Ramayana

The Rāmāyana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and is an important part of the Hindu canon (smrti).

The name Rāmāyana is a tatpurusa compound of Rāma and ayana "going, advancing", translating to "the travels of Rāma".

The Rāmāyana consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos (kārnas) and tells the story of a prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon (Rākshasa) king of Lanka, Rāvana.

It contains the teachings of ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the philosophical and the devotional.

The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanumān and Rāvana (the villain of the piece) are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.

Valmiki’s Ramayana has been traditionally divided into seven books, dealing with the life of Rama from his birth to his death. Bala Kanda

Ayodhya Kanda Aranya Kanda Kishkindya Kanda Sundara Kanda Yuddha Kanda Uttara Kanda

Maharshi Valmiki Maharshi Valmiki, the author of

the great Indian epic Ramayana, was a Hindu sage who lived around the beginning of the first millennium B.C. He is referred to as the 'adikavi', the original creator of the Hindu 'sloka' - a verse form in which most of the great epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and other works are composed.

Valmiki is celebrated as the ‘first poet’ and the Ramayana as the ‘first poem.’

CharactersRama HanumanRavanaLakshmnaSita

is the hero of this epic tale. He is portrayed as an incarnation of the god Vishnu.

is the wife of Rama and the daughter of king Janaka. She is the incarnation of Goddess Laxmi(Lord Vishnu's wife).

the younger brother of Rama, chose to go into exile with him. He spends his time protecting Sita and Rama.

is a Vanara belonging to the kingdom of Kishkinda. He worships Rama and helps find Sita by going to the kingdom of Lanka crossing the great ocean.

a rakshasa, is the king of Lanka.

Summary1.Born during an age when

the demon Ravana terrorized the world, Rama is the virtuous, wise, and powerful prince of Ayodhya. As a young man, he is able to accomplish what no other man has ever done: he lifts and strings the bow of Siva, and by doing so he earns the right to marry the beautiful Sita.

2. Just when he is about to ascend the throne of Ayodhya, his father Dasaratha is forced to exile him for fourteen years to the forest due to a vow made long ago. Unruffled, Rama accepts his exile; his wife Sita and his loyal brother Lakshmana accompany him. In the forest, the princely brothers kill many demons and visit many wise men and women.

3. The evil demon Ravana hears of Sita's beauty, and kidnaps her. He has fallen in love with her and tries to seduce her, but she rebuffs his advances for nearly ten months.

4. Desperate to win her back, Rama and Lakshmana form an alliance with the monkey king Sugriva, and invade Lanka with an army of monkeys. After many violent battles, Rama defeats Ravana and wins back Sita. He is concerned that she has been unfaithful during her long captivity, and so Sita undergoes a trial by fire to prove her chastity. Rama takes her back, and they return to rule Ayodhya for many wonderful years.

Consider Rama as your soul. Then Sita is your heart. Ravana is your mind that steals

your heart from your soul. Lakshmana is your consciousness, always with you and active on your behalf. Hanuman is your  intuition and courage that helps retrieve

your heart to re-animate your soul.

Conclusion

References

• Ramayana. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2016, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana

• Why we Love the Universal Appeal of the Ramayana. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2016, from http://hinduism.about.com/od/epics/a/ramayana.htm

• Valmiki Ramayana. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2016, from http://valmikiramayan.net/