Ramayana: In terms of content, characters, and relevance to Indian Theatrical Practice

Introduction

In the literature world, the Ramayana comes under one of the largest ancient epics. The important message of this epic is good behaviour leads the person to get higher achievements, and bad behaviour leads to their destruction. In this epic, lord Rama saves his wife from Ravana with the help of Hanuman.

Origin of Ramayana

Ramayana is an epic written in Sanskrit by the poet Valmiki, which consists of 24,000 couplets and is precise in seven books. The sages of ancient Hindus were taught by these books. It was written between 500 BCE to 100 BCE. The Original books describe the life of a hero and his expulsion from the kingdom. And then the abduction of his wife by Ravana and the rescue of her with the help of a troop of monkeys are combined into those five books and collectively became seven books. The origin of Ramayana was traced by many scholars in literature, particularly in Rigveda, and concluded that both Ramayana and Mahabharata were the final product of the lengthy process of transformation.

Characters of the Story

Dasaratha

Dasaratha was the king of Ayodhya, the son of Aja and Indumati, and he is the father of Rama. He had three wives named Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. As a whole, he had five children named Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, Shantanu and Shatrughna.

Kausalya

She is the first wife of Dasaratha, queen of Ayodhya and the mother of Rama.

Kaikeyi

Kaikeyi is the second wife of Dasaratha and the queen of Ayodhya. He had one child named Bharata.

Sumitra

She is the third wife of King Dasaratha, and she was blessed with twins named Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Rama

The hero of this epic is Rama, and he is the first son of Dasaratha. He is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is authorised to be a king and lovable by everyone in the kingdom. But he left the kingdom due to a plot.

Figure 1 The king Rama with bow and arrow

Sita

Sita is the daughter of the king of Mithila known as Janaka. She is an incarnation of purity and virtue.

Lakshmana

He is a younger brother of Rama and very much loyal to him. He left with Rama and Sita when they left the kingdom for the forest.

Bharata

He is the second son of Dasaratha, and he is also very much lovable to Rama. When Rama refused to come back to accept the throne, he took Rama’s sandals and put them on the throne as a king.

Ravana

Ravana is the king of Sri Lanka with 10 heads and 20 arms. He is a devotee of Lord Shiva. By doing penance for 10,000 years, he got a boon from Brahma that he cannot be killed by all creatures created by god except humans. After achieving that, he starts to disturb Hindu sages.

Hanuman

In the battle of Rama with Ravana to rescue his wife, Hanuman helps Rama, as he is a devotee of Rama.

Hanuman showing Rama and Sita in his heart

The story of Ramayana

• The king of Ayodhya, Dasaratha had three wives, and he got a boon by doing fire sacrifice, and then he had children. As Viswamithra asked for the help of Rama, he and Lakshmana went to the forest and defeated the demon Tadaka. After that, they went to Mithila and there he strung a bow, which is not able to be done by many kings. For this, he married queen Sita.

• After their marriage, Dasaratha decides to give his throne to Rama. But Kaikeyi wants his son Bharata to take the throne. So she used her two boons. According to that, Rama went to the forest for 14 years and Bharata took the throne. But

• Bharata wants Rama to come back and take the throne, but he refuses to do so. So he took Rama’s sandals and placed them on the throne as a king.

• Ravana sent Marreecha as a dear and diverted Rama and Lakshmana to abduct Sita. Rama and Lakshmana seek Sugriva’s help to find Sita. He helped them with one condition and Rama was done with it. The King of monkeys sent the chief Hanuman for help.

• Hanuman went to Lanka in favour of Rama to free Sita, but he refused to do so. With the help of troops, Rama fought with Ravana and succeeded after a long period.

• After 14 years they went back and Rama became the king of Ayodhya.

Ramayana is a mirror of the social life of ancient India

• The story of Ramayana makes religious, cultural, and philosophical impulses in human life. The ideologies of these epics makes an influence on our day-to-day life. This epic tells us about all good characteristics such as obedience, faithfulness, truth, sincerity etc.

• According to Sri Aurobindo, it is the unmeasurable power that moulds the cultural mind of India. Each character in this epic portrays morality. In this way, Ramayana becomes a mirror of social life.

Objectives of the study

This epic aims to lead every life on earth to follow a righteous path. Being truthful never fails. The victory of good over bad is assured.

Conclusion

Rama, the king of Ayodhya, saves his wife from Ravana with the help of Lakshmana and returns to his kingdom and takes his throne. Truth is victory. Even when confronted with insurmountable odds and a formidable opponent like Ravana, Lord Rama stood firm and defeated the odds. The most important life lesson to take away from the Ramayana is that truth always triumphs and the triumph of good over evil is unavoidable-never give up hope.

FAQs

Q1. What is the reflection of Ramayana?

Ans. Ramayana reflects truthfulness and loyalty in the culture of Hinduism.

Q2. What are the qualities of Sita?

Ans. Queen Sita is a symbol of purity, courage, loyalty, sacrifice, and dedication.

Q3. What was the curse given to Ravana?

Ans. King Anaranya gives him a curse that Lord Vishnu kills him by giving birth as a king of Ayodhya.