Here is a simple comparison:

---

1. Who is Shri Ram?

Valmiki Ramayan (Hindu view)

• Rama is an avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu – God Himself in human form.
• Aim of the story: develop bhakti (devotion) to Shri Ram as Ishwar.

Jain Ramayan

• Rama is a great soul, but not God, not an avatar.
• He is known as Padma / Padmachandra and counted in the 63 Śalākāpuruṣa as the 8th Balabhadra (Baladev). ( jainknowledge.com)
• He is a jeev bound by karma, who later takes Jin-dikshā and attains moksha.
• Aim of the story: show dharma, karma, ahiṁsā, and the path to liberation.

---

2. Who kills Rāvaṇ?

Valmiki Ramayan

• Rama kills Rāvaṇ.

Jain Ramayan

• Lakshman (Laxman) kills Rāvaṇ, not Rama. ( jainpedia.org)
• Reason: In Jain universal history,

- Rama (Padma) = Balabhadra - Lakshman = Vāsudeva - Rāvaṇ = Prati‑Vāsudeva And Prati‑Vāsudeva must be killed by Vāsudeva, so Lakshman has to kill Rāvaṇ.

---

3. End of the story

Valmiki Ramayan

• Main ending: Rama returns to Ayodhya, is crowned king.
• Later Uttarkāṇḍ describes Sita’s exile etc., but very strong focus on Rama as ideal king.

Jain Ramayan

• After ruling as a great king, Rama, Lakshman, Dashrath, Mandodari, etc. take dikshā in different episodes. ( insightjainism.vercel.app)
• Rama becomes a Jain muni and attains moksha (traditionally from Mangi–Tungi). ( insightjainism.vercel.app)
• Focus of the end: renunciation and liberation, not just royal success.

---

4. Character of Rāvaṇ and “rākṣas”

Valmiki Ramayan

• Rāvaṇ is mainly shown as a rākṣas (demon) – cruel, adharmic, very negative.

Jain Ramayan

• Rāvaṇ is not a demon, but a powerful, learned king (vidyādhari), devotee of Jinas, master of many sciences – but ruined by pride and passion (krodh, mān, māyā, lobh). ( insightjainism.vercel.app)
• “Rākṣas” etc. are treated as human-like clans, not supernatural man‑eating monsters.
• His fall becomes a moral/karmic lesson, not just “good vs evil” in a mythic sense.

---

5. Sītā’s position

Valmiki Ramayan

• Sita is ideal pativrata, consort of a divine avatar; emphasis is on her devotion, purity and suffering.

Jain Ramayan

• Sita is also ideal and pure, but seen more as a soul on the path of high spiritual progress.
• Some Jain versions present her as destined for spiritual greatness / liberation rather than as a goddess‑form. ( jainknowledge.com)
• The Sita‑haran story is also narrated differently; famous ideas like “Lakshman‑rekhā” are not there in Jain tellings. ( insightjainism.vercel.app)

---

6. Ahiṁsā and ethics

Valmiki Ramayan

• Shows dharma, maryādā, duty, courage, but accepts war and killing as part of kṣatriya dharma.
• Rama’s killing of Vali, Rāvaṇ etc. is accepted as just and divine.

Jain Ramayan

• Very strong stress on ahiṁsā, inner purity and karma.
• Example differences often mentioned: ( jainpedia.org)

- Rama refuses to kill Rāvaṇ in an “unfair” way, avoiding cowardly acts. - After the war, Rama does Rāvaṇ’s antyeṣṭi (last rites) without hatred. - Many characters later take dikshā – even some who were on the “opposite side”.

---

7. Religious background and purpose

Valmiki Ramayan

• Part of Hindu śruti/smṛti tradition.
• Supports ideas like Viṣṇu‑bhakti, avatār‑vāda, worship of Rāma as Bhagwan.

Jain Ramayan

• Entirely within Jain darshan:

- No avatār‑vāda. - No promotion of worship of Viṣṇu, Śiva, etc. as supreme God. - All characters, including Rama, Lakshman, Rāvaṇ, are jīvas bound by karma inside the Jain cosmic framework (Balabhadra–Vāsudeva–Prati‑Vāsudeva cycles). ( jainknowledge.com)

---

8. Texts and names

Valmiki Ramayan

• Classical Sanskrit epic attributed to Rishi Vālmīki, in seven kāṇḍas. ( es.wikipedia.org)

Jain Ramayan

• Main Jain retellings include: ( jainknowledge.com)

- Paumacariya / Paumachariyam (Prakrit) by Ācārya Vimalasūri (Digambar). - Padma‑Purāṇa, etc., with further elaborations in later Jain works.

• Rama is often called Padma / Padmaja, not just “Rāma”.

---

9. Digambar & Śvetāmbara – any difference?

• Both traditions:

- Accept Rama as Balabhadra, Lakshman as Vāsudeva, Rāvaṇ as Prati‑Vāsudeva. - Accept that Lakshman kills Rāvaṇ, and Rama attains moksha after dikshā. ( jainpedia.org)

• Differences are mainly in detail and style of narration (names of places, small incidents, etc.), not in these main principles.

---

Summary in one line

• Valmiki Ramayan: Rama = avatār of Vishnu, divine king who kills Rāvaṇ and is worshipped as God.
• Jain Ramayan: Rama (Padma) = great but human soul, a Balabhadra who does not kill Rāvaṇ, later becomes a Jain muni and attains moksha; the whole story is framed in Jain karma, ahiṁsā and renunciation.

You can read a simple Jain explanation on this topic here