The Process of the Advancement of the Human Soul Towards its Perfection in Ramayana and the Mahabharata

There was a time when gods and demons roamed the earth. A time when humanity lived at the mercy of divine beings, who executed their wills against the humans, following their own selfish desires and placing humans in a position of piety to these dominant beings. This time on earth is one of great men who fought against these demigods, giving them great fame passed on as stories in the oral tradition. Though it is unrealistic to believe that these men truly fought against divine beings, their stories played a role in the ancient world, which was the beginning of the formation of society and civilization. The epics of “Gilgamesh” and “The Ramayana of Valmiki” both served their societies as an outline of a moral code,

The original The Ramayana is a great epic that has stood the test of time, and has been influential yet controversial throughout history. R.K Narayan’s version has been the same; his composition of stories adds another layer to the already plentiful themes, leaving the reader satisfied with his brilliant description and insight. Through Narayan’s constant comparison that parallels Rama to a perfect specimen, he is demonstrating a “Straw Man” argument. Its effect illuminates Rama’s flaws rather than his seemingly perfect composure. Narayan consciously chooses moments at Rama’s darkest hours to transform him into the relatable human figure he was meant to become.

The Ramayana is an Ancient Indian epic poem that follows the story of a young prince named Rama who is a mortal incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. The plot follows a narrative that starts from his first time outside the royal palace, through his banishment from the kingdom and his quest to save his beloved wife Sita from Ravana, the evil King of Lanka, all the way to his coronation as King of Ayodhya, the kingdom from which he was originally banished. Throughout the whole narrative, there is one factor that remains constant, the role of women in the culture. The acceptance, or rejection of these cultural values by the women directly corresponds with how their character is perceived by the reader and how their role directly influences the

As opposed to Gilgamesh being a tyrant hero, Rama was by far more humanistic. In the beginning of the epic of Ramayana, Rama

As Rama obeys his father, Sita, Rama’s wife, convinces Rama that she shall go with him, thus fulfilling her dharma s being a

You all must be aware of the epic tale of Ramayana that begins as Lord Rama was exiled to a forest for 14 years with his dear wife, Sita and brother Laxman. To get to the main point straight away, Sita, the epitome of grace and beauty was abducted by the main antagonist of the Ramayana written by Valmiki- Raavan. My mention on Valmiki as the writer is on purpose because it was according to him that Raavan was termed as the villain but in reality,

We will start with the main character of the book Rama. Rama has many karma events that happens throughout the book, one being that he followed the golden deer into the woods even thought his brother Lakshmana told him not to and the result was that his wife was kidnapped. He was not there to help her because he was following the golden deer ( pg ). Another example of karma in Rama’s life is when he killed, Vila, the brother of and at the time the monkey ruler because of this Rama was able to have an army of monkey help him search for his wife ( pg ). A final example in Rama’s life is when

He even risked his life by battling Ravana in order to save her. After Rama defeated Ravana and saved Sita, he not only became King again, he was made Emperor of the World. He requested that his trustworthy brother Lakshmana become the yuvaraja, or prince, though he ultimately the position to his other brother Bharata, who ruled the kingdom while Rama was gone.

The tale of Sugriva in the Ramayana is crucial to Rama’s quest for Sita, justice and for Dharma. The story serves a number of purposes within the Hindu epic such as giving the reader an understanding of the relationship between brothers, friends, and rulers as well as giving us a complicated but important look at a different side of Rama. Sugriva’s story within the context of the Ramayana is quite different than the others because of a few controversial topics and questions that come up while reading it. All of them pertain to Rama and his development not only as the leader of the state but as a god. Rama, the epitome of virtue and valor, is the incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. As this incarnate of the most widely praised Hindu god, there are certain qualities that are expected of him. These qualities are exemplified throughout the Ramayana with the exception of one or two acts within Sugriva’s story. Rama’s role in this tale seems to be a blemish on his otherwise virtuous and spotless history. I will first present a synopsis of this tale in order to build a foundation for my argument that Rama is actually justified in his actions with Sugriva, and towards Vali, which are so easily condemned as not god-like.

In an imperfect world torn apart by religious wars, cultural differences, and a more recent social disconnect, perpetuated by the rise of technology which has helped to isolated individuals rather than globally unite them, it becomes apparent that evil is prevailing. It appears as though the modern individual has reason to fear the “other”, rejecting those different from their selves. Such demonization and aggression towards one another has allowed the evils of the world or “Ravana” to arise. Never before have people needed a reason to believe in a figure who could help rid the world of corruption, greed, desire, and ego created by Ravana, more than they do now. In William Buck’s version of the Ramayana, he retells the ancient epic of

The reason it must be Rama that goes with Viswamithra to defend against evil is that he is the only who who is able to. Viswamithra says to Dasaratha, “Send your son Rama with me, he will help. He can.” He could know that Rama is the incarnation of Vishnu, or at least that he is important. When Dasaratha does not want to allow Rama to go, he says, “If you cannot send Rama, I need none else” (8). When Vasishtha says, “There must be a divine purpose working through this seer, who may know but will not explain. It is a privilege that Rama’s help should be sought” (9), he means that it is not just Viswamithra asking, he could be speaking on behalf of the gods. Gods have their reasons, they know best, so that

“Dharma is knowledge prominently directed to the achievement of desired happiness here (i.e. in this life) and hereafter by means of appropriate actions”. (Khan, Benjamin. The Concept of Dharma in Valmiki) Rama and Krishna have been set as perfect exemplars of Dharma in the texts of Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively. They are considered to be the reincarnations of God Visnu, a Supreme Being, and supposedly lived their lives according to the Dharmic (or right) way of life. However, the stories of Rama and Krishna in the texts include some of their actions, which are questionable to the act of Dharma. This may lead one to question Ram and Krishna as true exemplars of Dharma.

Rama has many duties, including his duty to obey. Rama was treated unjustly on multiple occasions throughout the novel, yet he

The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan's is an epic story that provides insights into many aspects of Indian culture and still today influences the politics, religion and art of modern India. He based his novel on a poem from one of India's great Sanskrit epics also called "Ramayana." He revived this ancient story and condensed it and set in modern times. This is story of adventure and friendship as well as a story of psychological insight, spiritual meaning and of wisdom. R.K. Narayan does an excellent job of portraying all these aspects throughout his novel. The meanings of The Ramayana are found through the actions and personalities of its principal characters. It is part of the sacred literature for the Hindus because

This article is about the incarnation of Vishnu. For other uses, see Rama (disambiguation) and Ramachandra (disambiguation).