25. ekaślokī-rāmāyaṇa*

एकश्लोकी-रामायण

पूर्वं रामतपोवनादि-गमनं
हत्वा मृगं काञ्चनं
वैदेहीहरणं जटायुमरणं
सुग्रीवसम्भाषणं ।
वालीनिग्रहणं समुद्रतरणं
लङ्कापुरीमर्दनं
पश्चाद्रावण-कुम्भकर्ण-हननम्
एतध्दि रामायणम् ॥

ekaślokī-rāmāyaṇa

pūrvaṃ rāmatapovanādi-gamanaṃ
hatvā mṛgaṃ kāñcanaṃ
vaidehīharaṇaṃ jaṭāyumaraṇaṃ
sugrīvasambhāṣaṇaṃ ।
vālīnigrahaṇaṃ samudrataraṇaṃ
laṅkāpurīmardanaṃ
paścādrāvaṇa-kumbhakarṇa-hananam
etadhdi rāmāyaṇam ॥

*Hint: If you remember ākāśavāṇi (All India Radio – AIR) saṃskṛta pāṭhaṃ signature tune [keyūrāṇi na bhūṣayanti puruṣaṃ], then it is easy to learn this śloka. Look here.

पूर्वम् (pūrvam) = Long long ago
रामतपोवनादि-गमनं (rāmatapovanādi-gamanaṃ) = Sri Rama going to the forest (of austerity)
काञ्चनं मृगं हत्वा (kāñcanaṃ mṛgaṃ hatvā) = having killed the golden deer
वैदेही-हरणं (vaidehī-haraṇaṃ) = kidnapping of Sita ji (by Rāvaṇa)
जटायु-मरणं (jaṭāyu-maraṇaṃ) = death of Jatayu (the vulture)
सुग्रीव-सम्भाषणं (sugrīva-sambhāṣaṇaṃ) = dialogue with Sugrīva
वाली-निग्रहणं (vālī-nigrahaṇaṃ) = killing of Vālī
समुद्र-तरणं (samudra-taraṇaṃ) = crossing over the ocean
लङ्कापुरी-मर्दनं (laṅkāpurī-mardanaṃ) = destruction of city of Lanka
पश्चात् (pashchaat) = thereafter
रावण-कुम्भकर्ण-हननम् (rāvaṇa-kumbhakarṇa-hananam) = killing of Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa
एतत् हि रामायणम् (etat hi rāmāyaṇam) = this indeed is the Ramayana

Meaning: Long long ago, Sri Rama going to the forest (of austerity); having killed the golden deer; kidnapping of Sita ji (by Rāvaṇa); death of Jatayu (the vulture); dialogue with Sugrīva; killing of Vālī; crossing over the ocean; destruction of city of Lanka; thereafter killing of Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa. This indeed is the Ramayana.

Credits: Courtesy Brahmachari Ved Chaitanya of Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF)
Images courtesy: Bapu
P.S.: All errors / mistakes are my own