Category:Hindu gods
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Category:Hindu godsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.See also Category:Hindu goddesses. Articles in category "Hindu gods"There are 49 articles in this category.
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RamaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.This article is about a Hindu incarnation of God (i.e., Vishnu) and king of ancient India, for other meanings see Rama (disambiguation).
Deities of Sri Sri Sita (far right), Rama (center), Laxmana (far left) and Hanuman (below seated) at the Bhaktivedanta Manor,
Watford England
Rama (sometimes referred to as Lord Rama and also as Shri Rama) is a Hindu incarnation of God, said to be one of the ten avatars of Vishnu. There is debate, existing mainly in the Western countries, as to whether he was a real or mythical king in ancient India. In Eastern countries, he is largely regarded as real. His life and heroic deeds are related in the Hindu Sanskrit epic the Ramayana. A great devotional work on him is the Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas, which builds on the Hindu bhakti movements of devotion and love of God. Such benevolent movements are common in cultures centred around Hinduism. The spelling and pronunciation of Rama follows the original Sanskrit; it continues to be followed in several modern languages of India. In modern Indian vernaculars, however, it is sometimes pronounced as 'Ram'. Rama is the embodiment of the absolute - Brahman. There is debate to whether Shri Rama was aware of his own divinity during his years in human form. One purpose of his incarnation was to carry out leadership by example. He exemplifies the perfect man through his proper conduct regardless of the unfavorableness of circumstance. Rama belonged to the Suryavansha (trans. Sun Dynasty, surya=sun, vansha=dynasty) and the Iksvaku lineage. The Guru of the Suryavansha elders was Vashista, the guru of Rama and his brothers was Vishwamitra. Astronomical data in the Ramayana has been interpreted to suggest that his reign would have been at approximately 2015 BC. This makes little sense, however, given that Shri Rama assumed human form in the treta yuga (see yuga for more detail). It is known that the Ramayana was written before the other great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, whose tradition of oral transmission is accepted to have existed around 1000 BC although there is little indication of when it actually begun (the writing coming much later). Thus, the Ramayana may have been documented anywhere from around 1500 BC to more conservative estimates of 500 BC. It should be noted that Indian culture has had a tradition of oral transmission of knowledge, considering it sacred and confidential. The Ramayana is a great literary work and piece of devotional and philosophical literature revered by both Hindus and individuals of other cultures. In Hinduism, Rama is regarded as the seventh avatar of God, Vishnu and worshipped together with his wife Sita and devotee Hanuman. He is the son of King Dasaratha and his queen Kausalya, making him a Prince of Ayodhya. At the instigation of Kaikeyi, another of his father's wives, he is banished to a forest. While in exile, his wife, Sita, is kidnapped by Ravana, King of the Rakshasas on Lanka. Rama, along with Hanuman, killed Ravana and rescued his wife Sita. The occasion of his victory over Ravana is celebrated every year by Hindus at Dassera (Vijaya Dashami, the day he won the battle according to the Hindu calendar). On Dassera, effigies of Ravana are burnt to commemorate the victory of good over evil. The burning of Ravana effigies symbolically represents burning the Ravana (the evil) within us. It also signifies the victory of dharma over adharma (which is similar to "good over evil" but not quite the same). Rama also killed Vali, the King of Kishkinda. He rescued Ahalya, wife of great sage Gautama, after she was cursed by her husband for having an affair with Indra. Lord Rama is seen as an ideal of Dharma and noble virtues. His wife, Sita, an incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi - consort of Shri Vishnu, exemplifies the ideal wife.
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RamayanaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.The Ramayana (Sanskrit: vehicle of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki (c.250 BC). This epic of 24,000 verses tells of a Raghuvamsa prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana. The Ramayana had an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry, primarily through its establishment of the Sloka meter. But, like its epic cousin, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just a grand epic. It contains the teachings of the ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of philosophic and devotional discourse. The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman and Ravana (the enemy of the story) are all fundamental to the grander cultural consciousness of India. The Ramayana contains seven chapters, or kandas. The Cultural heritage of India, Vol. IV, The Religions, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture, says:
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TimelineThe Ramayana is set in the Treta Yuga. Many interpret this as 8000 BC (based on astronomical data in the Ramayana). There are some who believe that it's even older. If the hypothesis that the Ramayana is a mythologized description of an Aryan invasion is correct the date would be c. 1500 BC. [edit]
SynopsisAccording to Hindu mythology, Rama is an avatara, an incarnation of Vishnu or God. The main purpose of his incarnation is to demonstrate the ideal human life on earth. Ultimately, Rama slays the rakshasa king Ravana and reestablishes the rule of religious and moral law on earth known in Hinduism as dharma. [edit]
Bala Kanda or The Book of the YouthWhen King Dasaratha of Ayodhya performs a Putrakameshti Yajna, the sacrifice for progeny, a divine being, purusha, emerges from the holy fire and offers a pot of payasam milk sweet and instructs Dasaratha to distribute the dessert to his three wives, the Queens Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi, in accordance with the status of each. However, there wasn't enough payasam for Sumitra, so Kausalya and Kaikeyi give portions of their dessert to her. As a result, Queen Kausalya gives birth to the oldest son, Rama. Bharatha is born to Queen Kaikeyi and the twins Lakshmana, and Shatrughna are born to Queen Sumitra. When the princes are young boys, the sage Vishwamitra visits King Dasaratha and asks him to send Rama and Lakshmana to protect him from demons who have been disturbing his sacrifice ritual. Reluctantly, King Dasaratha agrees, and Rama and Lakshmana are sent to live with Vishwamitra for the latter's protection. The brothers meet with many an adventure, and the sage trains them in the dharma, or path, of the prince-warrior. As the brothers fulfill their duties, the sage is pleased with them and bestows upon them various heavenly weapons. Toward the end of their stay with Vishwamitra, they receive an invitation to King Janaka's kingdom of Mithila on the occasion of his daughter Sita's Swayamvara, in which she will choose her future husband. A competition is held in which princes and heroes from numerous kingdoms vie to display their prowess and win her hand. For many years, the unwieldy divine bow Shiva Dhanush has been idle because no one was strong enough to lift it, and King Janaka challenges the suitors to bend and string it. After all the suitors fail, Rama succeeds in mastering the bow, not only effortlessly bending and stringing it, but also breaking it into two pieces. He wins the hand of Sita, and after a sumptuous wedding attended by the illustrious from both heaven and earth, he returns with her to Ayodhya. Sita is the incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi and, in her worldly form, becomes the ideal helpmate and consort to Rama. Together they live the life after which all persons on earth model their own. [edit]
Ayodhya Kanda or The Book of AyodhyaAfter some time, Dasaratha, feeling his advancing years, decides to abdicate and retire to the forest. He designates his first-born son Rama to succeed him as King of Ayodhya. Astrologers are consulted and a date is set for the coronation. Just before the fateful day, Kaikeyi, one of Dasaratha's three wives, falls under the influence of a malicious servant, Manthra, who awakens Kaikeyi's jealousy toward her co-wife, the mother of Rama. Kaikeyi goes before the king and demands to redeem the two boons he had granted her long ago after she saved his life in war by her expert charioteering. Exploiting this promise, which the helpless Dasaratha is honor-bound to fulfill, she asks for the two boons as follows:
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Aranya Kanda or The book of the ForestRama, being an obedient son, leaves for the jungle with Sita and Lakshmana, who in spite of repeated requests, decides to shun the kingdom and follow his older brother devoutly in his time of crisis. Meanwhile, Bharata returns to Ayodhya and, being also devoted to Rama, becomes furious with Kaikeyi for her malicious deeds committed in his absence. He travels to the forest and tries to persuade Rama to return to the kingdom and assume the throne. Rama politely refuses, saying that he is duty-bound to see that his father's promise is fulfilled. Reluctantly Bharata agrees to return to the kingdom, requesting Rama to present to him his sandals. He formally treats Rama's sandals as the reigning entity, and ascribes himself as the representative ruler of the rightful king Rama in his absence. Dasharatha meanwhile dies of sorrow from having to be separated from his son. The demoness Surpanakha, sister of the demon king Ravana, becomes enamored of the handsome Rama and tries to seduce him during his stay in the jungle. Rama, renowned for his practice of Ekapatnivrata, the vow to practice unassailable loyalty to one's wife, is unresponsive. But Rama's brother Lakshmana, infuriated by Surpanaka's act of willful lasciviousness, cuts off her nose. Surpanakha runs home crying to her brother Ravana. To avenge his sister's loss of nose, Ravana uses the demon Maricha to lure Rama and Lakshmana away, leaving Sita unguarded. At her moment of vulnerability, Ravana abducts Sita in his airborne vehicle, the Pushpaka Vimana. [edit]
Sundara Kanda or The book of HanumanSugriva sends his loyal follower Hanuman on a reconnaissance mission to discover the whereabouts of Sita. Hanuman flies to the island of Lanka, finds her, and returns to Rama with the news. [edit]
Yuddha Kanda or The book of the WarRama, overjoyed at the news of the welfare of Sita, sends a peacekeeping mission, which Ravana rejects. Rama prepares for war and, ably helped by his Vanara army, builds a bridge across the water. Having reached Lanka, Rama is left with the only choice of slaying Ravana, which he does to get back his wife Sita. Rama, in an act which is often debated for the ethical aspects, asks Sita to prove her celibacy through a test by fire. Sita passes the test successfully and is reunited with Rama. Rama, having finished the fourteen years in exile, gets back to Ayodhya and assumes the throne from Bharata and rules his kingdom with rigor and ensures justice for all his subjects. This period is often called Ram Rajya (The reign of Rama), a phrase often used in modern Indian society, as a metaphor for the ideal rule of law. [edit]
Uttara Kanda - (literally The Book Beyond (Ramayana)) The epilogueSometimes controversial, as it contains the story of Rama beheading a shudra named Shambuka for performing religious worship not appropriate for his varna, an act not consistent with Rama's otherwise ideal behavior. Some consider the entire Uttara Kanda to be an addition, not written by Valmiki; others explain the story by villifying Shambuka in various ways. This controversial part of the book nevertheless is not found in any original version of Ramayana. [edit]
Lessons from RamayanaRamayana illustrates
Thus Ramayana has established a code of conduct which is widely considered by Hindus to be the benchmark for posterity. [edit]
Literary Masterpieces Inspired By the RamayanaValmiki's Ramayana inspired the Sri Ramacharit Manas by Tulasidas, an epic Hindi version with a slant more grounded in a different realm of Hindu literature, that of bhakti. It is an acknowledged masterpiece of India. A similar work was done by Kamban as Kambaramayanam in Tamil. More modern ones include Shri Ramayana Darshanam by Dr.K.V.Puttappa in Kannada and Ramayana Kalpavrikshamu by Viswanatha Satyanarayana in Telugu, both of which have been awarded the Jnanpith Award. Many other Asian cultures have adapted the Ramayana, resulting in other national epics. These include the Kakawin Ramayana of Java, Indonesia, Ramakien of Thailand, to be witnessed in elaborate illustration at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in Bangkok, and the Ream Ker of Cambodia. [edit]
Historical evidenceThough it is believed that Ramayana was just an epic, there are many who believe that it really happened historically. There are many evidences that point that Ramayana might not just have been a mythology. [edit]
Sugriva's cave of HampiHampi, one of the UNESCO cultural heritage site, is home for natural caves. Amongst the ruins of vijayanagara empire is a cave known as sugriva's cave. The cave is marked by coloured markings, and the attentions of pilgrims. The place holds its similiarity to the descriptions of 'kishkinda' in Sundarakanda. Rama is said to have met Hanuman here. The place is also home for the famous Hazararama temple (temple of a thousand Ramas). [edit]
See alsoMahabharata, epic poetry, Golden age, millennialism [edit]
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