descends in the characters who are normal people of a kingdom.
It shows that Philosophy of
the divine qualities can be imbibed by human beings also. Such an approach the Epics
of the Rāmāyan̩a is unparalleled in the history of Sanskrit literature. Thus, the
spirit of Rāmāyan̩a has a humanist dimension as well.
4. Purus̩ ārtha and Āśrama
Purus̩ ārtha is the central notion of Indian philosophy and morality.
Etymologically, it is derived from the two Sanskrit words, purus̩ a and artha,
meaning the purpose of human beings. They are four as dharma (righteousness
or duty), artha (wealth), kāma (sensuous fulfillment), and Moks̩ a (liberation).
The epic does not eulogize artha and kāma but it does not dismiss it as well.
They are suggested to be fulfilled within the limits of dharma. The primary
importance is given to the dharma aspect as epitomized in the character of
Rāma, Hanumāna, Laks̩ man̩ a, Vibhīs̩ an̩ a. Rāmāyan̩a depicts the victory of
dharma over adharma. The epic does not describe much about Moks̩ a but again
does not dismiss its importance.
Āśramas are also the founding pillars of Sanātana dharma. Though all the
āśramas are described in the epic but the central focus has been on the gr̩ hastha
āśrama dharma which we find in Rāma’s management of his kingdom and
family affairs.
5. Metaphoric Suggestions
Besides moral and aesthetic importance, saints and philosophers down the ages
have tried to derive a suggested meaning (metaphor) of the story of Rāmāyan̩a.
For instance, Vivekananda interprets it in an Advaitic sense where Rāma is
seen as the Supreme Brahman, Sīta is seen as jīvātmā (the individual soul),
and Laṅkā is illustrated as a human body. The jivatma which is encaged in the
body of Laṅkā always desires to meet her Supreme Lord (Brahman). The only
hindrance is that of rāks̩ asas or our evil character traits. Vibhīs̩ an̩ a represents
the sattva gun̩a (auspicious qualities), Rāvan̩a represents the rajogun̩a or our
ego, and Kumbhakaran̩ a represents the tamogun̩a or the inertia. Hanumāna is
seen as the guru or the vital force of jīva by which the soul remembers God and
God in turn comes and saves the jīvātman by killing the ego of Rāvan̩a.
2. The Mahābhārata
The second great epic (Mahākāvya) after the Rāmāyan̩a is the Mahābhārata,
which literally denotes a battle name that took place in Kuruks̩ etra some 5000
years ago. If the Rāmāyan̩a is the adi kāvya of Sanskrit then Mahābhārata is
the first historical epic (itihāsa kāvya) of India. According to ‘The Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Hinduism’, the Mahābhārata is the longest epic or text in
the history of mankind. It contains over one lakh ślokas (verses) and over
1.8 million words and is roughly ten times the length of Odyssey and Iliad
combined. Scholars like WJ Johnson have also compared it with the Bible, the
Quran and the works of Homer and Shakespeare. In Indian tradition, it is also
called the fifth Veda or viśva kośa (the treasure of world knowledge).
Texture of the Mahābhārata
As stated above, the Mahābhārata consists of over one lakh ślokas. It was
composed by Vyasa with the help of god Gan̩ eśa. In its chapters, it contains 49
