Ramayana: Ancient Indian Epic

[A chauhan]

BTW Bali (Vali) was the greatest coward in the history of wars !

 

[Cliff@sea]

How about a AMT one ?

Makes much more sense here . .

 

[Oracle]

This page is too long for me to start from the beginning. I know Ravana was Brahmin, but could someone please tell me the ethnicity of Ravana?

The same for Ram too. Thank you very much.

 

[mayankkrishna]

Ravana decended from aryan blood from paternal side, while his mother was a rakshasa. His father was a aryan brahmin, bieng corrupted, he was deposed from the aryan land. He married to to a rakshasa woman. Thus he inherited his deep quest for knowledge.

 

[srikanth]

I read somewhere that Rakshasas were actually Dravidians. Is this true?

 

[ani82v]

I read somewhere that Rakshasas were actually Dravidians. Is this true?

Yes, All those who have written this were actually present there and have seen all the action with their own eyes.

 

[here2where]

watching the final episode of 'uttar ramayan' and seeing Sita return to Mother Earth unable to bear any more insults on her character due to her indecisive and flawed-personality husband Ram. Considering Ram is considered 'maryada purush', its revealing he abandons his wife on the words of a few idiots of his kingdom. A great pointer to all rulers everywhere - preach democracy but do not practice it to the T - hear everyone's opinion but form your own opinion even if all earthly forces go against you.

Above are my random thoughts. No intention on insulting any Ram-bhakhts here.

 

[A chauhan]

watching the final episode of 'uttar ramayan' and seeing Sita return to Mother Earth unable to bear any more insults on her character due to her indecisive and flawed-personality husband Ram. Considering Ram is considered 'maryada purush', its revealing he abandons his wife on the words of a few idiots of his kingdom. A great pointer to all rulers everywhere - preach democracy but do not practice it to the T - hear everyone's opinion but form your own opinion even if all earthly forces go against you.

Above are my random thoughts. No intention on insulting any Ram-bhakhts here.

Old days' Kingdoms were not like modern ones, they had Maharani status. Imagine a Maharani who has been charged with weak character ? Such a state can't flourish. That's why Bhagwan Ram and Sita together decided to do so, so that many teachings should reach to the public.

 

[Dovah]

watching the final episode of 'uttar ramayan' and seeing Sita return to Mother Earth unable to bear any more insults on her character due to her indecisive and flawed-personality husband Ram. Considering Ram is considered 'maryada purush', its revealing he abandons his wife on the words of a few idiots of his kingdom. A great pointer to all rulers everywhere - preach democracy but do not practice it to the T - hear everyone's opinion but form your own opinion even if all earthly forces go against you.

Above are my random thoughts. No intention on insulting any Ram-bhakhts here.

That was the literally whole point of it though. Because he is a king, he has to follow his dharma as one. You can not change rules when it gets personal.

A great pointer to all rulers everywhere - preach democracy but do not practice it to the T

This is the weirdest take I have encountered on the matter.

 

[nrj]

That was the literally whole point of it though. Because he is a king, he has to follow his dharma as one. You can not change rules when it gets personal.

But what is Dharma ?

 

[here2where]

. Imagine a Maharani who has been charged with weak character ? Such a state can't flourish.

Its popularly interpreted that Ram got influenced by a lowly dhobi's words on Sita, that he heard while going around the kingdom in disguise. How many people need to 'certify' on one's 'character'? How much is sufficient? As is rightly said, you can't satisfy everyone and keep everyone happy all the time. Sita's virtue was of no one's business except Ram's. Ram's flaw was he gave more importance to Rajdharm (praja's well-being) than his husbandly duty.

That's why Bhagwan Ram and Sita together decided to do so, so that many teachings should reach to the public.

Sita literally got fed up of Ram's vacillating indecisive nature and took refuge back inside Mother Earth (she came out of Earth) to find some peace of mind. At the end she abandoned Ram unable to take any more insults.

 

[Dovah]

But what is Dharma ?

From the story standpoint, it was the set of rules that dictate one's conduct based on one's station/occupation in life.
1. Ram leaves his kingdom because of his father's promise: Son's dharma.
2. Fights an immortal demon for his wife: Husband's dharma.
3. Leaves his wife over rules that exist in the kingdom at that time: King's dharma.
It is a device. An exact definition is not needed, imo.

 

[indiatester]

watching the final episode of 'uttar ramayan' and seeing Sita return to Mother Earth unable to bear any more insults on her character due to her indecisive and flawed-personality husband Ram. Considering Ram is considered 'maryada purush', its revealing he abandons his wife on the words of a few idiots of his kingdom. A great pointer to all rulers everywhere - preach democracy but do not practice it to the T - hear everyone's opinion but form your own opinion even if all earthly forces go against you.

Above are my random thoughts. No intention on insulting any Ram-bhakhts here.

Felt exactly the same. But I read Ramayana not the tv series. I had the same feeling when she was asked to go through agni pareeksha too. My stomach felt empty for a while.

 

[LurkerBaba]

It is a device. An exact definition is not needed, imo.

Dharma is an untranslatable. Status similar to Logos in Greek philosophy

 

[Aghore_King]

watching the final episode of 'uttar ramayan' and seeing Sita return to Mother Earth unable to bear any more insults on her character due to her indecisive and flawed-personality husband Ram. Considering Ram is considered 'maryada purush', its revealing he abandons his wife on the words of a few idiots of his kingdom. A great pointer to all rulers everywhere - preach democracy but do not practice it to the T - hear everyone's opinion but form your own opinion even if all earthly forces go against you.

Above are my random thoughts. No intention on insulting any Ram-bhakhts here.

You do realise that story isn't part of original valmiki and tulsidas ramayan, in all probability added later to distort the epic..

 

[nrj]

From the story standpoint, it was the set of rules that dictate one's conduct based on one's station/occupation in life.
1. Ram leaves his kingdom because of his father's promise: Son's dharma.
2. Fights an immortal demon for his wife: Husband's dharma.
3. Leaves his wife over rules that exist in the kingdom at that time: King's dharma.
It is a device. An exact definition is not needed, imo.

King is supposed to be wise or 'dharmic' ? He left his wife because some people said she was 'impure' ? That ain't dharma, but lack of wisdom or proper helplessness.

Problem is that, its a story afterall; it has lot of cracks.

 

[Dovah]

King is supposed to be wise or 'dharmic' ? He left his wife because some people said she was 'impure' ? That ain't dharma, but lack of wisdom or proper helplessness.

Problem is that, its a story afterall; it has lot of cracks.

There is wisdom in upholding dharma. A king that modifies rules on the fly based on his personal feelings is not wise, but selfish. In the story, it was illustrated with the agnipareeksha dilemma. This is not a crack in the tale, but the point of it; consistent with the moral of the story since the beginning.

 

[nrj]

Sita literally got fed up of Ram's vacillating indecisive nature and took refuge back inside Mother Earth (she came out of Earth) to find some peace of mind. At the end she abandoned Ram unable to take any more insults.

No Sir. It was because of the curse she got from those parrots in childhood, not because of Rama

 

[LurkerBaba]

Also, Ramayana unlike Mahabharata is set in "Treta Yug". Hence the emphasis on romanticized morals vs logic/realpolitik

 

[here2where]

You do realise that story isn't part of original valmiki and tulsidas ramayan, in all probability added later to distort the epic..

It is very much part of Valmiki Ramayan (Tulsi Ramayan ends with Ram's victorious return to Ayodya after Ravan-dahan). Valmiki himself brings Sita and her two sons back to palace for her final agni-pariksha as demanded by Ram, and instead, realising Ram will never be satisfied about her 'purity', she chooses to go back to Mother Earth and end her trials once and for all.

What does Sita really say in Valmiki’s Ramayana?

Every act of translation encodes something political, and, regardless of whether we are even aware of it, all translators are political commentators.

caravanmagazine.in

Reason why Lord Rama asked Sita to go through Agni Pariksha?

www.speakingtree.in