There are over 330 million deities in the Hindu religion, which may seem like a daunting number at first, but myths help with understanding that the many are the same. Valmiki’s Ramayana, one of Hinduism’s two great epics, holds great value in Hindu literature, religion, and society. Vishnu’s avatar, Rama, is sent down to defeat the demon king of Lanka, Ravana, who has received a boon which allows him to be invisible to all beings except humans. Rama, being a human avatar, is able to see and slay the demon, who has become a “cruel, proud and invincible tyrant” (Bose Summary, 100). In these series of events, he upholds his varna dharma over his individual dharma. This myth illustrates the importance of dharma and is used in secular and religious …show more content…
Rather than disobeying Kaikeyi, who claims her promised boons and has him exiled, tells her “I would have willingly gone” (ACK, Valmiki’s Ramayana, 21). This behavior is that of a Hindu family’s model son. By upholding his dharma as a son, he is also able to show the common folk of Ayodhya that he can keep promises he may make as a king. Similarly, Sita is also a model wife because she is committed to Rama and forces him to uphold his dharma as a husband. She follows Rama into exile, telling him, “without you, even the palace will be hell” (ACK, Valmiki’s Ramayana, 24). This instance demonstrates the way a Hindu wife should act towards her husband. Later on, Rama enlists the help of Hanuman in the search for Sita, but when Hanuman finds her, she refuses to go with him, providing Rama a chance to “vindicate her honour” (ACK, Valmiki’s Ramayana, 71) and therefore fulfill his dharma as her …show more content…
They teach Hindus that sometimes sacrifices are made in order to uphold the cosmic order. It can be argued that Sita’s final decision in refusing to do the second fire ordeal is not following her stridharma, but her actions seem to be dharmic on a larger scale. The Ramayana can also be used in teaching that “the many become one again” (Lecture, 9/23/15) when Sita asks to be returned to the earth, which evidently like dharma, maintains the cosmic order. Although she does not show that she is commited to her stridharma in this act, she is following her varna dharma in freeing Rama from the suspicions of his people. This emphasizes her duty to society is more important than her duty as a
Many authors have employed the religious beliefs of their cultures in literature. The deities contained in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Biblical book of Exodus reflect the nature of the gods in their respective societies. Upon examination of these two works, there are three major areas where the gods of the Greek epic seem to directly contrast the nature of the God of the Israelites: the way problems are solved, the prestige and status that separates the divine from the masses, and the extent of power among the immortal beings.
In the early text of the Hindu tradition, the Veda, everything evolved around sacrifice. As a means of acquiring something, the elite class would make sacrifices to their gods in order to obtain the things they so desperately needed. An example of this would be the slaughtering of an animal to the gods in exchange for a sufficient rainy season during harvest time. The essence of what it is to be a human being in the Hindu tradition comes from a later text known as the Upanishads. This text did not focus on sacrifice rituals, but instead focused on the quest for knowledge. In the Upanishads the life of the Hindu is a spiritual pursuit that prepares one for the cycle of rebirth known as samsara. Hindus consider the body to be only a place to keep the soul. After watching Professor Anne Monius lecture on Hinduism and reading the book Hinduism A Very Short Introduction by Kim Knott, in the Hindu tradition, to be a “human being” means living one’s life according to a moral tradition which is based on the persons social and religious duty, known as dharma (Knott, 1998).
From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this world has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflected both the society and values of the culture they are from. We have also reflected our inner psyche, conscious and unconscious, unto the fabric of our myths. This reflection allows us to understand ourselves and other cultures better. Throughout the eons of humanity’s existence, the myths explain natural phenomena and the cultural legends of the epic hero have reflected the foundations and the inner turmoil of the human psyche.
The myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
The epic hero’s journeys hold the hopes for future of ordinary people’s lives. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in approximately 2000 B.C.E which is highly enriched with Ancient Mesopotamian religions, and The Ramayana was written by ancient Indians in around 1800 B.C.E. The stories were written in two different parts of the world. However, these two stories etched great evidence that show people from generation to generation that different cultures and religions are interconnected; they share ideas with each other. Both Gilgamesh and Rama traveled long journeys in these tales. These epic journeys played a role in the creation of different archetypes. We can clearly see that these two tales share similarities between these archetypes. Although
Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 5th ed. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Pub. Group, 1994. Print.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first recorded story, follows Gilgamesh as he struggles to deal with mortality, loss, and his limitations as a human. As these ideas develop through the death of Gilgamesh’s friend Enkidu, a central theme around mortality emerges, refines, and develops. During Gilgamesh, readers are shown that one’s acceptance of mortality is important for recovering from a loss, and for accepting the limitations you have as a human.
Nina Paley 's version had a more modern and comical approach of the film while “Ramayana the Epic” was more serious and followed a constructed storyline. In “Ramayana the Epic,” Lakshmana was portrayed throughout the film as a center of strength to Rama but in “Sita Sings the Blues” he was not perceived as an important character. The way Sita was portrayed in “Sita Sings the Blues” acts as an eye opener to some who aren 't familiar with the entire story of the Ramanya. It shows that although Rama pushed Sita away because of other people 's words and his own disbelief of Sitas purity, Sita continues to love and respect Rama. She doesn 't speak ill of him to their kids that were born. She creates an image that Rama is a perfect human and that he does no wrong. This shows that Sita is an ideal wife because in many Hindu cultures the wifes are suppose to always take the husband 's side and be with him through everything. She does her best and doesn 't hurt his
When considering the versatility of a synthesiser as a keys player it can widen one’s oeuvre immensely. With its ability to imitate existing sounds and instruments to create beautiful polyphonies and to contrastingly emit haunting, dissonant soundscape’s from previously non-exiting timbres makes it not only a useful tool but and essential piece in a composer’s instrumental repertoire.
As human beings, we are designed to belive in something. Although the belief in a higher power or religion is diverse, many theologies share common themes. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and the Hebrew book of “Genesis” are seemingly polar opposites. Christianity, demonstrated in Genesis, is monotheistic, and the Hebrews base their faith on their relationship with God. On the other hand, Sumerian philosophy, found in Gilgamesh, is polytheistic, and the Sumerian people base their theology on fear. Ancient polytheistic literature forms an archetypical pattern of the mortals trying desperately to please the gods. A mortal’s entire existence rests in the hands of the sometimes childish gods. In spite of this, these two stories
Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Third Edition. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Text.
The Ramayana is the most famous and well-known of all Indian epics, originally based on an epic poem it has taken many variations and forms over the centuries. Traditionally the story centers on the hero Prince Rama, who is the embodiment of virtue and perseverance, as he is wrongfully denied his birthright of being crowned king and instead is unjustly exiled into the forest where he encounters his fair share of dilemma. In R. K. Narayan’s condensed, modern version of The Ramayana the classic conflict of duality is a predominant theme, as Rama faces many instances of uncertainty and trivial chaos which are eventually balanced by order and goodness under the laws of karmic causation and dharma alike which he virtuously strives to uphold. Nina
Rajhans, Gyan. "Ideas of Hindu Marriage: Why the Hindu Marriage is Sacrosanct." About.com Hinduismn.pag. About.com. Web. 20 Mar 2014. .
"Myths Encyclopedia - Myths and legends of the world." Hinduism and Mythology. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.