Rama of Ramayana

This is my first blog and where else to start but from Hindu mythology and epics, which fascinates me to the extreme.

I am no expert, neither am I well read but just as Congress puts it, I am an ‘Aam-admi’ and I have my views, what better way than to express them on my blog.

So I am starting off my blog journey through pondering on Rama idolized by millions as the perfect one.

I read an abridged version of Ramayana when I was about 10 years, but prior to that and also subsequently I kept on hearing about virtues of Rama the character.

It is around the time when I was in standard IX; my Hindi teacher popped a question to me in class, “What do you think of Rama”? I could not answer, but thinking I did, I kept on thinking till date.

On one hand I had this popular notion ingrained into me about Rama being the supreme one at the same time I was finding it difficult to justify few events in Rama’s life and the behavior he demonstrated.

So here I am posing a question to you, is Rama a character portrayed in Ramayana is a character to emulate? Did he possess the quality of supreme human being? What makes us aspire (those who aspire) to be like him or more importantly our siblings to be like him?
In this article I am putting forward the thoughts which disturbed me and stopped me short of calling Rama the perfect one. I invite you to give your view points.

At the outset I take the liberty of breaking from the majority notion that Rama is God, avatar of Vishnu, hence unquestionable. I assume that he is a character portrayed in an epic. Even if for a minor argument, I assume that Rama is God (whatever that typical notion means), then why he is the chosen one? Why not Laxmana, why not Shiva, why not Krishna, why not others? But that is the debate for some other day.

In Ramayana, Rama, first came to limelight with his fight with Taraka, the demon, who was spoiling the rituals conducted by Vishwamitra and his colleagues. Rama goes there, asks no question, kills Taraka, everyone is happy. As a child I was quite excited by the description of how monstrous Taraka was and how bravely Rama fought and won. But the question is why killing of Taraka was needed? Today Salman Khan is hunted down for 10 years to kill a black buck. We make such a hue and cry if a Royal Bengal Tiger is killed by some poacher. What is the difference? If we consider Taraka to be a wild beast, it still had her right to life. Taraka did not come to human locality to disturb peace. On the contrary Vishwamitra went into jungle and was conducting yagna, which everyone knows, creates pollution, through smoke. Was Taraka unjustified in trying to salvage her life, just like anyone else? Most snakes attack, when they are scared. Why don’t we assume that even Taraka was scared, scared of fire, smoke or simply human beings?
As a future king, was it not appropriate for Rama to look for a peaceful solution, similar to what he argues for while invading Lanka? Should he not have requested Vishwamitra to conduct yagna at a more appropriate place? Or was he scared of Vishwamitra, therefore went ahead and did whatever he was asked for?

In Sita Swayamvar, why Rama did not offer Laxmana to go for the bow, first? In normal life do we not let our youngsters attempt first, a show of skill or strength? Why Rama was different?
Rama is shown as ultimate in terms of worshipping parents, but when Vishwamitra asks him to appear in Sita Swayamvar, he obliges. Not for once he thought about taking permission of his parents.

Till return from Mithila, all he has shown is his strength and skill to fight. You may say that he was just a kid. Well if he is old enough to kill or marry, he is old enough to think, isn’t it?

His next big time comes, when he is leaving for jungle to honour his father’s promises. This is melodramatic, he was aware that Dasharath is likely to die of grief, if he leaves. There will be no king to lead the country, given that confirmation from Bharat about leading, did not reach him. In hindu mythology, a king, is suggested as descendant of God and has complete responsibility for the well being of his kingdom animate and in-animate, over and above his personal well being and prejudices. Here was the guy, who was leaving entire country in doldrums, going ahead with fulfilling his father’s nightmare. Why? Who stopped him from suggesting Kaikeyi that he will leave as per the wish, but before that he needs to ensure that Bharat is established as king and kingdom is stable and in able hands. He could have given a fixed timeframe to honour his father’s commitment. Argument, that Bharat would not have accepted it, does not cut the ice, because if the motto is elder’s wish is my command, then Bharat too would have fallen in line, which he did anyway after some time.
In fact all through Ramayana it is Laxman, Bharat or Hanuman are the ones who see the reason and act accordingly. No one could stop Laxman from accompanying Rama. Laxman was not only acting out of love for his elder brother, he was also ensuring that future king does not go un-guarded. He did not need anyone’s permission to act the way he did. He did, because that was the right thing to do. No rituals, no promises, no elders could stop him doing what was right. Sadly it is always Rama who was going by the rule book and not by the spirit of rules.
Rama is always upheld as a man of virtue, man of impeccable credentials. However his treatment of Surpanakha was what even mere mortals will be ashamed of. Irrespective of the behaviour of Surpanakha, Rama had no business making a mockery of her.
Contrary to popular belief Rama was not averse to immoral ways too. Killing of Bali goes on to prove that.
It is debatable if in a fair fight whether Rama was capable of defeating Ravana. Unless Vibhishana shared the secret of Ravana’s ways of death, probably Rama would have had to sweat, a lot more than he actually did.
After all this the guy had the audacity to ask Sita to go for “Agni Pariskha”, not for his own sake, but just to quell the curiosity and questions that would arise back home. I mean was he a man at all?

Overall I would trade off Laxman as the “Man”, a character who is the unsung hero of the entire epic. He goes off to fight Meghnad fully aware that he is no match to him. He is fighting a battle to save his brother’s wife, not withstanding that he himself has a wife too and who is waiting for him back home. A selfless character, who gave up his entire life trying to protect Rama from all adversities.

What do you think?