CostasNarrativeXP 2026 October feature "The Ramayana"

Translated by R K Narayanan

The Ramayana is a journey through dharma—where love, loyalty and duty are tested by suffering and sacrifice. It asks whether a person can remain true to what is right when the heart itself demands otherwise.

00:29 Prologue

08:52 1 Rama's Initiation

45:02 2 The Wedding

Costa's Wordbook

Kamban - or Kambar, was a legendary 12th-century medieval Tamil poet celebrated as the "Emperor of Poets", well known for his Tamil epic based on the Hindu story of Ramayana, featuring over 10,000 verses

Palmyra n An East Indian palm, Borassus flabelliformis (palm My ra)

Adisesha - or Shesha or Ananta, is the primordial, thousand-headed serpent and king of all Nagas in Hindu mythology

Yagna - in Sanskrit meaning worship, sacrifice, offering, or devotion; it is a vedic ritual performed in front of a sacred fire (agni) to honor deities, seek blessings, and maintain cosmic balance

Stripling n male adolescent or young adult (Strip ling, not stripe)

Woebegone adj Feeling, showing, or expressing deep sorrow, grief, or wretchedness (Woe be gone)

Sidhasrama - a legendary, mystical abode of siddhas (perfected beings) mentioned in ancient texts like the Ramayana, a secret land deep in the Himalayas

Yaksha - a broad class of nature spirits or demigods in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology, primarily associated with water, trees, forests, wilderness, fertility, and treasure; possess a dual personality; they are typically benevolent guardians of natural treasures and wealth, but can also be malevolent spirits or ghosts that haunt wilderness areas

Depredation n plundering, robbing, pillaging; waste or consumption (dep pred Daytion)

Loba - hungry, greedy for power

Asura - cosmic rivals or anti-gods who challenge divine authority. They embody ambition, rebellion, ego, and the struggle for cosmic dominance, frequently residing in the netherworld and seeking immortality or universal control

Microcosm n A relatively small object or system considered as representative of a larger system of which it is part, exhibiting many features of the complete system (Micro cos sm)

Suzerainty n the domain of a suzerain, a position who can exercise control over the foreign policy and economic relations of a subordinate state, while allowing that subordinate state internal autonomy

Akimbo n Placed in such a way as to have the hands on the hips and the elbows bowed outward

Ashram n a place of religious retreat modeled after the Indian ashram

Musth n A periodic state of heightened sexual activity and aggression in adult male elephants, characterized by the discharge of secretions from glands near the eyes and the continuous dribbling of urine (must)

Veena n A plucked stringed instrument used mostly in Carnatic Indian classical music

Areca n Palms in the genera Areca and Dypsis

Margosa n common name for the neem tree, native to the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia, characterized by its fast growth, drought resistance, and bitter bark

Bullock n a young bull, especially one that has had its sex organs removed and is kept for its meat

Palanquin n A covered conveyance, generally for one person, used in India and elsewhere in the East, borne by means of poles on the shoulders of four or six men (pel len Keen)

Yojana n ancient Indian unit of distance, varying in length from approximately 6 to 15 kilometers (Yoe jena)

2026 Upcoming
The Two Towers, Ramayana, Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner

Milestones
2021: 0 Full soundtrack, no editing, wife commentary, summary outline, irregular release
2022: 2.0 DaVinci editing, wordbook, book intro, AI intro + thumbnail, chapter summary, scheduled release
2023: 2.1 Descript, CapCut, Suno score, character intro, weekly release
2024: 2.2 Standard condenser mic, Audacity, ChatGPT annotation + illustration, timestamp, 1-hour content
2026: 2.3 Gemini definition, JP, CN, PT subtitles on selected YouTube videos

Platforms
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Reddit, Amazon Music, Firstory, Pocket Casts, KKBOX, Castbox, Noice, Podcast Addict, SoundOn, Castro, Player FM

CostasNarrativeXP 2026 September feature "The Two Towers"

Weary companions carry on divided by fate and duty — hope fraying under mounting darkness, courage tested in isolation, as small acts of loyalty and endurance quietly hold back an encroaching, overwhelming shadow.

Book Four
Chapter I-II
00:25 I The Taming of Sméagol

49:33 II The Passage of the Marshes

Costa's Wordbook

Nohow adv in no way, not at all

Ell n Any of several historical units of measure, originally based on the length of the arm or forearm but later standardized at other lengths, such as the English ell of 45 inches (114 centimeters)

Noisome adj Offensive to the senses; disgusting, unpleasant, nauseous; foul, fetid, especially having an undesirable smell; sickening, nauseating; morally hurtful (Noise some)

Mere n A small lake, pond, or marsh

Heedlessly adv without care or concern

Earthward adj Towards or in the direction of the earth (earth word)

Leprous adj Of, relating to, or resembling leprosy; rough surface (Lep prus)

2026 Upcoming
The Two Towers, Ramayana, Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner

Milestones
2021: 0 Full soundtrack, no editing, wife commentary, summary outline, irregular release
2022: 2.0 DaVinci editing, wordbook, book intro, AI intro + thumbnail, chapter summary, scheduled release
2023: 2.1 Descript, CapCut, Suno score, character intro, weekly release
2024: 2.2 Standard condenser mic, Audacity, ChatGPT annotation + illustration, timestamp, 1-hour content
2026: 2.3 Gemini definition, JP, CN, PT subtitles on selected YouTube videos

Platforms
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Reddit, Amazon Music, Firstory, Pocket Casts, KKBOX, Castbox, Noice, Podcast Addict, SoundOn, Castro, Player FM

CostasNarrativeXP 2026 end of year feature "The Two Towers"

Weary companions carry on divided by fate and duty — hope fraying under mounting darkness, courage tested in isolation, as small acts of loyalty and endurance quietly hold back an encroaching, overwhelming shadow.

Book Three
Chapter I-XI
00:25 I The Departure of Boromir

21:17 II The Riders of Rohan

1:28:53 III The Uruk-Hai

2:15:32 IV Treebeard

3:36:35 V The White Rider

4:28:56 VI The King of the Golden Hall

5:27:14 VII Helm's Deep

6:12:30 VIII The Road to Isengard

6:59:18 IX Flotsam and Jetsam

7:44:35 X The Voice of Saruman

8:19:31 XI The Palantír

2026 Upcoming
The Two Towers, Ramayana, Winnie the Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner

Milestones
2021: 0 Full soundtrack, no editing, wife commentary, summary outline, irregular release
2022: 2.0 DaVinci editing, wordbook, book intro, AI intro + thumbnail, chapter summary, scheduled release
2023: 2.1 Descript, CapCut, Suno score, character intro, weekly release
2024: 2.2 Standard condenser mic, Audacity, ChatGPT annotation + illustration, timestamp, 1-hour content
2026: 2.3 Gemini definition, JP, CN, PT subtitles on selected YouTube videos

Platforms
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Reddit, Amazon Music, Firstory, Pocket Casts, KKBOX, Castbox, Noice, Podcast Addict, SoundOn, Castro, Player FM