Title: Ramayana - World History Encyclopedia
Headings: Ramayana
Ramayana
Definition
Rama is born
Rama marries Sita
Rama is exiled
Ravana abducts Sita
Rama meets Hanuman
Sita faces a trial by fire
Rama is crowned at Ayodhya
Sita is banished
Lava & Kush sing the Ramayana
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Content: While the basic story is about palace politics and battles with demon tribes, the narrative is interspersed with philosophy, ethics, and notes on duty. While in that other Indian epic, the Mahabharata, the characters are presented with all their human follies and failings, the Ramayana leans more towards an ideal state of things: Rama is the ideal son and king, Sita the ideal wife, Hanuman the ideal devotee, Lakshman and Bharat the ideal brothers, and even Ravana, the demon villian, is not entirely despicable. Rama is born
Dasharath, king of Ayodhya, had no children. So he arranged a Putra-kameshti sacrifice ( putra = son, kameshti = that which is desired). At the sacrifice, Agni (god of fire) arose from the flames and handed the king a golden vase brimming with nectar. " Give this to your queens", said the god and disappeared. The king had three wives. To the eldest, the king gave half of the nectar; the second queen got a portion that remained when the queen had drunk her half.