[Advaita-l] Ramopakhyana of Mahabharata vs. the Uttara Kanda of Ramayana

[S Jayanarayanan]

> (1) Ramopakhyana contains events from EVERY Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, EXCEPTING the Uttara Kanda. Why omit a whole Kanda, if it's so important?
> (2) Why does a Phalashruti for the FULL Ramayana appear at the end of the Yuddha Kanda (but not previous Kandas!)?
> (Yuddha Kanda says: रामायणमिदं कृत्स्नं शृण्वतः पठतः सदा ||  This FULL Ramayana, one who listens or reads...)
> (3) Samkshepa Ramayana, at the beginning of the Ramayana, has no reference to any narrative in the Uttara Kanda. Why not include at least a bit?
> (4) The "Rama Rajyam" as described in the Yuddha Kanda talks about a sorrowless Utopia: EVERYONE is joyous (and moral)!
>     How can sorrowful disturbances appear within the Rama Rajyam (as claimed in Uttara Kanda), if the rule of Rama is claimed to be perfection?
> (5) Ramayana 1-4-2 says the Kandas are six in number. Why not say SEVEN Kandas, by including the Uttara Kanda?
>  
 
The most important of the above reasons is (2) - the Yuddha Kanda containing the Phalashruti for the FULL Ramayana:
 
 रामायणमिदं कृत्स्नं शृण्वतः पठतः सदा || 
 
 "This FULL Ramayana, one who listens or reads..."
 
 
However, there are two reasons for holding the Uttara Kanda to be a part of the Ramayana:
 
(i) The Adhyatma Ramayana, from the Brahmanda Purana, contains an Uttara Kanda.
(ii) The Srimad Bhagavatan has some shlokas revealing a few key events from the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana.
 
To those who speak of "tradition", here is a view:
 
http://www.valmikiramayan.net/ 
 "Story starts from the fifth chapter of Book I, and tradition demands it to be read with the others.
 This stipulation is not obligatory to Uttara Kaanda, a later kaanda, wherein Sita's expulsion to forest takes place."
 
Regards,
Kartik