version, written in a dialect of Hindi, of the Sanskrit epic poem the Rāmāyaṇa, one of the masterpieces of medieval Hindu literature and a work with significant influence on modern Hinduism. Written in the 16th century by the poet Tulsīdās, the poem is distinguished both by its great expression of love for a personal god and by its exemplification through its characters of the ideal conduct of a husband and ruler (Rāma), wife (Sītā), and brother (Lakṣmaṇa).