RAMAYANA: A TELLING OF THE ANCIENT INDIAN EPIC

1. The Boyhood of Rama

 In the land of the Kosalas, in the city of Ayodhya, there lived a king
named Dasaratha, who was unhappy because he was very old yet he had no son to
inherit the throne. His priest Vasistha performed a sacred rite to please the gods. At
the same moment many of the gods were growing more and more angry with Ravana, the
ruler of the Rakshasas or demons who had ten heads and twenty arms. He was using his
remarkable powers to prevent the gods and the holy men from performing sacred rituals.
Vishnu the protector of the universe after learning the actions of Ravana decided to be born
as a human who could kill Ravana. Vishnu sent a messenger to
King Dasaratha with Payasam (sweet made of milk and rice laced with a special potion)
with the instruction to give each of the three wives (Sumitra,  Kaikeyi, and Kausalya) the
drink. 
 And so there was great rejoicing in the city when four sons were born to their king namely; Rama,
Lakshmana, Bharata, and  Satrughna. Of these four, prince Rama, the eldest, was his father’s
favorite and Rama and Lakshmana were inseparable. It was as if they were one life in two bodies.
 When Rama had turned to 16 years old, the sage or the wise man Vishvamitra came to Ayodhya to
see the King. He asked a favor and pray that the king would allow him to take Rama with him to
protect his sacred rite because it was being interrupted by Ravana’s demons. At his request, Rama
and Lakshmana went forth with him to slay the demons for which they were rewarded with
magical weapons. They reached at the frightening forest where now lived a terrible she-
demon, Tataka which was then killed by Rama. They then left the forest and headed for Mithila to
visit King Janaka.
 King Janaka had a daughter name Sita whom he found from the furrow of his land that was being
plowed. The king possessed a wonderful bow, fit for a god. The king wanted the man who married
Sita to be a man of great strength and righteousness. To prove his strength, this man would have
to lift and string the ancient bow of Shiva. Many prince had failed.
 The bow was so heavy it took no less than five thousand exceptionally strong men to bring the
bow and it’s casing into the room. Rama approach the weapon, looked at Shiva’s bow. First he
touched it then with no effort whatsoever, he hoisted the bow from it casing and started to string
it. As he did so, the bow snapped in two and fell to the palace floor. Highly delighted the king gives
him his daughter Sita in marriage. Dasaratha was summoned, and so the marriage of Rama and
Sita was declared and they celebrated. Rama and Sita were exceedingly devoted to each other.
Rama was a sat-purusa, the ideal man.
2. The life in Ayodhya
 The king was growing older. He noticed omens suggesting his end was near. He resolved to
appoint his favorite son Rama as heir to the throne.  He told everyone about his decision. Kaikeyi, the
youngest and last of the King’s three wives, had heard of the decision and it pleased her.
But Manthara, a maid-servant, did not want Rama to be King then she spoke to Kaikeyi in secret. The
kind had once promised to grant Kaikeyi any two wishes which she had not yet asked for. Now she
made a request: First, to placed her son Bharata upon the throne of Ayodhya and second, to banish
Rama for a period of no less than fourteen years.  The king fell on his knees and begged his young wife
but as a righteous and honest man, he knew he could not go back on his word yet he was uncertain of
what to do but when Rama learned of the matter, he unhesitanty accepted the banishment. 
  Sita and Lakshmana then insisted to join him from being exiled. They cast away their royal robes
and put on the clothes of hermits. The three went off and passed from the city while all
of Ayodhya mourned.
 In time, Dasaratha lost his will to live. His heart gave out. Ayodhya mourned the loss of their king.
In a few days, Rama Lakshmana and Sita soon reached Chitrakoot. There they built a small hut
near a stream. Several days had passed. Lakshmana, while hunting in the forest heard the
pounding of a thousand horse hooves, he climbed to a tree and saw the lead horseman carrying
the flag of Ayodhya. Bharata found his brothers. Bharata embraced his brothers and cried. He asks
Rama to come back and be their king but Rama refused and said that after fourteen years then
and only he will return.
And so Bharata declared to Rama that as long as Rama is in exile, no one shall be king and he asks for
Rama’s sandals. Bharata took the sandals, mounted his horse and left the forest, went back
to Ayodhya and place Rama’s sandals on the red and gold Ayodhya throne.

3. The Grand Tormentor

Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita travel far away from Ayodhya to keep people from trying to persuade Rama
to return home. They meet sages along the way, all of who treat Rama kindly. One sage's wife gifts her
clothes and jewelry to Sita. One day, they meet the great eagle Jatayu. He explains to Rama that he was a
friend of Dasaratha, cries when hears that Dasaratha died, and swears to end his life. Jayatu promises to
stay alive until Rama returns to Ayodhya, though, and promises to protect Rama and Sita while
they're in Panchavati, where the Asuras live.
 One day, Rama sees a beautiful woman approaching their dwelling. Though she uses a fake name,
she's Soorpanaka, a demon and Ravana's sister. She tries to woo Rama and convince him to marry her,
but he refuses. Soorpanaka spends the night in agony and decides the next morning that if she can
kill Sita, Rama will love her. When Rama leaves the dwelling the next day, Soorpanaka stalks Sita and
jumps on her. Lakshmana rescues Sita and chops off Soorpanaka's nose, ears, and breasts. When Rama
returns, he tries to explain to Soorpanaka who he is, but it has no effect on her. Rama
tells Lakshmana that he can kill Soorpanaka if she won't leave.

 Soorpanaka crashes into Ravana's court and tells him what happened. She tells him that Sita is
exceptionally beautiful and Ravana should take her for himself. Ravana falls in love with the image
of Sita that Soorpanaka creates and goes to his uncle Mareecha for help. Though Mareecha is a demon,
he's trying to live a virtuous life. Ravana threatens Mareecha, and Mareecha agrees to help abduct Sita.
Mareecha turns himself into a golden deer and walks near Rama's home. Sita sees the deer and asks
Rama to capture it for her as a pet. Rama agrees and goes to chase the deer, leaving Lakshmana to
guard Sita. Rama chases the deer for miles before he realizes it's a trap. He shoots the deer, but with his
dying breath Mareecha impersonates Rama and cries for help from Sita and Lakshana. Sita hears the cry
and convinces Lakshmana to go help Rama. When Lakshmana is gone, Ravana disguises himself as a
Brahmin and approaches Sita. Eventually, Ravana is unable to maintain his disguise, and he assumes
his demonic form. Sita cries for help, but Ravana digs into the earth and carries Sita away, along with the
ground she stands on. Jatayu attempts to save Sita, but Ravana chops off his wing. Rama
and Lakshmana find Jatayu and he relates to them what happened, but dies before he can tell them
where Ravana was going with Sita.

 In their search for Sita, Rama and Lakshmana enter the land of Kiskinda, which is populated by
monkeys. There they meet Hanuman and Sugreeva. Hanuman is Sugreeva's helper and recognizes that
Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu. Sugreeva is the king of Kiskinda, but his brother, Vali, banished him
after a misunderstanding. Rama is moved by Sugreeva's story and offers to help
kill Vali. Sugreeva calls for Vali to come fight, and the brothers clash violently. As Lakshmana and
Rama watch the fight, they debate if it's right to get involved. Rama then shoots Vali from a hidden
spot. Vali is surprised that someone can kill him, and asks Rama to explain his actions. Rama explains
that he killed Vali to right past wrongs, and Vali accepts this and names Sugreeva his successor.
After Sugreeva's coronation, Rama instructs him to gather an army and report back to him after the
rainy season ends.
 The rain lasts for months and Rama spends the entire time depressed. When the
rains end, Sugreeva doesn't arrive. Rama sends Lakshmana to find out why, and it comes to light
that Sugreeva has spent the rainy season drinking and enjoying women. Sugreeva vows to give up
alcohol, however, and promptly summons his armies for Rama. Vali's son Angada and Hanuman are
sent south to look for Sita. Rama gives Hanuman his ring and tells him how he can recognize Sita.
 When Angada and Hanuman reach the seashore, they nearly lose hope. An advisor, however,
explains to Hanuman that Hanuman has the power to grow very large. Hanuman makes himself
huge and steps over the sea to Lanka, where Ravana lives. In Lanka, he makes himself small again
and begins to search for Sita. He finds her in a garden where rakshasa women are tormenting
her. Ravana torments her too, and when they finally leave her alone, Sita prepares to commit
suicide. Hanuman shows himself to Sita and tells her that Rama is coming. As he leaves Lanka,
Hanuman allows Ravana's army to capture him. He then escapes and lights the city on fire before
returning to Rama.

 Ravana has his city rebuilt and calls a council of his brothers and commanders. They
all tell Ravana that taking Sita in the manner he did was wrong, but at this point they must fight
and either win or die. Ravana's youngest brother, Vibishana, insists that Ravana give Sita back to
Rama. Ravana banishes him, and Vibishana goes to Rama's camp. Hanuman declares
that Vibishana has a good heart and Rama accepts him as the king of Lanka. Vibishana helps Rama
form a plan of attack. When they're ready, Rama stands on the seashore and asks the sea god to
help him cross the sea. The sea god finally agrees to help make a bridge with whatever Rama's
army can bring. The animals help build the bridge, and Rama's army crosses into Lanka.
 Ravana sends his soldiers out to fight Rama, but nobody returns. Ravana tries to convince Sita that
Rama is dead, but she remains resolute and faithful to Rama. Rama sends Angada to ask Ravana to
concede, but Ravana refuses and Rama officially declares war. The battle rages for
days. Ravana finally decides to join the battle himself. Hanuman lifts Rama onto his shoulders and
they fight Ravana. They break his crown and send him back to his palace. Ravana then wakes his
brother, Kumbakarna, and sends him to the battle. When Kumbakarna dies, Ravana cries,
and Lakshmana kills Ravana's son, Indrajit, not long after.

 Ravana decides that he has to finish the battle himself. He dresses for battle and climbs into his
chariot. The gods send Rama Indra's chariot, which is driven by Matali. Rama gets into the chariot
and the battle begins. Ravana ignores the ominous signs and chases Rama. He shoots arrows with
his many arms, but none of them reach Rama. The battle moves to the sky and Rama
and Ravana circle the world several times before Ravana begins using supernatural weapons.
Rama destroys every attempt with either meditations or his own weapons. Finally, Rama sends a
weapon at Ravana's heart and kills him. When they land, Rama notices a scar on Ravana's back
and fears that he killed him dishonorably. Vibishana explains that the scar is old.
 After Ravana's death, Rama sends Hanuman as an emissary to escort Sita to him. She finds her
husband strangely changed. Troubled by distrust about her purity throughout her long captivity,
he tells Sita that they must live apart. Angry and ashamed, Sita demands that a fire be lit
immediately. She will cast herself into the flames as a trial of her own fidelity. She calls on Agni,
 the great Vedic fire god, to be her witness. Miraculously, Sita emerges from the fire unharmed, and
Rama welcomes her.

 Rama explains that he had to test Sita's purity, which the narrator points out is very inconsistent
with Rama's character and past actions. The narrator lists instances in which Rama dealt kindly
with disgraced wives, but explains that Sita wasn't even disgraced, since she spurned all
of Ravana's advances. Though the gods are relived that Rama was victorious, after watching Rama
test Sita they're also concerned that Rama is losing sight of his identity. They decide to remind him
that he's divine. Brahma addresses Rama and reminds him of the Trinity (Brahma, Shiva, and
Vishnu), and tells Rama that he's an incarnation of Vishnu. Brahma adds that Sita is also divine,
and asks Rama to remember his identity.
 Rama and Sita are the King and Queen of Ayodhya for 10, 000 years and Sita becomes pregnant.
One day, Rama meets wise men at the Ganges. Rama asks what his subjects think of him. The wise men
say that his subjects criticize Rama for taking back Sita. The wise men tell Rama to renounce Sita again
but Rama knows that she is pure. 

 Lakshmana is to take Sita to Valmiki’s house and leave her to rest as she is pregnant. Sita accepts

her exile because it is her dharma. Sita gives birth to twins. Valmiki teaches the children to sing The
Ramayana. Brahma requests that Valmiki put Rama’s story into beautiful verse so Valmiki creates The
Ramayana . 

 Years pass and Rama has a celebration for his subjects. Valmiki attends with Rama’s twin sons.
Rama realizes that they are his children and speaks to Valmiki about Sita. 

 Rama wants his wife back after she proves her purity again. Rama apologizes to Sita. Sita claims
that it is time to leave her life behind. The earth opens, a golden throne rises and Sita leaves. Then,
Brahma tells Rama that he will rejoin Sita. They will live as Vishnu and Lakshmi. Rama and his
brothers enter the afterlife as Vishnu. THE END!!