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About
Ramayana |
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The
Ramayana is one of the great Hindu epics. It is attributed to
the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms a vital part of the Hindu
literature, considered to be itihāasa.The Ramayana is one of
the two great epics of Hinduism, the other being the
Mahabharata. It represents the duties of relationships,
portraying ultimate characters like the ideal father, ideal
servant, the ideal wife, the ideal brother and the ideal king.
The name Ramayana is a tatpurusha compound of Rāmaand ayana
("going, advancing"), translating to "Rama's Journey". The
Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses in seven books and 500
cantos (sargas), and tells the story of Rama (an avatar of the
Hindu Supreme-God Vishnu), whose wife Sita is kidnaped by
Ravan, the king of Lanka. Thematically, the Ramayana explores
human values and the concept ofdharma.
As in many oral epics, multiple versions of the Ramayana
survive. In particular, the Ramayana related in North India
differs in important respects from that preserved in South
India and the rest of South-East Asia. There is a widespread
tradition of oral storytelling based on the Ramayana in
Cambodia,Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia,
Laos,Vietnam, and Maldives. Father Kamil Bulke, author of
Ramakatha, has identified over 300 variants of Ramayana. |
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Period |
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Some
cultural evidence (the presence of sati in the Mahabharata but
not in the main body of the Ramayana) suggests that the Ramayana
predates the Mahabharata. The general cultural background of the
Ramayana is one of the post-urbanization period of the eastern
part of North India and Nepal.
By tradition, the text belongs to the Treta Yuga, second of the
four eons (yuga) of Hindu chronology. Rama is said to have been
born in the Treta Yuga to King Daśaratha in the Ikshvaku vamsa (clan).Maharishi
Valmiki, the writer of Ramayana and a contemporary of lord Rama,
has described in 3 shlokas the positions of planets at the time
of birth of Lord Rama.
The names of the characters (Rama, Sita, Dasharatha, Janaka,
Vashista, Vishwamitra) are all known in late Vedic literature,
older than the Valmiki Ramayana. According to the modern
academic view, Vishnu, who according to Bala Kanda was
personified as Rama, first came into prominence with the epics
themselves and further during the 'Puranic' period of the later
1st millennium CE. There is also a version of Ramayana, known as
Ramopakhyana, found in the epic Mahabharata. This version is
depicted as a narration to Yudhishtira. |
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Theological significance of Ramayana |
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Rama,
the hero of the Ramayana, is one of most famous deities
worshipped in the Hindu religion. Each year, many religious
pilgrims trace his journey through India and Nepal, uncertain at
each of the holy sites along the way. The poem is not seen as
just a literary monument, but serves as an essential part of
Hinduism, and is held in such worship that the simple reading or
hearing of it, or certain passages of it, is believed by Hindus
to free them from sin and bless 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. |
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Textual history and structure of Ramayana |
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Verses in the Ramayana are written in a 32-syllable meter
called anustubh. The Ramayana was a vital influence on
later Sanskrit poetry and Hindu life and culture. Like the
Mahābhārata, the Ramayana is not just a story: it presents
the teachings of ancient Hindu sages (Vedas) in narrative
allegory, interspersing devotional and philosophical
elements. The characters Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Bharata,
Hanuman and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural
awareness of India, Nepal, and many South-East Asian
countries such asThailand and Indonesia.
There are other versions of the Ramayana, especially the
Ramavataram in Tamil, Buddhist and Jain adaptations, and
also Cambodian, Indonesian, Filipino,Thai, Lao, Burmese
and Malaysian versions of the tale.Traditionally, the
Ramayana is attributed to Valmiki. The Hindu tradition is
undisputed in its agreement that the poem is the work of a
single poet, the wise Valmiki, a contemporary of Rama and
a peripheral actor in the drama. The story's original
version in Sanskrit is known as Valmiki Ramayana which
datwes back to 5th to 4th century BCE.
While it is often viewed as a primarily devotional text,
the Vaishnav elements appear to be later additions
probably dating to the 2nd century BCE or later. The main
body of the narrative lacks statements of Rama's
spirituality, and identifications of Rama with Vishnu are
rare and passive even in the later parts of the text.
According to Hindu tradition, and according to the
Ramayana itself, the Ramayana belongs to the type of
itihāasa, like the Mahabharata. Itihāsa is a narrative of
past events (purāvṛtta) which includes teachings on the
goals of human life. According to Hindu tradition, the
Ramayana takes place during a period of time known as
Treta Yuga.
In its extant form, Valmiki's Ramayana is an impressive
poem of some 50,000 lines. The text survives in several
thousand partial and complete manuscripts, the oldest of
which is a palm-leaf manuscript found in Nepal and dated
to the 11th century CE. The text has several regional
renderings, recensions and subrecensions. Textual scholar
Robert P. Goldman differentiates two major regional
recensions: the northern (N) and the southern (S).Scholar
Romesh Chunder Dutt writes that "the Ramayana, like the
Mahabharata, is a growth of centuries, but the main story
is more definitely the creation of one mind."
Famous retellings include the Ramayanam of Kamban in Tamil
(ca. 11th12th century), the Saptakanda Ramayana of
Madhava Kandali in Assamese (ca. 14th century), Shri Rama
Panchali or Krittivasi Ramayan by Krittibas Ojha in
Bengali (ca. 15th century),Bhavarth Ramayan by sant Eknath
in Marathi, which is spoken in Maharashtra (ca. 16th
century), Ramcharitamanas by Tulsidas in Awadhi, which is
an eastern form of Hindi (c. 16th century) and Adhyatma
Ramayanam Kilippattu by Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan in
Malayalam). |
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Characters of Ramayana |
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Rama
Rama is one of the protagonists of the tale. Portrayed as the
seventh avatar of the God Vishnu, he is the eldest and favourite
son of the King of Ayodhya (current day Ayodhya, India),
Dasharatha, and his Queen Kausalya. He is represented as the
essence of virtue. Dasharatha is forced by Kaikeyi, one of his
wives, to command Rama to relinquish his right to the throne for
fourteen years and go into exile.
Sita
Sita is one of the characters and the beloved wife of Rama and
the daughter of king Janaka. Sita is the avatar of Goddess
Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.Rama went to Mithila (current day
Janakpur, Nepal), and got a chance to marry her by lifting a
heavy Bow in a competition organised by King Janaka. The
competition was to find the most suitable husband for Sita and
many princes from different states competed to win her. Sita is
portrayed as the epitome of female purity and virtue. She
follows her husband into exile and is kidnapped by Ravana. She
is imprisoned on the island of Lanka until Rama releases her by
defeating the demon king Ravana. Later, she gives birth to Lava
and
Kusha, the heirs of Rama.
Lakshmana
Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama, who chose to go into
exile with him. He is the son of King Dasaratha and Queen
Sumitra, and twin of Shatrughna. Lakshmana is portrayed as an
avatar of the Shesha, the nāga associated with the God Vishnu.
He spends his time protecting Sita and Rama during which he
fought the demoness Surpanakha. He is forced to leave Sita, who
was deceived by the demon Maricha into believing that Rama was
in trouble. Sita is kidnaped by Ravana upon him leaving her. He
was married to Sita's younger sister Urmila.
Hanuman
Hanuman is a vanara who belongs to the kingdom of Kishkindha. In
some versions, (other than Valmiki's) he is represented as the
eleventh avatar of God Shiva and an idyllic bhakta of Rama. He
is born as the son of Kesari, a vanara king, and the Goddess
Anjana. He plays an important part in locating Sita and in the
ensuing battle. He is believed to live until our modern world.
Ravana
Ravana, a rakshasa, is the king of Lanka (current day Sri
Lanka). After performing cruel penance for ten thousand years he
received a boon from the creator-God Brahma: he could henceforth
not be killed by Gods, demons, or spirits. He is portrayed as a
powerful demon king who disturbs the penances of Rishis. Vishnu
personified as the human Rama to defeat him, thus circumventing
the boon given by Brahma.
Jatayu
Jatayu, the son of Aruṇa and nephew of Garuda. A demi-god who
has the form of a vulture that tries to save Sita from Ravana.
Jatayu fought bravely with Ravana, but as Jatayu was very old,
Ravana soon got the better of him. As Rama and Lakshmana chanced
upon the suffering and dying Jatayu in their search for Sita, he
informs them the direction in which Ravana had gone.
Bharata
Bharata is the son of Dasharatha and Queen Kaikeyi. When he
learns that his mother Kaikeyi had forced Rama into exile and
caused Dasharatha to die brokenhearted, he storms out of the
palace and goes in search of Rama in the forest. When Rama
declines to return from his exile to assume the throne, Bharata
obtains Rama's sandals, and places them on the throne as a sign
that Rama is the true king. Bharata then rules Ayodhya as the
regent of Rama for the next fourteen years. He was married to
Mandavi.
Satrughna
Satrughna is the son of Dasharatha and his third wife Queen
Sumitra. He is the youngest brother of Rama and also the twin
brother of Lakshmana. He was married to Shrutakirti.
Dasharatha
Dasharatha is the king of Ayodhya and the father of Rama. He has
three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra, and three other
sons: Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Kaikeyi, Dasharatha's
favourite queen, forces him to make his son Bharata crown prince
and send Rama into exile. Dasharatha dies heartbroken after Rama
goes into exile.
Vibhishana
Vibhishana, a younger brother of Ravana. He was against the
kidnapping of Sita, and joined the forces of Rama when Ravana
declines to return her. His intricate knowledge of Lanka was
vital in the war, and he was crowned king after the fall of
Ravana.
Sugriva
Sugriva, a vanara king who helped Rama regain Sita from Ravana.
He had an agreement with Rama through which Baali Sugriva's
brother and king of Kishkindha-would be killed by Rama in
exchange for Sugriva's help in finding Sita.At last sugriva
ascends the throne of Kishkindha after the slaying of Baali, and
fulfils his promise by putting the Vanara forces at Rama's
disposal.
Indrajit
Indrajit, a son of Ravana who defeated Lakshmana twice in battle
before surrendering to him the third time. He is skilled in the
magical arts, he coupled his supreme fighting skills with
various tricks to inflict heavy losses on the Vanara army before
his death.
Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna, a brother of Ravana, well-known for his eating and
sleeping. He would sleep for months at a time and would be very
hungry upon waking up, consuming anything set before him. His
monstrous size and loyalty made him an important part of
Ravana's army. During the war, he destroyed the Vanara army
before Rama cut off his limbs and head.
Surpanakha
Surpanakha, Ravana's demoness sister who fell in love with Rama,
and had the magical power to take any form she wanted. |
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Influence on culture and art |
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The
Ramayana has a deep impact on art and culture in the Indian
subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The story accompanied in the
tradition of the next thousand years of massive-scale works in
the rich diction of royal courts and Hindu temples. It has also
inspired much secondary literature in various languages,
especially the Kambaramayanam by the Tamil poet Kambar of the
12th century, the Telugu-language Molla Ramayana, 14th century
Kannada poet Narahari's Torave Ramayana, and 15th century
Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha's Krittivasi Ramayan, as well as the
16th century Awadhi version, Ramacharitamanas, written by
Tulsidas.
The Ramayana became popular in Southeast Asia during the 8th
century and was symbolized in literature, dance, theatre and
temple architecture. Today, dramatic performances of the story
of Ramayana, known as Ramlila, take place all across India and
in many places across the globe within the Indian diaspora. |
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