Let Jamey guide you through
the first half of The Ramayana
Jamey Hood is a speaker, author, teacher, and founder of Veda Vyasa Book Club: the international book club devoted to developing consciousness through Vedic literature. She excels in decoding these ancient tales in a fun and approachable way, showing how they are relevant to our modern lives.
Because Namit Malhotra and Nitesh Tiwari’s film Ramayana: Part 1 is comes out in theaters worldwide early November 2026, Jamey is offering a new self-guided course to guide interested readers into the Epic!
"Reading The Ramayana for the first time is truly a special occasion. The Ramayana is a map of our inner landscape and moving through it is an extraordinary thing... We're on an expedition in search of Truth, Beauty, Strength, Loyalty, and Devotion. The self-discovery process is a rich unveiling, unique for each of us and yet, universal at the same time." -- Jamey Hood
Like the thousands of people who read or re-read The Oddessy in preparation for Christopher Nolan's film, Jamey wants to encourage folks to read The Ramayana in order to gain a deeper understanding of the story, and to see why an ancient poem still has value today. Also: it's a great story.
"Whether you read it first, or see Ramayana: Part 1 first and then read it, all is well. I’m available to you for all things Ramayana. I nominate myself to be an ambassador to welcome the story of Rama to the West with open arms and showers of flower petals." -- Jamey Hood
Jamey provides a reading guide to get through the first half of the book in three weeks. However, this is a self-guided course, so you can take this at your own pace. Although this work is an excellent way to prepare to see the film, this course is evergreen.
How it Works
1. Get yourself a copy of The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Indian Epic by Ramesh Menon.
2. Click "Register now" to sign up for the course below.
3. Follow Jamey's recommended schedule or read at your own pace. Included in the course materials are some gentle prompts for each section of the reading to help orient you to the subtext.
4. Listen to the audio recordings associated with each section of the reading. Jamey lovingly describes how the text is applicable to our lives today, including why we may be attracted to or repelled by certain characters in the story.
Why Ramesh Menon's version?
There are numerous translations of the The Ramayana. Many free PDFs are available on the internet, some so literal in translation from Sanskrit to English that they are almost unreadable, and some very academic in their approach.
Menon's offering reads like juicy fiction. He is a truly gifted storyteller and his ability to paint vividly with text gives us our best opportunity to appreciate and absorb multiple layers of meaning from the most literal to the finest celestial.
Sign up and order your book today!
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