Baal Kaand | Ayodhyaa Kaand | Aranya Kaand | Kishkindhaa Kaand | Sundar Kaand | Yuddh Kaand | Uttar Kaand
 

Bearing of 12 on Raamaayan

Raamaayan seems to have some bearing on number 12. 

It has 6 Kaand, which is half of 12.

The total number of verses are 24,000, which is double the number 12,000.

Raam is born in the 12th month.

Vishwaamitra's coming to Dasharath and Seetaa's marriage is also in His 12th year. (Maareech said this to Raavan in Valmiki Ramayan, 3/38/6, but Dasharath said that He was less than 16 years in Valmiki Ramayan, 1/19/2 - it was because  a person was illegible to go to battlefield before the age of 16 years).

At the time of marriage, Seetaa was 6 years old

Raam's stay in Ayodhyaa, before His Crown Prince ceremony and exile was 12 years.

Raam's exile period (Vanvaas or forest tracking) is also for 12 years plus 2 years in Panchvatee.

Raam killed 12 great army chiefs of Khar in Janasthaan.

In Uttar Raamaayan, Seetaa stayed in Vaalmeeki's Aashram for 12 years,

Raam Himself had not attained all the 16 phases so He was not a Full Avataar of Shree Vishnu.

Its some events are connected to 14

Kaikeyee asked Dasharath for a 14-year exile for Raam.

First Raam killed 14 Raakshas sent by Khar in Janasthaan,

Then He killed 14,000 Raakshas in Janasthaan 

Grouping of Verses in 24 books in Ancient Raamaayan

It seems that the number 24 has also some importance in our mythology.

(1) It is that keeping this number as base, Vaalmeeki Jee wrote the whole of Raamaayan consists of 24,000 verses and Gaayatree hymn also has 24 letters, so each book of Raamaayan contains a thousand verses, starting with each letter of the Gaayatree hymn. This is the then classification of the Adhyaaya (Kaand) of this epic and such grouping of verses is nonexistent now.

[Valmiki Ramayan, 3/47/10] - 9th Book starts from the letter "bha" in the line "mam bhartaa mahaatejaa". It is the 9th letter of Gaayatree hymn and thus the 9th book of Raamaayan with thousand couplets and starts from here. 

[Valmiki Ramayan, 4/4/3] - 10th Book starts from the letter "ga" in "plavgottam". It is the 10th letter in Gaayatree hymn, so up to now 9,000 verses are over here out of 24,000 of this epic, and its 10th book starts here.

(2) There is another type of Raamaayan, it consists of 24 paragraphs, with 2 lines in every paragraph. The beginning letter of the every paragraph corresponds to the letter in the Gaayatree Mantra, and so it is called as "Gaayatree Raamaayan".

(3) Thyagraja had 24,000 Keertan.

(4) Mahakavi Jayadev wrote only 24 Asht Padee.