Today's Topics: 

We began The Ramayana today, and we will examine it for the next three class meetings.
 

We are discussing The Ramayana, one of the great Hindu epics. It is the story of a powerful prince who makes a sacrifice to save the world from evil.  It's an adventure story, a love story, a morality tale, and a fable -- all wrapped into one narrative.  I hope that you enjoy this one.  It's got talking monkeys, evil demons, beautiful women, lies and deception, as well as action, battles, etc., etc., etc.  There's something for everyone!

You should review pages 514-515 in the coursepacket in order to review some of the Hindu terminology that we will see in this story. The word "Hindu" means "river," referring to the religious communities along the Indus River. Just as we have seen with Taoism, the flow of water seems to be the main metaphor for life. The universe undergoes endless cycles of change, from creation, to preservation, to death (called samsara). Much like Buddhism, Hindus seek peace by eliminating the need to be reincarnated. WHereas Buddhists seek nirvana, the extinguishing of the flame of desire, Hindus strive to merge with the one Supreme Reality, known collectively as Brahman, the Creator and Unmanifest Reality who is both pervasive and transcendent in the universe. A Hindu achieves this unification with the universe when his consciousness merges with God (this state is called moksha). Every soul (atman) ultimately evolves toward a union with God and realizes Truth, achieved through devotion, austerity, meditation, or selfless service (called ahimsa, a term that reflects selflessness and nonviolence toward all creatures, since all life forms stem from the same life energy).

Hindus believe in reincarnation: the soul is reborn into a different body (like changing into a new shirt) until all karmas are resolved (Hindus do not believe in hell, an underworld, or damnation). Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "action," the cause/effect relationship by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds. Karma can be either good or bad, but always must be resolved before an individual soul can achieve moksha. We will see many examples of karma and its aftermath in this story.

We also looked at another important idea: the Hindu caste system. In Hinduism, all men are created unequal. Here are the divisions, ranked from highest to lowest:

Brahmans -- the priests and teachers
Kshatriyas -- the warriors, kings, and soldiers (this is the caste in which Rama and Lakshmana are born into)
Vaisyas -- merchants and traders
Sudras -- laborers or slaves
Dalit ("untouchables") -- outcast people considered too impure and polluted to rank as worthy beings (such as slaughtering and tanning animals), and therefore Brahma apparently has no place or need for them. The name means "crushed," "stepped on," or "oppressed."

Each person must fulfill certain caste and religious obligations (dharma) in order to maintain harmony in the universe. The only means of escaping birth is to perform one's sacred duty. One's dharma is partly determined by one's caste position, but also by one's stage of life. A priest or teacher, for example, cannot teach others when he is a small child, so age also determines how one is supposed to act. If an individual performs his dharma properly, then the universe is in balance and the atman is allowed to be reincarnated into a higher form. A person born as a servant, for example, may spend his life complaining about his lot in life, but this only leads to a potential reincarnation lower down the scale.

Below the human castes are the animals, ranked as well from great to small. Above are the godly incarnations that are found in seven different circles (the highest being 7th heaven). What we will see is that, once people achieve a godly incaration, they often are not prepared for such responsibility and power, leading them to act irresponsibly. If you recall the film Bruce Almighty, you can see that waking up with the powers of the gods leads one into great temptation. If you woke up with godly powers, you might play around with them, testing out your strengths and limitations. However, in doing so, you would be deviating from your new dharma, and yout curious actions would be considered selfish. Each soul needs to get beyond this feeling and use your powers for the universal good, not selfish interest.

The three Principal Gods play a large role in The Ramayana: Vishnu ("The Preserver"), Shiva ("The Destroyer"), and Brahma (the Universal Absolute Spirit) form the Hindu Triad that represents the cycle of life. Earlier gods are also mentioned in the beginning of the story, such as Indra (king of the gods; Aryan war god and weather god), who was an earlier all-powerful god worshipped in the earlier days of Hinduism.

The Ramayana, chapters 1-3

We began looking at several important characters and Hindu terms today.  This story is an epic, so we will see Rama take a journey to achieve greatness.  Be aware that R. K. Narayan's The Ramayana is only a condensed English translation.  Many details and important scenes have been shortened or omitted from the original Sanskrit story.  It is based more on the Tamil version of the epic rather than the original, but it is a much easier and accessible version to a Western audience.  The Ramayana is just one part of a longer epic, The Mahabharatha, which is about as long as six Bibles!   Chapter 1 in The Ramayana is essentially a rehash of some of the classic stories from the earlier part of The Mahabharatha, but a few scenes provide some necessary background.

We know that Rama is an incarnation of the god Vishnu (the Preserver).  We see Rama first taken into the desert where he is tested by the wise guru Viswamithra.  This guru (spiritual guide) shows Rama many wonders of the Hindu world, all wrapped up in a history lesson.  Rama is not fully aware that he is a god until later in the story.  (Can you tell where Rama first understands his essence?)  Once Rama is tested in the desert, he will be ready to assume greater deeds.  One test that Rama has to pass is the test of Thataka, the demoness.  Rama is hesitant to kill her because she is a woman, but Viswamithra counsels Rama to view her inner nature.  We will see that this difference separates the gods (devas) from the demons (asuras) throughout the narrative.

One such character is Mareecha, who is one of the demons defeated by young Rama in the first chapter.  When the demons attempt to disturb the yanga (the sacrifice), Rama and his brother Lakshmana send their arrows upward to protect the holy event below.  While Lakshmana'sarrows attack the demons, Rama's arrows help to deflect the blood and garbage that falls from the sky, thereby preserving the sacrifice, much to the amazement of Viswamithra.  Rama's arrow sends Mareecha, a son of Thataka, clear across the land, prompting Mareecha to begin questioning his evil ways.  We'll see this character later in the story as the uncle of Ravana.

Another interesting anecdote from the beginning of the story involves Mahabali's tale, where Vishnu, in a previous incarnation, comes into being in the form of a dwarf who tricks Mahabali by claiming the universe in three steps.  This incarnation of Rama is explained in the coursepacket section called "The Avatars of Vishnu," which shows us that Vishnu has/will come to earth in 10 incarnations, each time saving the world from the demons.  You see that the 7th incarnation was Rama, and his story is told in our book, The Ramayana (the way of Rama).  Vishnu's 8th incarnation occurs in a character Krishna, who we will read about in next week's story, The Bhagavad-Gita.  The 9th incarnation was Buddha, and we'll see that story in two weeks, when we read Siddhartha.  The 10th incarnation (Kalki, a warrior on a white hore who will exterminate the material world) is yet to come, so get ready!

After Rama's initiation in the desert, he travels back home through the neighboring kingdom, reigned by Janaka.  As Rama passes through, he meets eyes with Sita, whom he will marry.  When they first see each other, they are struck by each other's beauty and grandeur.  In their past lives, however, they are also married.  Rama is the god Vishnu, while Sita is the goddess Lakshmi, the mother goddess and the deity of wealth, prosperity, and fertility.  When they look at each other, there is something that they recognize as familiar, yet their human forms do not allow themselves to understand why they are sensing this deja vu.  This is a good description of the way that reincarnation appears to operate -- that the soul inhabiting the new body cannot recall the thoughts and deeds from the previous lives.  

Hindus believe that one's actions (karmas) influence the entire universe, and that what goes around comes around.  If you treat others respectfully, you will have that sentiment returned to you.  Treat people badly, and you will be returned with the same behavior down the line.  You may not get an immediate reaction or repayment (called "instant karma").  You may receive the return action at any time in any of your lives, or even thousands of years later.  In the end, however, all will balance out.   On page 25, Sita, afer meeting eyes with Rama, becomes lovestruck to the point where she cannot eat, sleep, or concentrate.  At one point she hears a bird (Anril) singing a beautiful song outside of her window.  She is disturbed by the bird, and she blames a "sin" from a previous life for causing her current distress.  She believes that her karma is being repayed in the form of the bird.  She does not know that she will marry Rama in just a few short days.

NOTE: Your quiz may ask you to identify an example of karma in the story. However, I ask that you NOT use the Anril example for two reasons: one is that I have told you about it in class and here in the summary; the other is that this example is difficult to explain because we just don't know what Sita's previous actions were. Please search for other examples of karma, which are abundant in the early chapters (and easier to explain).

Sita's father, Janaka, forces Rama to perform a great deed to prove his worthiness -- the stringing of Shiva's bow, which was left behind after the creation of the universe.  The bow is as big as a mountain, so obviously no mortal could accomplish such a feat.  Rama not only strings the bow, but he accidentally breaks it in the process, although many spectators missed his great feat because they averted their eyes, thinking that Rama would fail like all the others who had tried before.  Rama is now publicly acclaimed as a hero, and many may suspect that he is indeed a god.  Rama may now marry Sita, much to the delight of the large crowd watching.

Their wedding is huge, and millions of people arrive from all over the world.  Rama is universally loved and admired (as is Sita, who had thousands of male suitors begging Janaka for his daughter's hand in marriage).  On page 32, we see some holy priests (Brahmins) arriving to the ceremony, many walking on their toes to avoid stepping on insects and small animals.  In Hinduism, all life forms are respected equally, since one never knows whether or not an insect is really a relative living life in a different form (incarnation).  These holy men also prevent themselves from "touching their nether regions" and looking at all the pretty girls, so as not to distract them from their spiritual pursuits.

In Eastern beliefs, the idea of emotion or passion is considered to be detrimental to one's life.  If you recall, Joseph Campbell refers to the original meaning of the word "passion," which is "suffering."  Please separate the concept of "love" apart from "passion."  Not all passion is love, and not all love is steeped in passion.  Passion could entail anger, jealousy, or any other emotion that prevents you from concentrating on your thoughts or duties.  Sita clearly feels passion, since she cannot go about her daily life without thinking of that handsome man that she just met.  In Hinduism, one common duality is the mind vs. the body (or one's emotions).  We are made of both, but one goal is to disregard the bodily messages in favor of the intelligent ones.

Next, let's address the fact that Rama has more than one "mother."  Dasaratha's three wives are invited to the wedding: Kausalya, Sumithra, and Kaikeyi.  Having reigned for thousands of years, Dasaratha has earned the right to marry multiple wives, an ancient tradition for a powerful leader.  As these three wives enter Ayodhya for the wedding, each is followed by a group of attendants:
 

Although Kooni exaggerates considerably, Dasaratha does act slyly in one way -- he calls Rama into his room to inform his son that he has chosen Rama to be the next king, and that he will be coronated tomorrow.  Oddly, Dasaratha has sent Bharatha out of town to visit his grandfather.  Perhaps Dasaratha does not trust Bharatha's reaction to the news, or perhaps Bharatha was merely sent to bring his grandfather to the coronation.

Ultimately, Kooni does convince Kaikeyi that Rama might banish Bharatha from the city and take over power from her side of the family.  This is a lie, of course, but it works well enough.  Kaikeyi soon decides that she would rather see her own flesh and blood (Bharatha) on the throne instead of Rama, even though she earlier admitted that she considers her step-son, Rama, to be one of her own.  She forces Dasaratha to fulfill his promises (boons) to her (which he pledged after she saved his life in a much earlier episode).

There is more to chapter 3, but we ran out of time. Please read through chapter 6 for Wednesday's class. Because of the Easter and Passover holidays, I only made you responsible for the first three chapters for Quiz 10, so be sure to catch up if you fell behind in your reading.

Announcements:

I will be providing a final exam study guide later in the week, so look for it soon on the Class Info page.

Due Next Time:

The Ramayana, Prologue and chapters 4-6 (Narayan, 65-113) / READING GUIDE (523-527)

Quiz 10

COLOR CODES:
		-= Required		-= Supplemental