Historical Context of The Ramayana

 

Historical Context of The Ramayana

As a religious text, the Ramayana provides a basis for understanding the guiding principles of Hinduism. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, and the three most important deities are Shiva, the destroyer of evil; Brahma, the creator; and Vishnu, the protector. It's these gods that orchestrate Rama's victory over Ravana. The Ramayana also hinges on the logic of Dharma, which refers to a universal order, practical morality, and the correct way of living. The laws of Dharma govern why, for instance, Rama must abide by his father's decision to banish him; had Rama allowed himself to be crowned, he would've upset both his own Dharma and that of his father.

Valmiki is celebrated as the first Sanskrit poet. The Mahabharata, another ancient epic, was written by the sage Vyāsa around the same time. Together, these two epic poems form the Itihāsa (translated as "history") of the Hindu religion. The Ramayana has remained an endless source of inspiration for Southeast Asian authors and artists; some version of the Ramayana exists in every Southeast Asian country, and in some cases has been adapted to fit the guiding principles of either the Jain or Buddhist religions.

Valmiki- The First Poet

The First Poet. Valmiki is credited with inventing the shloka meter of verse poetry, the most common meter in classical Sanskrit poetry. Legend has it that he uttered the first shloka in grief and anger when he saw someone suddenly shoot a mating duck. Valmiki's Ramayana states that Rama fondled a squirrel in thanks for his help building the bridge to Lanka. The path of Rama's three fingers formed the three white stripes that run down the backs of Indian palm squirrels.

Kamban's poem begins by describing the land of Kosala, where the story takes place. He describes the people at work on the land and the animals that live among them. The capital city, Ayodhya, is a fabulous city ruled over by King Dasaratha. Though Dasaratha is a compassionate and well-loved king, he laments that he's childless. One day, he tells his mentor that he has no sons to succeed him and asks him for help.

The mentor remembers his vision in which all the gods appealed to Vishnu for help in defeating Ravana. The gods explained to Vishnu that they'd promised Ravana extraordinary powers, but Ravana is now using the powers for evil. Neither the gods Brahma nor Shiva can help, as they gave Ravana his powers in the first place. Vishnu promises to reincarnate himself as the human son of Dasaratha, since Ravana never asked a human for help and can therefore be killed by a human. Shiva explains that his conch, wheel, and serpent will also reincarnate as his brothers, and all other gods will reincarnate as monkeys since Ravana is cursed to be destroyed by a monkey.

The mentor keeps the memory of his vision to himself but instructs Dasaratha to arrange for the sage Rishya Sringa to perform a sacrifice. The mentor explains that this sage will be difficult to fetch, as he currently lives at the court of Agna in luxury. Dasaratha invites the sage to Ayodhya, where he conducts a year-long sacrifice. At the end of a year, a being emerges from a sacrificial fire carrying a plate of rice. The being places it at Dasaratha's feet and returns to the fire.