There are hundreds of different versions of the Ramayana in various geographical locations. Even though the main characters stay consistent most of the time, their themes, actions and motifs often vary, which gives different groups of people multiple interpretations of how to use these stories. This is especially true for Rama because many people view him as the Supreme God, especially Ghandi and the RSS, although they have differing opinions on Rama’s image.
Mahatma Ghandi was arguably one of the most prominent figures during the 20th century due to his views about the assimilation of religions in India, rebellion through nonviolence, and eliminating British rule in India. Some Hindus, especially the RSS, wanted to get rid of the Muslim population in India, but Ghandi believed that the introduction of foreigners did not necessarily destroy the nation: they merge into the nation (Gandhi in Mukherjee 1993: 26). Ghandi believed that everyone, including Muslims, were his brothers, and that everyone should even love their enemy. He wanted everyone in India to band together against the British to gain their independence from them. However, the only way to do this was to through a nonviolent protest, because Ghandi firmly believed that in order to gain their independence, they should attain it in a nonaggressive manner. Many were afraid to fight the British because they had better weapons, and they were a larger country. However, Ghandi didn’t even want India to have their own army, or to fight at all. A country that is governed by even its national army can never be morally free (Gandhi in Mukherjee 1993:82). Ghandi firmly believed in ahmisa, which is non-killing, and is why he didn’t want India to have a national army.
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...arked so many riots. The Hindus feel it is in their dharma to follow Rama, follow his narrative, to vanquish all evil, and to protect themselves from others.
In 300 Ramayanas, A.K. Ramanujan explains how there are hundreds of different versions of the Ramayana everywhere. Therefore, there are hundreds of ways to interpret to motifs, themes and actions of not only Rama but the other main characters as well. There is a common core to the Rama stories, except the most skeletal of relations like that of Rama, his brother, his wife and the anatagonist Ravana who abducts her. (Ramanujan 1999: 156). This is why the Hindu nationalist and Ghandi have a very different view of Rama and how to mobilize people. They receive very different morals from them, they use the Ramayana narratives in very different ways, and they help to mobilize many people using very different ideas.
Mohandas Gandhi was a non-violent promoter for Indian independence.He was married young at 13,and went to London to go to law school.Gandhi got his degree there and was on his way to being a lawyer.He went to his first case,but couldn't even speak. Gandhi then got invited to South Africa from a businessman. Gandhi’s luck their was no good either.European racism came to him,after he got kicked off of a train,because he was “colored” and was holding a first class ticket.When Gandhi fought back because of it,was arrested and was sent to jail.After this, he became know as as a leader.Gandhi returned to India in 1896,and he was disgusted by it.British wanted them to wear their clothes,copy their manners,accept their standards of beauty,but Gandhi refused.Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class and wealth.Gandhi tried so hard and was more successful then any other man in India.They won independence in 1947. Gandhi’s non-violent movement worked because,Gandhi used clever planning, mass appeal, conviction, and compassion to win independence for India.
The mission of Gandhi’s life was to help the people of India free themselves from British rule. Many people have struggled for independence. They have fought bloody battles or used terrorism in an attempt to achieve their goals. Gandhi’s revolution was different. He succeeded as an independence leader with the use of nonviolent methods. The young Mohandas Gandhi did not seem as a boy that would become a great leader. He changed as he studied in Britain and practiced in South Africa. He fought for the rights of Indians in both South Africa and India. Gandhi believed that all people in the world are brothers and sisters. He didn’t hate the English. Actually, he saw a lot that was good about them. His nonviolent means of revolution was referred to as satyagraha, which is a combination of two Sanskrit words, satya, meaning truth and love, plus agraha, meaning firmness. Many people were influenced by satyagraha.
India gained independence from British rule in 1947. The Gandhian strategy is mainly comprised with: Satyagraha, Truth, Nonviolence, non-cooperation and peace and love. Satyagraha, a holistic approach toward life based on the ideals of truth and moral courage. Truth, the most powerful weapon. Gandhi believed "the truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction. Non-violence, was seen by Gandhi as "everlasting". Gandhi was influenced Jainism and Buddhism, both preached non-violence. Non-cooperation, aimed to resist British rule in India. Non-cooperation included the boycott of councils, courts and schools set up by British and of all foreign cloth. Peace and love, Gandhi stated " peace between countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between
Narayan, R. K., and Kampar. (2006). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version Of The Indian Epic (suggested by the Tamil version of Kamban). New York: Penguin Books. PDF e-book.
Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he didn’t believe in segregation and didn’t follow the British’s rules for Indians. When coming back from prison in 1859, things changed in India. The people if India were forced to mimic the English on how they dressed, copy their manner and accept their standards of beauty. When hearing this, Gandhi didn’t accept it and started his movement. According to the background document,” he shed the cloths that made him look like a British lawyer and dressed in a poor man’s traditional loincloth.”(Background document) By do...
Martin Luther King once said, “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him”. Throughout history, people have committed numerous acts of crime from stealing to fighting, to war. These acts of violence had never done any good to mankind but had continuously harmed mankind. Mahatma Gandhi was a leader who had promoted and inspired people across the world to continue the acts of Ahimsa. Gandhi spread his acts of Ahimsa inspiring the American Civil Rights Movement, Nelson Mandela, and Harper Lee showing that Gandhi’s beliefs of non violence should be continued.
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
To begin our comparisons, we must first look at each character and recognize their separate journeys. Through summarization of the characters and their story, we will begin to see Rama's role and Sita's role. By this process, I will demonstrate how they correlate, differ and combine to form the Ramayana. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is a god known as Vishnu who has been reincarnated and sent to earth in mortal form. Rama must take an archetypal journey known as the "quest." During the quest, a hero must conquer obstacles to save the kingdom (Guerin et.al.154). Rama's obstacle is Ravana, an evil monster who is slowly taking over heaven and earth. Because Ravana never asked for protection from a human being, he can only be destroyed by a human being and this makes Rama's need for success especially important (Narayan 5). a the beginning of the narrative, Rama is forced into exile from his kingdom into the forest for 14 years. This exile begins his quest.
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
Mahatma Gandhi, a nationalist and spiritual leader was perceptive and objectively so, perhaps most eminently when he instructed his zealots, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win” (Mahatma). Gandhi has a remarkable sagacity at a young age and strengthened it throughout the succession of his life. Although the aforementioned quote merely previews the extent of his intellect, it effectively summarizes his political approach. After becoming a member of the Indian National Congress Gandhi had the potential to become a most influential leader for the Indian people, and he did. Gandhi committed his political title towards fighting against the unlawful oppression of British rule. His method of fighting, however, was a politically innovative, mental type of fight. As a firm believer in the value of Pacifism, Gandhi developed the theory of non-violent civil protest and vowed to prevent his followers from succumbing to the allure of bloodshed. The irenic nature of Gandhi’s leadership won him the admiration of many Indian people, and is now considered to have political genius prestigious enough to be studied today (Mahatma 2). In some instances, studying Gandhi’s political strategy demonstrates the benefits of an actively participating governed majority. In today’s society, many people tend to make uneducated political decisions and sometimes even refrain from making one completely. In a variety of circumstances, related to any category of politics, from the election of a new president to the enactment of new laws, a group of Americans remain unrepresented because of their refusal to exercise their right to vote. A topic such as gun control would be a fitting example of a subject that while put ...
Gandhi is motivated by religious means; he believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. He gets involved in several movements for equality, and he stresses non-violence very strongly. The Indians are very mad because British rule continues to limit their rights. They are supposed to all get fingerprinted, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers vow to fight their oppressors to the death, but he discourages them from violence.
The idea that some people are strong enough to be completely independent of others might seem true at surface level, but further examination of this concept proves otherwise. Through analyzing the journey of Rama as well as those around him, The Ramayana becomes proof that all characters are relevant in accomplishing big-picture tasks. Characters in The Ramayana which seem to have varying levels of relevance or show antagonistic behavior all have large roles in accomplishing big-picture dharma; this fact becomes clear as their dependencies on each other are recognized, demonstrating that all individuals must rely on others.
“The strongest physical force bends before moral force when used in the defense of truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Bondurant). Mahatma Gandhi was the main leader in helping India become independent through the principles of non violence, self-rule, and the unity of Hindus and Muslims. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name Mahatma later on in his life. He wanted to see an united India without the rule of the British Empire. He accomplished this with passive resistance or resistance by non violence because he wanted to show that violence is not always the best answer.
In R.K. Narayan’s version of The Ramayana, Rama used dharma to represent the ideal qualities of kingship by adhering to the social conventions of constructs like caste, class, gender, and race, and set an example for all as to how to form a cohesive society.
Mahatma Gandhi's Influence and Ideas Mahatma Gandhi was a man of faith and great conviction. He was born into an average Hindu family in India. Like most teenagers he had a rebellious stage when he smoked, spent time with girls and ate meat (forbidden to strict Hindus). The young Gandhi changed as a person while earning a living as a lawyer in South Africa. He came in contact with the apartheid and the future Mahatma began to emerge, one who championed the truth through non-violent resistance.