Ramayana

Puranas   Mahabharata   Bhagavad Gita   Ramayana

300 BC

The Ramayana is the shorter of the two great epic poems of India. The Sanskrit meaning of Ramayana is “Story of Rama” and indeed this poem tells the story of the supremely gifted warrior and much loved Rama, obedient son of King Dasaratha, devoted husband of Sita and faithful brother of Laksmana. The Ramayana was composed around 300 BC by the poet Valmiki and later revised into its best known form by the poet Tulsi Das (1532-1623). It is 24,000 couplets long and is divided into seven books. The epic influenced many literatures in Southeast Asia and its principal characters are still worshipped in India.

Rama is considered to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu (the preserver) and tales of his adventures demonstrate the ideal human life on earth. In the Ramayana, Rama slays many demons and warriors, as well as, the evil King Ravana. He inherits his father’s throne, yet is banished to the forest. His wife is kidnapped and he rescues her, yet doubt arises as to whether she has been faithful to her husband. By then Rama’s exile is over and he takes over as King. His kingdom still question’s Sita’s innocence and Rama banishes her to a remote forest. She proves her innocence by being swallowed up into the Earth. Overwhelmed by his mistaken judgement about his wife, Rama relinquishes his throne and returns to the realm of the Gods. In the end, Rama’s actions reestablish moral law and order.

During the epic period, one of the most significant ideas emphasized is the rule of dharma – the concept that harmony is achieved by right action while performing one’s duty in life. The importance of the Ramayana in the history of yoga is its emphasis on moral values or what is known in yoga as the yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances). In addition, the epic serves as a guide for Karma-yoga, the yoga of action, even though it favors wisdom (vidya) over action as the ultimate means to Self-realization.

Study Guide Questions and Personal Reflections

1. How do you feel about the role of dharma in today’s world that we live in? Is it as important? Should it be?

Vocabulary

• yuga
• jnana
• bhakti
• karma
• viveka
• vairagya
• moksha
• dharma
• Hinduism