The Story of Ramayana

[Guest guest]

Hari Om!

 

The story of Ramayana is quite important because Rama the reincarnation

Vishnu in human form truely represents the perfect sage. Gandhiji was

dreaming that India should be reviewed after freedom and was keen to

establish the "Ramarajya." In Ramarajya, the king and all the people

followed the Dharma sincerely and there was peace everywhere in Ayodhya.

 

--

Ram Chandran

Burke, VA

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Abridged Story of Ramayana

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Dasharatha was the King of Kosola. He was worried about his lack of an

heir, and had a holy man perform a sacred ceremony. A Devine being

emerged from the ceremonial fire and presented the king with a magical

potion. Each of the king's three wives drink the divine nectar, and four

sons are born: to Queen Kaikeyi, Bharata; to Queen Sumita, the twins

Shatrugana and Laksmana; and to Queen Kausalya, the eldest son, Rama,

who is Vishnu reincarnated. Taught to be good warriors by their wise

Brahmin guru teacher, Rama and his brother Lakshaman are recruited to

help fight the demons who have been disturbing the forest meditations of

the rishis (Holy Ones). After many successes, the sage and the young

warriors hear of a great husband-choosing ceremony to be held by King

Janaka of Mithila.

 

The beautiful Sita (in reality, an incarnation of Vishnu's wife,

Lakshmi), was born of Mother Earth and found by King Janaka as he

ceremonially plowed the first furrow of a new planting season. Only the

greatest of the Kshatriyas (warriors) would be a fit husband for her, so

Janaka's magic bow, given to his ancestors by the gods would serve as a

measure of worthiness - the man who could draw it would be Sita's

betrothed.

 

All the great rulers of India try and fail to even lift the bow; when it

comes Rama's turn, he not only lifts, strings and draws it, but with his

divine power snaps it in two! Thus takes place a great wedding ceremony

for Rama and Sita, as well as for Rama's three brothers who marry a

sister and two cousins of Sita.

 

The brothers and their wives return to Ayoydha in triumph, and peace

and happiness continue for many years until the King decides to give up

his throne to the now wise and mature Rama. But the celebrations and

delight of the royal family and the people of Ayodhya is shattered by

the scheming of Queen Kaikeyi's evil-minded and hunch-backed maid,

Manthera, who convinces her mistress that her son, Prince Bharata should

be king.

 

Dasharatha had once granted Kaikeyi two boons (wishes) for helping him

in battle. Now at Manthera's insistence, she asks that her wished be

granted -- not only the kingdom for Bharata, but a 14-year exile for

Rama.

 

The old king is very upset at this request, but as a Kshatriya he cannot

go back on his word, though it means renouncing his son and heir. And,

as a dutiful son, Rama readily agrees to his stepmother's wishes and

agrees to uphold his dharma in spite of Lakshman's advice to "assert

yourself".

 

Both Sita and Lakshmana insist on going with Rama, so the three of them

put on simple clothing of bark and depart for the forest to begin the

14-year exile. But even as the exiles cross the sacred River Ganaga,

back in Ayodhay, King Dasharatha dies of a broken heart, thus leaving

the kingdom to Bharata and fulfilling Kaikeyi's wish and the plotting of

Manthera.

 

Bharata is also a Kshatriya. He will not defy his own dharma to take the

throne that is rightfully his elder brother's. He visits the exiles in

their hermitage to beg Rama to return and claim the throne. When Rama

refuses, Bharata takes his brother's sandals back to the throne in

Ayodhya and vows to rule in Rama's name until the period of exile ends.

For a time, the three exiled people live quietly and happily in their

simple ashram at Panchavati among the wild animals and holy men. Their

peace is interrupted by the rakshasi (demoness) Surpanakha, sister of

the demon-king Ravanna. Assuming the form of a wanton woman, she makes

an indecent proposal to Rama, insulting and threatening Sita in the

process. For this, Lakshmana cuts off her ears and nose. When Ravanna

hears what has happened to his sister, he vows revenge.

 

Accompanied by his brother Maricha, Ravanna travels to Panchavati.

Maricha appears near the ashram as a beautiful golden deer and Sita asks

Rama to capture it for her to keep as a pet. While Rama and Lakshmana

are lured away by the phony deer, Ravanna, disguised as a holy man

tempts Sita from the protection of the ashram. Assuming his true form,

he kidnaps her and carries her off to his kingdom of Lanka.

 

Realizing they have been tricked and upset at finding Sita gone when

they return, the brothers search in vain for clues of her disappearance.

Their journey eventually takes them deeper into the forests to the

south. There, they hear first from the vulture, Jatayu, who had been

mortally wounded in his attempt to rescue Sita from Ravanna. Further on,

Rama and Lakshmana strike a pact with the monkey king, Sugriva, and his

general, Hanuman. They hear of how the monkeys found Sita's jewelry

which she had dropped as a clue to her whereabouts. In return for his

aid, Rama helps Sugriva regain the throne taken from him by his evil

brother Bali, shooting the vandal in the back.

 

Recuiting their allies the bears, the monkey army, along with Rama and

Lakshmana, sets off for Lanka. Reaching the southern ocean, they realize

that only Hanuman (who is actually the son of the wind god) has the

ability to leap over to Lanka to scout the situation. He finds Sita

imprisoned in the Ashoka Grove of Ravanna's palace. So that she will

continue to resist Ravanna's demands that she become his wife, he gives

her Rama's ring as a sign that rescue is on the way. Ravanna's demon

soldiers discover Hanuman and drag him to the king. As the punishment

for spying, his tail will be set on fire. Hanuman is too clever for

them. He breaks his bonds and, with his tail on fire, sets the entire

city on fire. Returning to his companions, Hanuman directs the building

of a causeway from the subcontinent to Lanka, enabling the armies to

cross as Ravanna watches from his fortress. The battle was soon underway

and consists of many intrigues as well as much fighting. The allies,

especially Rama, kill many demons, and are joined by Ravanna's turncoat

brother Vibishana, who is brought to Rama by Hanuman ans swears his

allegiance. Meanwhile, Ravanna, still attempting to convince Sita to be

his wife, brings up the vision of Rama's severed head as proof that she

will never be rescued.

 

Rama and Lakshmana are ambushed by the serpent arrows of Ravanna's

invisible brother Indrajit, but are healed by the eagle Garuda, before

finally defeating him. Hanuman flies north to the Himalayas and brings

back a mountain of healing plants for all the wounded.

 

The final confrontation between Rama and Ravanna takes place on a

battlefield littered with shattered bodies and broken weapons. The evil

king is finally vanquished by Rama's hail of arrows, thus getting around

the blessing granted by Brahma that he could be killed by neither god

nor superhuman -- Rama was a mere human, through the god Vishnu who had

taken that form.

 

Sita is brought back to her husband, but to her surprise, he is

suspicious of her behavior during captivity -- surely no woman could

have resisted the power of Ravanna; she could not possibly have remained

faithful. Sita claims she is pure and is supported by Agni, the God of

Fire and a host of heavenly figures.

 

Rescue and reconciliation are followed by the heroic couples' return to

Ayodhya in the cloud-borne Pushpaka chariot, and joyous welcome form

Bharata and all the people of the kingdom. Their lavish coronation

ushers in the glorious and peaceful reign of Rama Rajya, an age of

happiness and prosperity for all.