The Ramayana

The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics, that dates back to 1000 BC. The hero, Rama, lived his whole life by the rules of dharma, a religious term that means one's righteous duty or the law. The epic depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. When Rama was a young boy, he was the perfect son. Later he was an ideal husband to his faithful wife, Sita, and a responsible ruler of Aydohya. Rama is the seventh reincarnation of the god Vishnu and Sita is the reincarnation of the goddess Lakshmi. The main purpose of their incarnation was to demonstrate the ideal human life on earth. Rama and his wife Sita are the epitomes of virtue and this is why they were believed to be heroes. Rama must battle evil in order to reestablish the rule of religious and moral law on earth. R.K. Narayan's translation of The Ramayana is very manageable. It is not to heavy and he cuts out a lot of the unnecessary details. It is a quick read and an interesting story. The Ramayana is a page turner and although it was written thousands of years ago it can still be seen as relevant in today's society.

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