Ramayana The primary source of the life of Rama is the Sanskrit epic Ramayana composed by Rishi Valmiki.[79] Rama (left third from top) depicted in the Dashavatara (ten incornations) of Vishnu. Painting from Jaipur, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The epic had many versions across India's regions. The followers of Madhvacharya believe that an older version of the Ramayana, the Mula-Ramayana, previously existed.[80] The Madhva tradition considers it to have been more authoritative than the version by Valmiki.[81] Versions of the Ramayana exist in most major Indian languages; examples that elaborate on the life, deeds and divine philosophies of Rama include the epic poem Ramavataram, and the following vernacular versions of Rama's life story:[82]