Edition Workshop Concludes Successfully!

When I first held the 400-year-old manuscript of Samarth Ramdas Swami's Valmiki Ramayana, I knew it was not meant to remain in an archive.

It began as a quiet conviction—that this treasure from 1622 AD should be placed in the hands of young scholars, not just preserved behind glass. Today, that conviction has become a movement.

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of being part of a remarkable journey. What started as a single workshop has now travelled across four universities:

📍 Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University
📍Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek
📍 Moolji Jetha Autonomous College, Jalgaon
📍 And now, Goa University

On March 20, 2026, we conducted the fourth edition of the National Workshop on Critical Text Editing of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa Using the Manuscript of Shri Samartha Rāmadāsa Svāmi, in association with Shri Samarth Vagdevata Mandir, Dhule.

Thirty participants—scholars, researchers, and Sanskrit enthusiasts—gathered at the Seminar Hall, Faculty Block B, Goa University, from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. They came not merely to listen, but to work.

A Day of Deep Engagement

The Inaugural Function was graced by Prof. Sanjyot Pai Vernekar, Dean of the School of Sanskrit, Philosophy and Indic Studies, Goa University. Her presence set the tone for a day rooted in rigorous scholarship.

Shri Sharad Kuber (Ramdasi) from the former President,  Shri Samarth Vagdevata Mandir, Dhule, introduced the manuscript—sharing its history, its significance, and the careful preservation efforts that have brought it to us today.

Then came the sessions I had the privilege of facilitating:

• Transcription—participants read and copied directly from the manuscript, feeling the weight of each stroke.

• Valmiki Ramayana and Various Recensions—we compared the Lahore, Goresio, Nirnaya Sagar Bombay, and Baroda editions, exploring how a single text can live differently across traditions.

• Concordance Development—we mapped parallel verses across recensions, watching connections emerge.

• Colophon Analysis—we examined scribe details, dates, and provenance, learning to read the stories hidden in the margins.

Each session was hands-on, immersive, and designed to leave participants with skills they could carry forward into their own research.

A Fitting Conclusion

The day closed with a Valedictory and Certificate Distribution ceremony led by Shri Tanmay Pradeep Hardikar, Vyakaranaratna and Adhyapaka at Shrividya Pathshala. His presence reminded us that this work is not new—it is a continuation of a centuries-old tradition of textual scholarship.

Gratitude

None of this would be possible without the vision and dedication of many. My deepest thanks to:

• Dr. Yogita Anup Kelkar, Assistant Professor and Programme Director, and Mr. Dattanubhav Gulab Tengse, Assistant Professor of Sanskrit Studies, Goa University, whose coordination made this edition seamless.

• Prof. Hanumant Redkar, for his exceptional hospitality, logistics, and unwavering support—ensuring that every participant felt welcomed and every session ran smoothly.

• Ms. Nilakshi Vaishampayan, my sister, for her invaluable assistance during the hands-on sessions. Her presence and support made the practical work all the more meaningful.

• Shri Sharad Kuber and the entire Shri Samarth Vagdevata Mandir, Dhule team, for entrusting us with this manuscript and its legacy.

• Every participant who showed up with curiosity, patience, and a willingness to work.

Looking Ahead

Four universities now. A growing community. And a manuscript that refuses to be forgotten.

What moves me most is not the workshops themselves, but what they represent—a collective commitment to reclaiming, understanding, and preserving what our ancestors wrote, not as museum pieces, but as living texts.

If you believe in the power of manuscripts, in the importance of textual criticism, in the need to train a new generation in the art of reading deeply—this movement welcomes you.

The next workshop awaits. The journey continues.

📜 Because a manuscript unread is a story untold.

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