The Ramayana
Composed ca. 5th c. B.C.E. to 1st c. B.C.E. India
Attributed to Valmiki
The Ramayana (“Journey of Rama”), one of the classics of ancient Indian literature, is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 7 books dating as far back as to the 5th c. BCE with additions as late as the 2nd c. BCE. Its authorship is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki who appears in the epic as the hermit who gives Sita shelter after Rama banishes her. The Ramayana is the allegorical tale of the birth, childhood, and adult adventures of the eponymous Rama, who is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu and, along with his wife Sita, the embodiment of human virtue. The Ramayan of Valmiki is the 1870 verse translation by the 19th c. British scholar Ralph Griffith.
3.4.1 Questions to consider while reading this selection:
- How is rama the exemplum (morally upright model) of dharma?
- Consider the gender dynamics or balance of power in the Ramayana. What powers do men and women possess? how do men and women wield their powers?
- How does the story of the battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil play out? Aside from the hero and villain, who is obviously good and who is obviously evil? Are there any neutral characters? does one’s species (animal, demon, human, god) have any effect of one’s moral alignment?
- Consider the villainous ravana. How does the villain affect the narrative? Could the story address the concepts of good and evil without a specific villain?
Written by Rhonda L. Kelley
3.4.2 The Râmâyana of Valmiki
Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith, M.A.
Edited and compiled by Rhonda L. Kelley, with Griffith’s footnotes
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Book I
Bala Kanda (“The Book of the Childhood”): Summary[1]
The origins and childhood of Rama. Sita’s birth, betrothal, and marriage to Rama.
Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya, had three wives Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. Having been childless for a long time and anxious to produce an heir, he performs a fire sacrifice. As a consequence, Rama is born to Kausalya, Bharata is born to Kaikeyi, and the twins Lakshmana and Satrughna are born to Sumitra. These sons are endowed, to various degrees, with the essence of the Supreme God Vishnu; Vishnu had opted to be born into mortality to combat the demon Ravana, who was oppressing the gods, and who could only be destroyed by a mortal. During their upbringing the princes receive instructions from the Vedas (scriptures) and in warfare. When Rama is 16 years old, the sage Vishwamitra comes to the court of Dasharatha in search of help against demons who were disturbing sacrificial rites. He chooses Rama, who is followed by Lakshmana, his constant companion throughout the story. Rama and Lakshmana receive instructions and supernatural weapons from the sage and destroy the demons.
Janaka was the king of Mithila. One day, the king found a female child in the field in a deep furrow dug by his plough. King Janaka adopted the girl and named her Sita, the Sanskrit word for “furrow”. Sita