Ramayana E-Book

Seema Gupta

• Herausgeber: V&S Publishers
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 162

Beschreibung

Summarised version of Ramayan For children

Leseprobe

Published by:

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© Copyright: ISBN 978-935-05733-4-1

DISCLAIMER

While every attempt has been made to provide accurate and timely information in this book, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, unintended omissions or commissions detected therein. The author and publisher make no representation or warranty with respect to the comprehensiveness or completeness of the contents provided.

All matters included have been simplified under professional guidance for general information only without any warranty for applicability on an individual. Any mention of an organization or a website in the book by way of citation or as a source of additional information doesn't imply the endorsement of the content either by the author or the publisher. It is possible that websites cited may have changed or removed between the time of editing and publishing the book.

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It makes sense to elicit advice from well informed sources before implementing the ideas given in the book. The reader assumes full responsibility for the consequences arising out from reading this book. For proper guidance, it is advisable to read the book under the watchful eyes of parents/guardian. The purchaser of this book assumes all responsibility for the use of given materials and information. The copyright of the entire content of this book rests with the author/publisher. Any infringement/ transmission of the cover design, text or illustrations, in any form, by any means, by any entity will invite legal action and be responsible for consequences thereon.

Contents

Introduction to Ramayana

Main Characters in Ramayana

Bal Kand

Youthful Majesties

Birth of Rama

Vishwamitra's Arrival

Tadaka, Mareecha, and Subahu

Sage Gautama and Ahalya

Sita Swayamvara

Ayodhya Kand

Tumultuous Times

Manthara's Devious Plot

Rama's Banishment

Dasharatha Remembers Shravan Kumar

Bharata Meets Rama

Aranya Kand

Forest Retreat

Panchvati

Soorpanakha

Sita's Abduction

In Search of Sita

Kishkindha Kand

Grandeur of Alliance

Rama–Sugriva Alliance

Rama Kills Bali

Hanuman's Pursuit

Sundar Kand

Fascinating Leap

Hanuman Reaches Lanka

Ashok Vatika

Hanuman Meets Sita

Lanka Dahan

Yuddha Kand

Devastating War

Crossing the Ocean

The Great Fight

Sanjeevani Booti

The Grand Finale

Sita's Agni Pariksha

Uttara Kand

Post Script

Rama – the King of Ayodhya

Sita's Banishment

Luva and Kusha

The Ashwamedha Horse

Sita Embraces Mother Earth

Rama's Sons

Morals in the Ramayana

Publisherës Note

The original Ramayana was a 24,000 couplet-long epic poem attributed to the Sanskrit poet Valmiki. Oral versions of the Ramayana circulated for centuries, and the epic was probably first written down sometime around the start of the Common Era. It has since been told, retold, translated and transcreated throughout South and Southeast Asia, and the Ramayana continues to be performed in dance, drama, puppet shows, songs and movies all across Asia and the world alike.

The Ramayana furnishes the ideals and wisdom of common life. From childhood most Indians learn the characters – Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Ravana, Dasaratha and others – and incidents of this great epic. The epic helps to bind together people of India, transcending caste, distance and language.

Throughout the centuries, countless versions of the Ramayana have been produced in numerous formats and languages for readers of all ages. But previous English versions have been either too short to capture the magnitude of the original or too bulky to finish in one sitting. In this special version of Ramayana, author Seema Gupta has rendered the tale in lyrical prose that conveys all the beauty and excitement of the original, while making this spiritual and literary classic accessible to a new generation of readers, specially for the teenagers. With amazing and captivating illustrations this masterpiece surely will satisfy your intellectual and visual thirst for knowledge.

Dedication

Dedicated to my twin sons Amit and Arpitfor being the light of my life

Foreword

The Ramayana is the great saga of Lord Rama who is better known as Maryada Purushottam. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of the Hindus, the other being the Mahabharata. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is a popular deity worshiped by the Hindus. The Ramayana is held in such reverence that the mere reading or hearing of it is believed to free us from sin and grant us every desire. According to the Hindu tradition, Rama is an incarnation (avatar), of god Vishnu, who is part of the Hindu Trinity. The main purpose of this incarnation is to demonstrate the righteous path (dharma) for life on earth.

The Ramayana is not just a story of four brothers: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughana, it talks about human values and family values in a subtle way. In today's world when these values are degenerating, the Ramayana revives them. In the spell of darkness looming large around us, the Ramayana acts as a guiding light showing us the path to enlightenment. Human relationships, their intricacies, and their balance is gently maintained in the Ramayana.

Ramayana revolves around the life of Rama who is a man of great virtues. His virtues survive all adversities that befall him. Today when every other person is obsessed with their own welfare, portrayal of Rama's character marks personal integrity, respect for previous generation, and love for the people.

The essence of the Ramayana is summed up as the victory of good over evil, and virtue over vice. The winning streak of humans combined with true meaning of duty and sacrifice, happiness and sorrow, devotion and selfless service offer valuable lessons on life at large. The pearls of wisdom strung into a beautiful and coherent compendium on every aspect of the ideals of life and living is the Ramayana.

The Ramayana is not just an ordinary story. It contains the teachings of ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the philosophical and the devotional thoughts. The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman, and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.

Introduction to Ramayana

The Ramayana was originally written by Sage Valmiki in Sanskrit. The original Ramayana is said to have been composed based on each of the twenty-four letters of the Gayatri Hymn. Later Ramayana was translated into the Awadhi language by Goswami Tulsidas as ‘Ramcharitmanas’. It contains couplets in verse form called chaupai. The Ramayana has been traditionally divided into seven books, dealing with the life of Rama starting from his birth till his death.

Bal Kand – This is the book about young prince Rama which details the miraculous birth of Rama, his early life in Ayodhya, and his slaying of the demons at the Dandaka forest on the request of Vishwamitra. The book concludes with his wedding to Sita. Bal Kand has 77 chapters.

Ayodhya Kand–This is the book about Ayodhya in which Dasharatha comes to grief over his pledge to Kaikeyi and is forced to send Rama to exile. The book concludes with the death of Dasharatha. Ayodhya Kand has 119 chapters.

Aranya Kand – This is the book about forest which describes the life of Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita in the forest. The book concludes with the abduction of Sita by Ravana. This book has 75 chapters.

Kishkindha Kand – This book is about Kishkindha, the Vanara kingdom in which Rama befriends Sugriva and his army and begins the search for Sita. This book has 67 chapters.

Sundar Kand –This is the book of Sundar (Hanuman) in which Hanuman travels to Lanka in search of Sita. On finding Sita imprisoned there he burns the golden Lanka before returning to Rama to give him the good news. Sundar Kand has 68 chapters.

Yuddha Kand – This is the book about the war which narrates the Rama– Ravana war. The book concludes with the return of successful Rama to Ayodhya and his coronation. This book is the largest of all and it has 131 chapters.

Uttara Kand – This is the seventh book which details the life of Rama and Sita after their return to Ayodhya, Sita's banishment, and the birth of her twin sons in the hermitage of Valmiki.

Main Characters in Ramayana

Rama is the hero of the epic Ramayana. He is portrayed as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is the eldest and the favourite son of Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya. He is a popular prince loved by one and all. He is the epitome of virtue. Dasharatha, forced by one of his wives Kaikeyi, commands Rama to relinquish his right to the throne for fourteen years and go into exile. Rama obeys his father unquestioningly and while in exile, Rama kills the demon king Ravana.

Sita is the beloved wife of Rama and the daughter of Janaka, the king of Mithila. She is the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi (Lord Vishnu's wife). Sita is the epitome of womanly purity and virtue. She follows her husband into exile and there she is abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka. Rama rescues her by defeating the demon king Ravana.

Hanuman is a vanara (monkey) belonging to the kingdom of Kishkindha. He worships Rama and helps him find Sita by going to Lanka after crossing the great ocean in one giant leap.

Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama, chooses to go into exile with Rama. He spends his time in exile protecting Sita and Rama. He is deceived by Ravana and Mareecha into believing that Rama was in trouble. This leads to the abduction of Sita.

Ravana, a rakshasa (demon), is the king of Lanka. He was also the most intelligent and erudite living being of his time. He has ten heads and twenty arms. He received a boon from Lord Brahma that he will not be killed by either gods, demons, or by spirits. After receiving this boon from Brahma, Ravana begins to act wicked and disturbs the deeds of good Brahmins. Rama, a human, is born to defeat him, thus overcoming the boon given by Brahma.

Dasharatha is the king of Ayodhya and father of Rama. He has three queens – Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. Besides Rama he has three other sons – Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughana. Kaikeyi, Dasharatha's favourite queen, forces him to make her son Bharata heir apparent and send Rama into exile. Dasharatha dies heartbroken after Rama goes into exile.

Bharata is the son of Dasharatha from Kaikeyi. When he learns that his mother Kaikeyi had forced Rama into exile and caused Dasharatha to die broken hearted, he storms out of the palace and goes in search of Rama. When Rama refuses to break his exile and return to the capital to assume the throne, he gets Rama's khadauns (sandals) and places them on the throne. Bharata then rules Ayodhya representing Rama for the duration of his exile.

Shatrughana is the twin son of Dasharatha from Sumitra. Lakshmana is his other twin.

Vishwamitra is the sage who takes Rama into the forest at the behest of defeating the demons destroying his Vedic sacrifices. On the way back he takes Rama into Mithila where Rama breaks Shiva's bow in Sita's swayamvar and marries Sita.

There are many other characters that play important roles in the great epic -Ramayana. We shall meet them as we proceed in this timeless saga through each kand.

Bal Kand

Youthful Majesties

Brahma, the creator of this universe, could not revoke a boon he gave to the demon king Ravana, as a reward for his severe penance. The boon was that Ravana could not be slain by gods, demons, or spirits. Having been thus rewarded, Ravana, with the help of his evil supporters, the Rakshasas, began to trouble the Brahmin priests, disturbing their sacrifices. All the gods, watching this devastation, went to Brahma to find a way to end this evil. Brahma went to Vishnu and conveyed the anguish of the gods and requested that Vishnu incarnate on the earth as a human to destroy Ravana, as Ravana had not asked for protection against humans or beasts while seeking the boon from Brahma.

Meanwhile, the good king Dasharatha of Ayodhya, who had ruled over the kingdom of Kosala for a long time, was getting anxious about his successor, for he had no sons to take over the kingdom after him. Taking advice from his ministers and priests, Dasharatha organised a Putra Prapti Yagya, a sacrifice for the progeny. Vishnu agreed to be born as the eldest son to Dasharatha and save the world from the atrocities of Ravana.

Birth of Rama

It was a cold morning. The breeze1 felt refreshing on his face. The sky was clear and the sun was about to begin its journey for the day.

There was freshness everywhere and everyone looked cheerful as Ayodhya, the capital of the kingdom of Kosala, woke up to another day.

Dasharatha left his royal bed and looked out of the palace window. Suddenly his eyes fell on a man going to the fields holding his small son's hand. Dasharatha's eyes moistened2. This was one feeling he could never experience. He had everything in life except for an heir3. How he wished he could also play with his own child. Alas! Was he destined to be the last king of Surya Vansha.

This dynasty began with the legendary king Manu. Manu was the son of Surya, the Sun God and the first ruler of mankind.

Ikshvaku was Manu's eldest son. After Manu, Surya Vansha saw famous and glorious kings like Satyavadi Harishchandra, Sagar, Asmanjas, Anshuman, Bhagiratha, Dileep, Raghu, Aja, and Dasharatha.

King Dasharatha was a just and responsible ruler. He ruled his empire with the help of eight highly qualified ministers. Sumantra was the chief among these ministers. Besides the ministers, royal priests Vashishtha, Vamdeva, and Jabali guided him in all spiritual matters.

But one thing eluded4 Dasharatha. He yearned5 for a child. Dasharatha had three beautiful queens – Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. But none was able to bear him a child.

With a sigh, Dasharatha turned back and got on with his daily routine. By the time he reached the royal court, it was almost noon. Seeing their king distraught, all the ministers asked Sumantra, the Chief Minister to ask the king if he was not feeling well.

With a heavy heart, King Dasharatha disclosed his plight6 to his ministers and the priests.

“Maharaja, why don't you perform a Putra Prapti Yagya7?” one of the ministers suggested. All the others nodded in affirmation.

Sumantra immediately proposed that the great Sage Rishyasringa should be invited to perform this Yagya8 Dasharatha consented9 and soon a messenger was on the way to Sage Rishyasringa.

Sage Rishyasringa began the Yagya at the auspicious moment by lighting the holy fire. The entire place resounded with the holy chanting of sacred Vedic hymns. The smoke from the sacred fire, fragrant with sandalwood and incense, rose high up into the sky.

As the Yagya was going on in Ayodhya, the gods in heaven gathered together for an important discussion. The gods told Brahma, the creator of the universe, ‘The demon king Ravana is creating havoc all over the three worlds. Many years ago, you gave Ravana a boon as a reward for his thousand-year penance10. He wanted to be invincible11 so that neither god nor demon could kill him. You granted him the boon. This boon has made him so powerful that he soon plans to overthrow us and take over heaven too. You must stop him before it is too late.’

‘Yes, I must do something to save this world.’ thought Brahma. As he looked down and saw the flames of King Dasharatha's Yagya grow higher up in the sky, an idea struck him, ‘I shall ask Vishnu, the preserver of the universe to be born on earth in King Dasharatha's house as his son,’ contemplated12 Brahma.

Vishnu, when asked, agreed to be born on earth as Dasharatha's son in order to defeat the demon king Ravana. As soon as the gods had made this plan, the Yagya-fire began to glow with a golden light.

Everyone looked up in amazement as the tall golden divine figure of Agni Deva13 appeared in the flames. His skin glowed and his hair was tinged with a golden shade like a lion's mane. He was holding a golden bowl in his hands. The bowl was filled with kheer14. He looked King Dasharatha in his eye and announced, “The Gods are pleased with your Yagya. They have sent this gift for you.” He handed over the golden bowl to the king and said in a sweet voice, “This is kheer prasadam. Give this sacred15 kheer to your three wives and you will be blessed with children.”

Sage Rishyasringa motioned Dasharatha to go to his palace and give the kheer to the three queens as directed by Agni Deva. King Dasharatha first went to Queen Kaushalya's chamber and gave her half of the bowl of kheer. He gave one half of what remained to his second queen Sumitra. The third queen, Kaikeyi, got the half of what was left in the bowl. Dasharatha gave the remainder of the kheer in the bowl to Sumitra with Kaushalya and Kaikeyi's permission.

Soon Lord Vishnu found his way into the womb of Queen Kaushalya. Time rolled by happily till the moment arrived for the Lord to take birth in human form. The entire world danced in sheer16 delight as Lord Rama, came down to earth. It was the ninth day (Navami) of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the sacred month of Chaitra.

The queens gave birth to four sons. Lord Rama was born to Queen Kaushalya. Queen Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata and Queen Sumitra, who ate the kheer twice, gave birth to twin sons Lakshmana and Shatrughana.

King Dasharatha celebrated the occasion with much fanfare. A gala17 ceremony was held in the palace. The entire city of Ayodhya wore festive look. There was no end to the joy among the king and his subjects.

1.breeze – gentle wind

2.moistened – wet

3.heir – successor

4.eluded – escaped

5.yearned – to crave for

6.plight – dilemma

7.Putra Prapti Yagya – yagya performed

8.Yagya – holy ritual

9.consented – agreed

10.penance – atonement

11.invincible – unbeatable

12.contemplated – thought

13.agni deva – God of fire

14.kheer – rice pudding

15.sacred – holy

16.sheer – pure

17.gala – huge

An Understanding

Q & A

Q. Who was the king of Ayodhya?

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Q. Who was Sumantra?

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Q. Who performed the Putra Prapti Yagya for the king?

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Q. Who brought Kheer for the king?

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Q. Who was born as Rama in Dasharatha's palace?

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Fill in the blanks

……………. was the eldest son of Manu.