The Ramayana is an Indian myth used to explain the concept of dharma. Dharma is very important in Indian culture and most of the characters in The Ramayana either accept their dharma or deny it. The myth can be broken up into three parts the separation, initiation and return. The story also shows all four functions of a myth. First, lets find out what the real meaning of Dharma is and how it is portrayed in The Ramayana.
Dharma is defined as “the religious and moral duties of an individual; duties vary according to class, occupation, gender or age;” according to slide five of The Ramayana lecture PowerPoint. It is also one of the four main principles that guide individuals in their Hindu beliefs. It is important to think of Dharma as a way of life. One must always fulfill one's duties, live by society's laws, and always behave appropriately according to one's station in life, by doing this an individual is earning merit for their next life as reincarnation is one of the other main principles in Hinduism. The moral focus in The Ramayana is dharma and the story is used to teach people about dharma.
Many of the characters in The Ramayana try to uphold their dharma. The Hero of the story Rama tries to uphold his dharma by being a good son to his parents by following his father’s wishes even after his death, and a good husband to his wife by never stopping to look for her until he avenges her capture. Joseph Campbell states in the hero’s adventure that “A hero properly is
The epic poems, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Gita developed Hindu values. Ramayana is a love and adventure story between Sita and her
In Hinduism, dharma is defined as someone’s social duty, or their obligation to their society that is dictated at birth. Dharma in Buddhism describe the right way, or the teachings and ways of Buddha in order to reach Nirvana.
Rama and Achilles were seen as a Hindu and a Homeric hero respectively. The idea of heroism in Hindu culture is markedly different to Homeric ones. The stories of the Ramayana and the Iliad influence society a lot, as both characters are considered as heroes. Rama is heroic in Indian culture because he obeys his father and loyal to dharma. This is associated with the beliefs of the ancient Indian culture at that time. Hindu heroes must follow Dharma and have an ideal model behavior in
We will start with the main character of the book Rama. Rama has many karma events that happens throughout the book, one being that he followed the golden deer into the woods even thought his brother Lakshmana told him not to and the result was that his wife was kidnapped. He was not there to help her because he was following the golden deer ( pg ). Another example of karma in Rama’s life is when he killed, Vila, the brother of and at the time the monkey ruler because of this Rama was able to have an army of monkey help him search for his wife ( pg ). A final example in Rama’s life is when
In the George Lucas film, the creator of Star Wars, has very strong Hindu beliefs. Similar to Hinduism affecting our lives, so has it affected his to an extent, which can also be seen by the fact that he has incorporated Hindu themes throughout the Star Wars film. This essay will explain, through different examples, the way Lucas has pushed Hinduism into this movie. In the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, it seems to portray some type of Hinduism in the first parts. Moreover, In the scene when Luke Skywalker goes to find Yoda. As he arrives, Skywalker finds himself in a swamp or forest, trying to find an old and wise master Yoda to learn the ways of the force. Later in that scene Luke gets a vision that his friends are in great danger. Luke then prepares to departure to go save his friends. Yoda persuades him not to go by saying that he must finish his training first because it is more important. This specifies on the Hindu concept of job over blood. The duty over blood lesson can be looked as examples in readings found in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna tells Arjuna to battle his cousin in spite of his emotions for them, it is his job to do so.
Heroes are not in it for themselves, they are guided by what they think is right. To be a hero, one needs to be selfless, courageous and strong. They need selflessness to be humble and put others needs before their own. These qualities truly show the real heroes in both literature and in today’s world.
Without the concept of dharma there is no Hinduism. Following ones dharma is to maintain the well being of oneself and others, and to depart from it leads to misdirection and ruin. Dharma in Hinduism is thought of as being an individual’s duty to themselves and their society in both a faith and societal obligation context. Three of Ninian Smart’s dimensions where dharma is most relevant are the ethical, social and mythological dimensions. Dharma details how a follower of Hinduism should go about their life and so relates to the ethical dimension, it describes the interconnection of Hindu society which pertains to the social dimension, and lastly is a central theme to nearly all epics present in Hindu thus representing the mythological dimension. Where dharma is expressed within these dimensions individually it also serves as a pillar to which the three facets are connected.
Another key concept of Hinduism is that every individual is responsible for his or her own solution. This idea is mainly connected with the terms Karma and Dharma. Karma is this principle where actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. Karma is what feeds samsara, or your rebirth. If you have karma, good or bad, that is unresolved when you die you will be reborn again. As said before, the main purpose of life on earth for Hindu’s is to break this cycle of time and receive moksha, so every individual is responsible for taking care of his or her own karma. Dharma works oppositely, as it only brings you closer moksha faster. Dharma is one’s duty or course of conduct. Following your dharma without any personal agenda will bring you closer to your purpose in life.
“Dharma is knowledge prominently directed to the achievement of desired happiness here (i.e. in this life) and hereafter by means of appropriate actions”. (Khan, Benjamin. The Concept of Dharma in Valmiki) Rama and Krishna have been set as perfect exemplars of Dharma in the texts of Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively. They are considered to be the reincarnations of God Visnu, a Supreme Being, and supposedly lived their lives according to the Dharmic (or right) way of life. However, the stories of Rama and Krishna in the texts include some of their actions, which are questionable to the act of Dharma. This may lead one to question Ram and Krishna as true exemplars of Dharma.
Dharma is the duty that people must fulfill in order to achieve their life’s purpose. In the Hindu religion, it is what guides the followers’ life choices and actions. Only the utmost just decisions and choices will lead down the path of obtaining dharma. At first glance, the Indian epic, The Ramayana, is a love story about a prince who is banished to the forest and an evil creature subsequently kidnaps his wife. However, it serves a much greater purpose in the Hindu culture. The Ramayana serves as a guide to living a life of moral righteousness. Rama and Sita are role models of how men and women should interact with each other and with society. There is multiple times throughout the epic that Rama faces morally difficult decisions that he flawlessly surpasses, a feat that his human peers surely would not have had the mental strength to accomplish. Rama is the supreme example of how to live a moral life. Rama’s dharma is to destroy evil, and throughout the book the difficult choices he makes and the heroic actions her performs are what guide him in his quest to fulfill his duty. Other characters in the epic, such as Ravana, are faced with the same moral dilemmas and chose incorrectly, which ultimately lead to their demise. Rama’s profound greatness is a result of his ability to place dharma above all other humanly desires and personal interests.
Dharma is a central term mentioned to greatly in the Buddhist text, its meaning refers to the teachings of Buddha and the
The original The Ramayana is a great epic that has stood the test of time, and has been influential yet controversial throughout history. R.K Narayan’s version has been the same; his composition of stories adds another layer to the already plentiful themes, leaving the reader satisfied with his brilliant description and insight. Through Narayan’s constant comparison that parallels Rama to a perfect specimen, he is demonstrating a “Straw Man” argument. Its effect illuminates Rama’s flaws rather than his seemingly perfect composure. Narayan consciously chooses moments at Rama’s darkest hours to transform him into the relatable human figure he was meant to become.
The Ramayana focuses more on the need to obey and respect each other and one’s rightful duties. These dharmic beliefs focus on relationships. Lord Ram must obey his father, King Dasaratha, in his decision to take away his inheritance of the throne and must respect that decision. Although no one except for the new king, Bharata‘s, mother wanted him to leave and convinced the King that he must fulfil his oath he made to her many years ago. Rama strove to be the perfect son thus fulfilling his duty of obeying his father’s wishes. Even as Bharata begged him to take his place as ruler instead, Rama denied it on the basis that he had to obey his father and follow his every word.
The journey, the hero, the triumph, and the defeat are all elements that some of literatures greatest works have encaptured, such as: the Ramayana, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Mahabharata. Each of these texts depicts a hero or protagonist that is unique to their culture and although each of these heroes embark on a different journey with different purposes and goals in mind, they all display a variety of features that people of then and now can relate to. It becomes transparent that each of the journeys these heroes undertake are a lot like that of the lives of people today.
The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan's is an epic story that provides insights into many aspects of Indian culture and still today influences the politics, religion and art of modern India. He based his novel on a poem from one of India's great Sanskrit epics also called "Ramayana." He revived this ancient story and condensed it and set in modern times. This is story of adventure and friendship as well as a story of psychological insight, spiritual meaning and of wisdom. R.K. Narayan does an excellent job of portraying all these aspects throughout his novel. The meanings of The Ramayana are found through the actions and personalities of its principal characters. It is part of the sacred literature for the Hindus because