Mesas Paper

...

Another instance that stands out is the time when the Sage Viswamithra asked the King Dasaratha for help to perform “a yagna at Sidhasrama” (Narayan, 46). The King offered to go protect Viswamithra and his rituals, but Viswamithra rather desired the help of Rama. He wished for Rama to watch over and guard his yagna from the “creatures hovering about […] distub[ing] every holy undertaking there” (Narayan, 46). Viswamithra’s preference serves as an example of Rama’s aura and reputation. After knowing that the King himself was capable too, for Viswamithra to choose another’s help is a significant indication of his eminence as a warrior.

After Rama was exiled, he faced many obstacles. An incident involving Soorpanaka’s attempt to attack Sita can be considered vital in the Ramayana. Lakshamana mutilated Soorpanaka (Narayan, 15), which made her go crying to her brother, Ravana. Ravana was curious to understand and witness Sita’s beauty because Soorpanaka believed that it was Sita’s beauty that made Rama choose Sita over Soorpanaka. Rama had to defeat Ravana, the Asura brothers and not get deceived by Mareecha to emerge victorious. By defeating Ravana, he not only saved Sita but he also defeated “the all-powerful demon king of the island of Lanka”, (Narayan, 14), helping all the Gods.

With each battle, Rama grew stronger in every sense. His mind, battling skills and emotions were only getting further developed with each of his victories. When Rama had to prove himself to Sugreeva, he stood in front of a row of seven trees that “were enormous, older than the Vedas and had survived four dissolutions of the universe.” (Narayan, 179). He shot an arrow “through not only the trunks of the seven trees, but also through the seven worlds, and the seven seas, and all things in seven; and then it returned to its starting point in the quiver.” (Narayan, 179). This description of Rama’s skill in archery demonstrates how he was untouchable as a warrior and archer.

People are inspired by Rama because of his force and courageousness. The first time Rama’s strength was revealed when he and Lakshmana were on an excursion with the Sage Viswamithra. This was the first time Rama saw his beautiful wife-to-be, Sita, in Mithila. He was smitten by her beauty and charm. Sita was a blessing from the Earth that had been given graciously to King Janaka. King Janaka had Lord Shiva’s[3] enormous bow as an old heirloom. Anybody who wanted to marry Sita had to be able to “lift, bend, and string Shiva’s bow” to be considered adequate. (Narayan, 74). No suitor had succeeded in getting even remotely close King Janaka’s condition, until Rama. King Janaka began to get anxious about the fate of his daughter’s marriage. Viswamithra urged King Janaka to let Rama try his hand at stringing this mighty bow. In the blink of an eye, Rama had not only lifted and strung the bow that had to be carried “on eight pairs of wheels” and “drawn by a vast number of men” (Narayan, 75), but had also caused it to crack, because it could not withstand his mighty force and raw strength. The attractive, young man had achieved what suitors from across the seas had not been able to, and he had made it look like child’s play. This strength had earned him everyone’s respect as well as the right to be Sita’s husband. It is his strength and fearlessness in such situations that made him the ideal human-being in the eyes of many.

It is characteristics like these that portray Rama in a good light and make it seem like he possessed all the qualities of a perfect son, husband and brother. However, in spite of all these qualities, there were times when Rama’s actions were questionable.

In Valmiki’s Ramayana, Rama’s respect for women can be considered questionable. When Ravana’s sister, Soorpanaka expressed her attraction and love for Rama, he treated her like a joke. He said she should try her luck with Lakshmana, which can be considered snide and condescending. It also shows Rama’s ego, a side that people often forget even existed. He had not given her the respect a woman deserves even though she may have been inappropriate in confessing her love for a married man. This incident portrays the manner in which Rama too had his flaws. He did not deal with this situation in an idea manner and his dissing of Soorpanaka can be considered the main reason that the rest of the events took place. After she went to speak to Lakshmana who showed no intrest either and then went on to attack Sita only to get hurt, Soorpanaka complained to her brother Ravana and then the battle between Rama and Ravana began. Even though in most other circumstances Rama had exhibited utmost respect for women, his behavior in this situation makes his previous acts questionable. This act by someone who is considered near perfect as Rama makes us realize that there is still the human element of imperfection that exists within him. It can be explained by the fact that even though he is a reincarnation of the great god Vishnu, he is in the human form.

Rama’s imperfection is brought out when he slays the Vali, the great monkey king. In Narayan’s Ramayana, when Rama reached Kiskinda he met Sugreeva, who told him about his experiences with his brother Vali. Years ago, Vali had gone into the forest to kill the mighty demon Mayavi, and he did not come out for twenty-eight months. Everyone was under the impression that Vali had been killed by Mayavi, but Vali had “immeasurable strength” (Narayan, 175) from Shiva, and emerged victorious. On his return to Kiskinda, Vali saw that Sugreeva was on the throne and thought that he had tried to trap his elder brother in so he could be the emperor. In fact, The counselors and the elders were the ones who convinced Sugreeva to stay back and take over the responsibilities of the Kingdom in the absence of Vali. Vali “tried to smash him [Sugreeva] against a rock,” (Narayan, 178) but Sugreeva managed to slip out and fled away to Mount Matanga, a place where Vali could not enter without. After banishing his brother Sugreeva, Vali had also captured Sugreeva’s wife and made her his own. It was when Rama heard about all of this, that he felt a great sense of empathy for Sugreeva, and vouched to help him get out of the situation he was in with Vali and restore his honor. Sugreeva in turn promised Rama to help him in his search for Sita and to win her back from the mighty Ravana. When Sugreeva and Vali began their battle, Sugreeva was taken by Vali’s strength. He was not capable of keeping up and so he asked Rama to help him. Rama was afraid of killing the wrong brother because of their physical resemblance so he told SUgreeva to wear a garland. In the middle of their fight, Rama used his precision to shoot an arrow through Vali’s heart. Vali