Characters edit
- Rama is the hero of this epic tale. He is portrayed as an incarnation of the god Vishnu. He is the eldest and the favorite son of the King of Ayodhya, Dasharatha. He is a popular prince loved by one and all. He is the epitome of virtue. Dasaratha, forced by one of his wives Kaikeyi commands Rama to relinquish his right to the throne for fourteen years and go into exile by his father. While in exile, Rama kills the demon king Ravana.
- Sita is the beloved wife of Rama and the daughter of king Janaka. Sita is also known as Janaki. She is the incarnation of Goddess Laxmi (Lord Vishnu's wife). Sita is the epitome of womanly purity and virtue. She follows her husband into exile and there gets abducted by Ravana. She is imprisoned in the island of Lanka by Ravan. Rama rescues her by defeating the demon king Ravana.
- Hanuman is a vanara belonging to the kingdom of Kishkindha. He is portrayed as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. He worships Rama and helps find Sita by going to the kingdom of Lanka crossing the great ocean.
- Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama, who chose to go into exile with him. He spends his time protecting Sita and Rama. He is deceived by the demon Marichi into believing that Rama was in trouble while Sita is abducted by Ravana.
- Ravana, a rakshasa, is the king of Lanka. He received a boon from Brahma that he cannot be killed by either gods, demons or by spirits, after performing a severe penance for ten thousand years. He has ten heads and twenty arms, the former of which he began to cut off and throw into the sacrificial fire until Lord Brahma appeared to him. After getting his reward from Brahma, Ravana begins to lay waste the earth and disturbs the deeds of good Rishis. Vishnu incarnates as the human Rama to defeat him, thus circumventing the boon given by Brahma.
- Dasharatha is the king of Ayodhya and the father of Rama. He has three queens, Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi, and three other sons; Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Kaikeyi, Dasharatha's favourite queen forces him to make his son Bharata heir apparent and send Rama into exile. Dashratha dies heartbroken after Rama goes into exile.
- Bharata is the second son of Dasharatha. When he learns that his mother Kaikeyi had forced Rama into exile and caused Dasharatha to die broken hearted, he storms out of the palace and goes in search of Rama. When Rama refuses to return from his exile to assume the throne, Bharata obtains Rama's sandals and places them on the throne as a gesture that Rama is the true king. Bharata then rules Ayodhya as a representative of Rama for the next fourteen years.
- Vishvamitra is the sage who takes Rama into the forest in order to defeat the demons destroying his Yagna ceremonies. On the way back he takes Rama into Mithila where Rama and Sita meet each other for the first time and Rama participates in her swayamvara.
Synopsis edit
Rama, the hero of Ramayana, is a popular deity worshiped in the Hindu religion. Each year, many devout pilgrims trace his journey through India, halting at each of the holy sites along the way. The poem is not seen as just a literary monument, it serves as an integral part of Hinduism, and is held in such reverence that mere reading or hearing it, is believed by Hindus to free from sin and shower blessings upon the reader or listener. According to Hindu tradition, Rama is an incarnation (Avatar), of the god Vishnu. The main purpose of this incarnation is to demonstrate the righteous path (dharma) for all living creatures on Earth.
Rama's youth edit
As a reward for his severe penances, Brahma allows it that the ascetic demon Ravana cannot be slain by gods, demons, or spirits. The divine Lord Brahma can not not revoke this boon he gave the demon king Ravana. Thus rewarded, Ravana begins with the help of his fellow demons, the Rakshasas, to lay waste the earth and terrorize other living beings, especially the Rishis, disturbing their sacrifices. All the gods, watching this devastation, go to Shiva to find a way to deliver themselves and the earth of this evil. Shiva tells his son Ganesha and the sage Narada to ask Vishnu to incarnate on earth as a human, as Ravana had not asked for protection against humans or beasts.
Meanwhile, the king Dasharatha of Ayodhya, who had ruled over his kingdom of Kosala for a long time, is beginning to become anxious about his successor, for he had no sons to take over the kingdom after him. Taking advice from his ministers and priests, Dasharatha organizes a Putrakameshti Yagna, a sacrifice for progeny, with the help of the head-priest called Rishyashrunga. Vishnu decides to be born as the eldest to Dasharatha and causes a divine being to emerge from the sacrificial fire. The divine being gives Dashratha a golden vessel filled with nectar and asks him to give it to his queens. Dasharatha divides it amongst his three queens, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. In due course they become pregnant and gave birth to four sons: Queen Kausalya gives birth to the eldest son, Rama. Bharata is born to Queen Kaikeyi, and twins, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, are born to Queen Sumitra.
The boys grow up learning the scriptures and the art of bowmanship from the sage Vasishta. One day, the sage Vishvamitra visits the kingdom and askes King Dasaratha to send Rama to protect him from demons who had been disturbing his sacrifices. Although very reluctant, Dasharatha agrees to send Rama and Lakshmana with Vishwamitra. As the brothers fulfill their duties, Vishvamitra is pleased with them and bestows upon them various celestial weapons.
Towards the end of their stay with Vishvamitra, Rama chances to pass near the kingdom of Mithila and hears that its king, Janaka, has offered his peerless daughter, Sita, in marriage to the man who can bend the mighty bow of Lord Shiva, which has been kept at Janaka's court. Rama at once is determined to accomplish the feat, which has been tried in vain by so many suitors. When Rama presents himself at court, Janaka is at once won over by Rama's youth and beauty. Five thousand men draw in the mighty bow resting upon an eight-wheeled chariot including Ravana who was laughed upon by many when he could not lift the bow. Rama, without any apparent effort, bends it until it breaks. This causes Parshurama, another incarnation of Lord Vishnu (who had removed the kshatriyas from the earth 21 times) to wake up from his penance. He rushes in to Janaka's Palace and is very angry with Rama, but when he sees his divine image, he returnes. Janaka gladly gives him his beautiful daughter. Another 3 of his daughters were married to the 3 brothers of Rama. After the splendid wedding ceremonies are over, the happy pairs travel back to Ayodhya.
Rāma's exile edit
King Dasharatha begins to feel weary of reigning and decides to make Rama, his eldest son and heir-apparent, the co-regent (Yuvaraja). His happy people receive the announcement of his intention with delight and the whole city begins preparations for the ceremony. Dasharatha goes to discuss the celebrations with his wives. However, Queen Kaikeyi's jealousy is aroused by her evil maid Manthara(Kooni), because the son of Kausalya and not her own son Bharata, at that time absent from the city, was to be made king. She flees to an ante-chamber where Dasharatha finds her in tears.
To Dasharatha's concerned queries, Kaikeyi recalles that, ages ago, the old king had granted her two boons. This was as a result of a war that the king had been in before his children were born. He was riding in a chariot when the wheel was about to fall off. Queen Kaikeyi was with him, and sacrificed her finger by putting it into the wheel to hold it into place, thus saving her husband's life. To show his gratitude, he had offered her 2 wishes/boons. She had gratefully accepted them, and had told him that she had no use for them at present, and would use them when the need arose.
She now demands the fulfillment of these before she will consent to smile upon him. Dasharatha agrees and Kaikeyi reveals her demands. She required him, first, to appoint her son Bharata as co-regent and, second, to exile Rama for fourteen years to the terrible forest of Dandaka. Dasharatha is heart-broken, but has to abide by his promise. Rama, the obedient son, immediately agrees to relinquish his claim to the throne and started to leave for his exile. His faithful wife Sita and his loving brother Lakshmana also decide to go along with Rama. With Dasharatha lying grief-stricken, Rama leaves for the forest, followed by the lamenting people of Ayodhya. Soon after, king Dasharatha dies, overcome by grief.
Sita's abduction edit
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana leave behind Ayodhya and its people, cross the river Ganges and enter the forest. They find an idyllic place called Chitrakuta (Chhattisgarh) to establish their hermitage. No more beautiful place could be imagined. Flowers of every kind, delicious fruits, and on every side the most pleasing prospects, together with perfect love, is stated to have made their hermitage a paradise on earth. In the forest, Rama befriends the old vulture-king, Jatayu.
Meanwhile, Bharata returns to Ayodhya and, being also devoted to Rama, becomes furious with Kaikeyi for her role in exiling Rama and for the death of his father. Determined to bring back Rama, he headed for the forest. When he finds Rama and pleads with him to return and assume the throne, Rama politely refuses, saying that he is duty-bound to see that his father's promise fulfilled. Reluctantly Bharata agrees to return to the kingdom, requesting that Rama give to him his sandals. Back in Ayodhya, Bharata places Rama's sandals on the throne of Ayodhya, and rules as Rama's proxy from a village called Nandigrama near Ayodhya, awaiting his return. He also vows to end his own life if Rama fails to return after fourteen years.
One day, the rakshasi Surpanakha, a sister of the demon king Ravana, chances upon Rama's hermitage and sees the handsome Rama and becomes enamored. Taking the form of a beautiful young girl, she tries to seduce Rama. Rama, ever faithful to his wife Sita, does not respond and askes her to approach Lakshmana. Lakshmana too refuses, stating his duty towards his brother and his sister-in-law while in exile. An infuriated Surpanakha blames Sita for the men scorning her and charged at her in her original demonic form. However, Lakshmana saves Sita by severing Surpanakha's nose and ears. Surpanakha flies back to Ravana complaining about the young exiles. Ravana, after hearing of the beautiful Sita from Surpanakha, resolves to kill Rama in revenge and take Sita for himself. He enlists the aid of the demon Maricha. Maricha turns himself into a golden deer that attracts the attention of Sita, who tells Rama that she wants it for herself. She asks Rama to get it for her, but after Rama leaves to find it, Maricha starts to make death-screams in Rama's voice to trick Lakshmana. Lakshmana is represented as knowing that Rama is invincible and so is convinced that Rama was in danger. However, he is pressured by Sita to go out and find his brother. At this moment Ravana approaches the hermitage in the guise of a brahmana sannyasi and asks Sita to give him some food. She dutifully gave him some. Thereupon Ravana tries to seduce Sita, fails miserably, and ends up abducting her by force, fleeing in his airborne vehicle, the (Pushpaka Vimana). Jatayu, seeing them fly, attempts to save Sita, but Ravana engages Jatayu in combat and chops off the vulture's wings. On returning to the hermitage, Rama and Lakshmana find it empty and anxiously begin a search. Through Jatayu, whom they find lying mortally wounded, Rama and Lakshmana learn of Sita's fate. Jatayu breathes his last in Rama's arms.
Vanara kingdom edit
Continuing their search, they encounter the Vanara king of Kishkindha, Sugriva, and Hanuman, one of his generals, among whom Sita had dropped from the chariot her scarf and some ornaments. Sugriva had been deposed from his kingdom by his brother, Vali, who had also taken his wife from him. Rama agrees to defeat Vali if Sugriva will assist in the search for Sita. The agreement made, Sugriva challenges Vali to a duel. While the duel is progressing, Rama shoots his bow and killed Vali. Sugriva regains his kingdom and his wife.
Sugriva and Rama send the Vanara soldiers in various directions in search of Sita. However, their efforts don't bear fruit until they met another ancient vulture, Sampati, who was the brother of the slain Jatayu. Sampati is earthbound and deformed - his wings were burnt when he flew too close to the Sun (a story paralleling Icarus's). His brother, being hardier, had saved him from falling to his death. While Jatayu was the physically stronger of the two, Sampati possessed a compensating gift of vision. Sampati's vision was incredibly powerful, spanning several hundred yojanas and enabling him to see farther than anyone else. On hearing of Ravana's killing his brother, he readily agrees to help the Vanaras. He is soon able to spot Sita in the southern direction. He can see her imprisoned in a garden of Ashoka trees on the island of Lanka, beyond the southern ocean.
Hanuman in Lanka edit
Sugriva dispatches his army to the south with his nephew Angada at the head. Hanuman goes with Angada as his general. When they reached deep south, they find a great ocean stretching between them and land of Lanka. They can find no means by which to cross the ocean. Commanding his soldiers to remain where they were, Hanuman expands his body to enormous proportions, leaps the vast expanse of water, and alights upon a mountain Trikuta from which he can look down upon Lanka. Perceiving the city to be closely guarded, he assums the form of a cat, and thus, unsuspected, creeps through the barriers and examines the city. He finds Ravana in his apartments, surrounded by beautiful women, but Sita is not among them. Continuing his search, he at last discovers her, her beauty dimmed by grief, seated under a tree in a beautiful Asoka grove, guarded by hideous rakshasis with the faces of buffaloes, dogs, and swine.
Assuming the form of a tiny monkey, Hanuman creeps down the tree, and gives her the ring of Rama. He offers to carry her away with him, but Sita declares that Rama must himself come to her rescue, and as proof of finding her Sita gave Hanuman a priceless jewel to take back to Rama. While they are talking together, Ravana appears, and, after fruitless wooing, announced that if Sita did not yield herself to him in two months he would have her guards "mince her limbs with steel" for his breakfast.
In his rage, Hanuman destroys a mango grove and is captured by the rakshasa guards, and brought before Ravana. Hanuman proclaims that he is a messenger of Rama, and demands that Ravana restore Sita to Rama or fall victim to Rama's wrath. Furious at hearing Hanuman's words, Ravana orders Hanuman's death.
Vibhishana, Ravana's righteous brother, intervenes and counsels Ravana to follow the scriptures, reminding that it was improper to execute a messenger, and instead tells him to exact the appropriate punishment for Hanuman's crime. Ravana accepted and orders his rakshasas to set fire to Hanuman's tail. As soon as this is done, Hanuman makes himself very small, slips from his bonds, and, jumping upon the roofs, spreads a conflagration through the city of Lanka and destroys the golden Lanka. He leaps back to the mainland, conveys the news of Sita's captivity to Rama and Sugriva, and is soon engaged in active preparations for the campaign.
Battle of Lanka edit
Rama decides that as long as the ocean was not bridged, it is impossible for anyone but Hanuman to cross it. Rama meditated for three days without food or water, until from the terrified waves arose Varuna, the God of the ocean. Varuna was perplexed that Rama was meditating on him since he (Rama) was an avatar of Vishnu, one of the highest ranked Gods of Hinduism. Rama explained that because he is a human, he must perform the duties (dharma) of a human to call on Varuna. Hence, Varuna promises him that if the architects Nila and Nala (from Rama's army) were to build a bridge of any kind, they can do so by throwing any material into the ocean with the name 'Ram' written on it and it would keep floating in the ocean. This ocean therefore would support the bridge as though it were built on land. The Ram Setu (or Adam's bridge ) that connects India and Sri Lanka is considered, by some section of people, to be the remains of this bridge which Lord Ram's army built.
Terror reigns in Lanka at the news of the approach of Rama. Vibishana, Ravana's brother, deserts to Rama, because of Ravana's rage when he advised him to make peace with Rama. Fiercely fought battles ensues, in which even the gods took part-- Indra taking sides with Rama, and the evil spirits fighting with Ravana.
After the war had been fought for some time, with varying results, and a great number of troops on both sides were killed, it is decided to determine the victor by single combat between Ravana and Rama. Even the gods are terrified at the fierceness of the conflict. At each shot Rama's mighty bow cut off a head of Ravana, which at once grows back, and the hero is in despair until Vibhishana tells him to aim at Ravana's belly-button. Rama takes careful aim as the source of "amrit" or divine nectar that allowes the regeneration of Ravan's head was stored in his belly button. Subsequently, Rama kills Ravana using Bramha's divine weapon, the Bramhastra.
As Ravana falls by this weapon, flowers rain from heaven upon the happy victory, and his ears are ravished with celestial music. Touched by the grief of Ravana's widow, Mandodari, Rama tells Vibhishan to conduct the funeral in the manner deserved by kings.
Sita is led forth, beaming with happiness at finding herself re-united to her husband; but her happiness was destined to be of short duration. Rama receives her with coldness and with downcast eyes, saying that she can no longer be his wife, after having dwelt in the house of Ravana. Sita assures him of her innocence; but on his continuing to revile her, she orders her own funeral pyre to be built, since she would rather die by fire than live despised by Rama. The sympathy of all the bystanders is with Sita, but Rama watches her enter the flames without a tremor. Soon Agni, the God of fire, appears, bearing the uninjured Sita in his arms. Her innocence thus publicly proved by the trial by fire, she is welcomed by Rama, whose treatment she tenderly forgives. Rama reveals to Lakshmana why the pyre was necessary- Earlier during the exile, Rama already knew Ravana would kidnap Sita. If Ravana had attempted to touch Sita, her devotion to her husband, her purity and chasity would have burned Ravana's hands. Hence, the only way to let Sita be kidnapped was for her soul to be sent with Agni, the fire God, where a physical form of Sita remained. Hence, when Rama told Sita to prove herself with fire, he was really asking Agni, the fire God, to give him back his Sita.
The conquest won, Ravana defeated, and Sita restored, Rama returns in triumph to Ayodhya, and assumes the governance to the great delight of Bharata and the people of Ayodhya.
Sita banished edit
Ayodhya was prosperous, the people were happy, and for a time all goes well. It is not long, however, before whispers concerning Sita's long stay in Lanka spread through the city, and Rama comes to hear the whisperings that a famine in the country was due to the guilt of Sita, who had suffered the caresses of Ravana while in captivity. Rama banishes her to the forest in which they had spent together the happy years of their exile. Sita was already several months pregnant when she was banished by Rama.
Without a murmur the unhappy Sita drags herself to the forest, and, torn with grief of body and spirit, finds the hermitage of Valmiki, where she gives birth to twin sons, Lava and Kusha. Here she rears them, with the assistance of the hermit, who acts as their teacher, and under whose care they grow to manhood, handsome and strong.
It chances that about the time the youths are twenty years old,Rama carries out a yagna, Ashvamedha, the great sacrifice, in which he causes a horse to be turned loose in the forest. When his men go to retake it, at the end of the year, they find it caught by two strong and beautiful youths who resist all efforts to capture them. When his men cannot retake the horse, Rama goes to the forest in person, only to learn that the youths are his twin sons, Lava and Kusha. Struck with remorse, Rama recalls the sufferings of his wife Sita, and on learning that she was at the hermitage of Valmiki, requests her to come with him.
Sita had had time to recover from the love of her youth, and the prospect of life with Rama, she felt, was not altogether pleasant. She appeals to the earth, if she had never loved any man but Rama, if her truth and purity were known to the earth, let it open its bosom and take her to it. While the people stood trembling with horror, the earth opens, a gorgeous throne appears, and the goddess of earth, seated upon it, takes Sita beside her and conveys her to the realms of eternal happiness, leaving the too late repentant Rama to wear out his remaining years in penitence.