Ramayana and Mahabharata

Epic Literatures
The Vedic literature was vast and varied. It contained the highest
spiritual thought of the seers and sages. It was understood only by the
learned.

But it was impossible for common people to know of the deeper

philosophies of the Vedas, Upanishads and Aranyakas, etc.

The seers realised this. In their desire to carry knowledge to the people
at large, they, therefore, composed the two great epics in later times.
The two epics were The RAMAYANA and The MAHABHARATA. The
epics were written during the later half of the second millennium and
the first half of the first millennium before the Christian Era.

Ramayana:
Ramayana was the work of Valmiki. It contains 24 thousand slokas
and is divided into ten parts. According to Valmiki himself, he wanted
to carry the essence of the lessons of the Vedas to the common people
by singing the virtuous deeds of Ramachandra.

Ramayana describes the life of Rama, the eldest son of the king of
Ayodhya, Dasaratha. When the old king Dasaratha wanted to place
Rama, the crown prince, on throne, Rama decided to go to forest for
fourteen years in order to fulfill his fathers promise to his second
queen Kaikeyee to keep her request at right time and Kaikeyee
demanded the banishment of Rama to forest so that her son Bharata
could seat on the throne; death of king Dasaratha in extreme sorrow
for Ramas departure; Rama accompanied by his devoted wife Sita and
younger brother Laxman went away to forest; a shocked Bharata went
to bring Rama back, but on Ramas refusal he brought his foot-wear to
place on throne and to rule the country on behalf of his elder brother;
departure of Rama from Chitrakuta to Dandakaranya and stay there in
a hut at Panchavati forest; abduction of Sita by the demon king of
Lanka, Ravana; constructing a bridge over sea, Ramas invasion of
Lanka; rescue of Sita after destruction of the demons; after fourteen
years of exile, return of Rama, Sita and Laxman to Ayodhya; Ramas
paternal administration of his people; the suspicion expressed by a
subject about the chastity of Sita while in Ravanas custody; on report
of the matter to Rama by a spy, Ramas order to Laxman to abandon
Sita in a forest even though she was pregnant; Sitas stay in Valinikis
Tapovan where her two sons Kusha and Lava were born; taught and
trained by Valmiki-, the royal sons grew up as heroic boys; visit of
Valmiki to Ayodhya with Kusha and Lava; Kusha and Lavas
melodious song of Valmikis Ramayana before the assembled
gathering; on demands of all Sitas return; in order to prove her purity
before all, her prayer to mother earth to take her back and her
disappearance when the earth split to absorb her; and at last, giving
Koshala to Kusha and North Koshala to Lava to rule as kings ; Ramas
abandonment of his mortal body in the river Saraju. This is the
substance of the great epic Ramayana.

Valmiki described every episode of Ramas life in great details. Side by

side he added many instructive stories to give the epic a vast shape.
The purpose was to keep mankind on a virtuous path. This epic has
influenced and regulated the Indian way of life like a social and moral
constitution. Ramayan depicts the values of truthfulness, morality and
nobility as supreme ideals of life.

It also reflects the spirit of that time, the spirit of the people, the
nature of ideal monarchy, patriotism towards motherland and human
relations in perfect form. For thousands of years, the people of India
have derived inspirations from the lessons of the Ramayana to live a
nobler and higher life.

Mahabharata:
Great and glorious is the land of Bharata. To describe the deeds of the
dynasty of Bharata that Vyasa wrote The Mahabharata. No where on
earth is to be seen such a lengthy poetic-work as the Mahabharata. It
contains one lakh ten thousand slokas.
Mahabharata was viewed in those days as a (religious) text of History.
According to some authorities, the essence of different philosophies of
the Vedas and Upanishads were presented in shape of interesting
themes, episodes and stories for the understanding of the common
people. As a store-house of knowledge Vyasas Mahabharata has
influenced the Indian thought through centuries of time. Man and
woman, the old and the young, the learned and the illiterate, all
sections of people of the Indian sub-continent knew the theme of
Mahabharata since time immemorial.

Vyasas Mahabharata begins with the story of the rule of the kings of
the Lunar Dynasty at Hastinapur. A virtuous monarch of that
dynasty named Santanu had a son named Bhishma, who was ever
truthful and ever valorous. King Santanu had two other sons from his
another queen named Satyabati. They were Bichitrabirya and
Chitrangada. True to his vow Bhishma did not accept the throne after
the death of his father and remained a bachelor for life. The kingdom,
therefore, was ruled by Bichitrabirya.

This king had two sons named Dhrutarastra and Pandu. Since the
elder Dhrutarastra was blind from his birth, his younger brother
Pandu ascended the throne after the death of his father. Pandu had
five sons named as Yudhisthir, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadev.
They were known as the Pandavas. On the other hand, the hundred
sons of Dhrutarastra were known as the Kauravas as the descendants
of the former king of the dynasty named Kuru. Duryodhan was the
first among the sons of Dhrutarastra.

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After the death of king Pandu his five sons were given one portion of
the kingdom to rule. Inside a forest called Khandava, the Pandava
brothers built their capital and named it as Indraprastha. This caused
envy in the mind of the Kaurava brothers. They therefore invited the
Pandava brothers to play the game of Dice with them with bet over
victory or defeat.
Playing with trick, the Kauravas defeated the Pandava king
Yudhisthira again and again. According to the bet the defeated
brothers agreed to live the life of exiles in forests for twelve years, and
thereafter to spend one more year in disguise to escape detection.

At the end of their ordeal for thirteen years the Pandava brothers
returned and asked the Kauravas their kingdom. But the Kaurava king
Duryodhan refused to give back their territory saying that he would
not give even a particle of earth without battle. Because of this
injustice a fierce battle was fought between the Pandavas and
Kauravas in the field of Kurukshetra. Many kings of India joined either
the Kauravas or the Pandavas to take part in the war.

The field of Kurukshetra was also described as the Dharmakshetra

because it saw the eternal conflict between virtue and vice,
righteousness and wrong-doing, between the just and the unjust. At
the end of the battle it was seen that all the Kaurava brothers were
dead along with most of their supporters. The Pandava side also lost
many relations, including Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, the greatest
warrior of the battle.

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Winning victory in Kurukshetra battle, the Pandavas got the whole

kingdom and Yudhisthira became king. But, in deep repentance over
the death of his kith and kin and in order to do penance, Yudhisthira
left the throne in the hands of Parikshita, the son of dead Abhimanyu,
and left for the Himalayas with his four brothers and wife.

With this central theme Vyasa added many legends, traditions,

Puranic episodes, accounts of other royal dynasties, as well as
descriptions of prevailing socio-religious systems, customs and
manners, moral values, political conditions, traditions of war and
diplomacy, and faiths and beliefs of the people. The Mahabharata
described the virtues of vigour for worldly existence as well as of the
higher ideals of the life like truthfulness and righteousness. At several
places Vyasa included deeper philosophies and spiritual thoughts to
create awareness about mans divine existence.

The Indian humanity has derived from the Mahabharata much

inspirations for ages. The lessons of this great epic have enabled man
to overcome the sorrows, sufferings, distress and misfortunes in their
worldly existence. In the entire world literature there is no other work
comparable to Indias Mahabharata.

Summary

Dasharatha was the King of Ayodhya and

had three wives and four sons. Rama was the
eldest and his mother was Kaushalya.
Bharata was the son of Dasharathas second
and favorite wife, Queen Kaikeyi. The other
two were twins, Lakshmana and Shatrughna
whose mother was Sumithra. In the
neighboring city the rulers daughter was
named Sita. When it was time for Sita to
choose her bridegroom (at a ceremony called
a swayamvara) princes from all over the land
were asked to string a giant bow which no
one could lift. However, as Rama picked it up,
he not only strung the bow, he broke it.
Seeing this, Sita indicated that she had
chosen Rama as her husband by putting a
garland around his neck. Their love became a
model for the entire kingdom as they looked
over the kingdom under the watchful eye of
his father the king.
A few years later, King Dasharatha decided it
was time to give his throne to his eldest son
Rama and retire to the forest. Everyone
seemed pleased, save Queen Kaikeyi since
she wanted her son Bharata to rule. Because
of an oath Dasharatha had made to her years
before, she got the king to agree to banish
Rama for fourteen years and to crown
Bharata, even though the king pleaded with
her not to demand such a request. The
devastated King could not face Rama and it
was Queen Kaikeyi who told Rama the Kings
decree. Rama, always obedient, was content
to go into banishment in the forest. Sita and
Lakshmana accompanied him on his exile.

One day Rama and Lakshmana wounded a

rakshasas (demon) princess who tried to
seduce Rama. She returned to her brother
Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of Lanka. In
retaliation, Ravana devised a plan to abduct
Sita after hearing about her incomparable
beauty. He sent one of his demons disguised
as a magical golden deer to entice Sita. To
please her, Rama and Lakshmana went to
hunt the deer down. Before they did though,
they drew a protective circle around Sita and
told her that she would be safe for as long as
she did not step outside the circle. After
Rama and Lakshmana left, Ravana appeared
as a holy man begging alms. The moment
Sita stepped outside the circle to give him
food, Ravana grabbed her and carried her to
his kingdom in Lanka.
 Rama then sought the help of a band of
monkeys offer to help him find Sita.
Hanuman, the general of the monkey band
can fly since his father is the wind. He flew to
Lanka and, finding Sita in the grove,
comforted her and told her Rama would come
to save her soon. Ravanas men captured
Hanuman, and Ravana ordered them to wrap
Hanuman's tail in cloth and to set it on fire.
With his tail burning, Hanuman escaped and
hopped from house-top to house-top, setting
Lanka on fire. He then flew back to Rama to
tell him where Sita was.

Rama, Lakshmana and the monkey army

built a causeway from the tip of India to
Lanka and crossed over to Lanka where a
cosmic battle ensued. Rama killed several of
Ravanas brothers and eventually confronted
the ten-headed Ravana. He killed Ravana,
freed Sita and after Sita proved here purity,
they returned to Ayodhya where Bharata
returned the crown to him.

The Mahabharata is an ancient Sanskrit epic poem that tells the story of the
kingdom of Kurus. It's based on a real war that took place in the 13th or 14th
century B.C. between the Kuru and Panchala tribes of the Indian subcontinent. It
is regarded as both a historical account of Hinduism's birth and a code of ethics
for the faithful.
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

The Mahabharata, also known as the great epic of the Bharata Dynasty, is divided
into two books of more than 100,000 verses, each containing two lines or
couplets totaling more than 1.8 million words.

It is roughly 10 times as long as the Illiad, one of the most notable Western epic
poems.

The Hindu holy man Vyasa is generally credited with being the first to compile
the Mahabharata, although the entire text was assembled between the 8th and
9th centuries B.C. and the oldest portions date back to almost 400 B.C. Vyasa
himself appears several times in the Mahabharata.

SYNOPSIS OF THE MAHABHARATA

The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas or books. The primary narrative

follows the five sons of the deceased King Pandu (the Pandavas) and the 100 sons
of blind King Dhritarashtra (the Kauravas), who opposed each other in war for
possession of the ancestral Bharata kingdom on the Ganga river in north-central
India. The principal figure in the epic is the god Krishna.

Although Krishna is related to both Pandu and Dhritarashtra, he is eager to see

war occur between the two clans and considers Pandu's sons to be his human
instruments for fulfilling that end.

Leaders of both clans engage in a dice game, but the game is rigged in the
Dhritarashtras' favor and the Pandu clan lose, agreeing to spend 13 years in exile.

When the period of exile ends and the Pandu clan return, they find that their
rivals are unwilling to share power. As a result, war breaks out.

After years of violent conflict, in which both sides commit numerous atrocities
and many clan elders are killed, the Pandavas finally emerge the winners.

In the years that follow the war, the Pandavas live a life of asceticism in a forest
retreat. Krishna is slaughtered in a drunken brawl and his soul dissolves back
into the Supreme God Vishnu. When they learn of this, the Pandavas believe it
time for them to leave this world, too. They embark upon a great journey, walking
north toward heaven, where the dead of both clans will live in harmony.

Multiple subplots weave throughout the epic text, following the numerous
characters as they pursue their own agendas, wrestle with ethical dilemmas and
come into conflict with one another.
PRIMARY THEME

Much of the action in the Mahabharata is accompanied by discussion and debate

among the text's characters. The most famous sermon, Krishna's pre-war lecture
on ethics and divinity to his follower Arjuna, also known as the Bhagavad Gita, is
contained within the epic.

Several of the important ethical and theological themes of the Mahabharata are
tied together in this sermon, namely the difference between just and unjust
warfare. Krishna lays out the proper ways of attacking a foe, as well as when it is
appropriate to use certain weapons and how prisoners of war should be treated.

The importance of family and clan loyalty is another major theme.

IMPACT ON POPULAR CULTURE

The Mahabharata has had a profound influence on popular culture, especially in

India, both in ancient and modern times. It was the source of inspiration for
"Andha Yug" (in English, "The Blind Epoch"), one of the most widely produced
plays in India in the 20th century and first performed in 1955. Pratibha Ray, one
of India's most notable female writers, used the epic poem as inspiration for her
award-winning novel "Yajnaseni," first published in 1984.

The Hindu text has also inspired numerous TV shows and movies, including the
film "Mahabharat," which was the most expensive animated film ever produced
in India when it was released in 2013.

FURTHER READING

The definitive Indian version of the Mahabharata, also known as the critical
edition, was compiled over the course of nearly 50 years in the city of Pune,
ending in 1966.

Although this is considered the authoritative Hindu version in India, there are
regional variations as well, notably in Indonesia and Iran.

The first and most notable English translation appeared in the last decade of the
1890s and was compiled by the Indian scholar Kisari Mohan Ganguli. It is the
only complete English version available in the public domain, although several
condensed versions also have been published.

The ancient Indian epic poem Ramayana is one of the most important in Hindu
literature. It follows the adventures of Prince Rama as he rescues his wife Sita
from the demon king Ravana and espouses lessons in morality and faith for
Hindus the world over.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

The Ramayana is one of the longest epic poems in Hinduism, with more than
24,000 verses. Although its precise origins are unclear, the poet Valmiki is
generally credited with writing the Ramayana in the 5th century B.C.

The text is considered one of India's two major ancient epics, the other being
the Mahabharata.

SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY OF RAMAYANA

Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, is the eldest son of King Dasharatha and his wife
Kaushalya. Although Rama is his father's choice to succeed him, the king's second
wife, Kaikei, wants her own son on the throne. She schemes to send Rama and his
wife Sita into exile, where they remain for 14 years.

While living in the forest, Sita is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana, the 10-
headed ruler of Lanka. Rama pursues her, aided by his brother Lakshmana and
the mighty monkey general Hanuman. They attack Ravanas army and succeed in
killing the demon king, freeing Sita after a fierce battle and reuniting her with
Rama.

Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya and are warmly welcomed back by the citizens
of the kingdom, where they rule for many years and have two sons. Eventually,
Sita is accused of being unfaithful, and she must undergo a trial by fire to prove
her chastity.

She appeals to Mother Earth and is saved, but she vanishes into immortality.

MAJOR THEMES

Though their actions in the text, Rama and Sita come to embody the ideals of
matrimony through their devotion and love for one another. Rama inspires
loyalty among his people for his nobility, while Sita's self-sacrifice is seen as the
ultimate demonstration of chastity.

Rama's brother Lakshmana, who chose to be exiled with his sibling, embodies
familial loyalty, while Hanuman's performance on the battlefield exemplifies
bravery and nobility.
INFLUENCE ON POPULAR CULTURE

As with the Mahabharata, the Ramayana's influence spread as Hinduism

expanded throughout the Indian subcontinent in the centuries after it was
written. Rama's victory over evil is celebrated during the holiday
of Vijayadashami or Dussehra, which takes place in September or October,
depending on when it falls during the Hindu lunisolar month of Ashvin.

The folk drama Ramlila, which recounts the story of Rama and Sita, is frequently
performed during the festival, and effigies of Ravana are burned to symbolize the
destruction of evil. The Ramayana has also been a frequent subject of movies and
TV miniseries in India, as well as an inspiration to artists from ancient to
contemporary times.

FURTHER READING

With more than 24,000 verses and 50 chapters, reading the Ramayana is no
simple task. But for the Hindu faith and non-Hindus alike, the epic poem is a
classic worth reading. One of the best sources for Western readers is a translation
by Steven Knapp, a practicing American Hindu with an interest in the faith's
history and scholarship