Part of Ramayana describing Rama's childhood
| Balakanda | |
|---|---|
 Vishvamitra asks Dasharatha for help | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Language | Sanskrit |
Bala Kanda (Sanskrit: बालकाण्ड; IAST: bālakāṇḍa', lit. 'Incident of childhood') is the first Book of the Valmiki Ramayana. The Bala Kanda, in part—if not in its entirety—is generally regarded as an interpolation to the original epic.[1][2]
- ^ Goldman, Robert P. (1984). The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India. Vol. I: Bālakāṇḍa. Princeton University Press. p. 60.
- ^ Majumdar, R. C. (1956). The Cultural Heritage of India. The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. p. 43.
The first and the last Book of the Ramayana are later additions… The reference to the Greeks, Parthians, and Sakas shows that these Books cannot be earlier than the second century B.C.