The Process of the Advancement of the Human Soul Towards its Perfection in Ramayana and the Mahabharata
The whole of the Ramayana is an Epic of humanity. Humanity does not mean mankind but that which particularly human nature. It is in this sense, Sri Rama is oftentimes called the paragon of humanity, an example of the perfection of human nature. This perfection is not inclusive of the foibles of man in his lower endowments. That majestic feature of bodily personality, the ideal perfection of physiological structure, the beauty of understanding, dignity of behavior, exemplary nature of conduct--to put it in one word 'perfection' as conceived or as conceivable by the human understanding--this is what comes forth as an answer from the great
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It is something like building a house with four walls without any ventilation and sitting inside in pitch darkness while the sun is shining outside in all its might and glory. The sun has come up wanting to enlighten the whole world with its luster and force. But we live in a dungeon covering ourselves with a blanket and closing our eyes so that the energy and the light of the sun may not have any effect on our personality. This is what we do in our relation to God and in our relationship with the forces of the universe. The forces of the world are just here, within this hall, wherever we are. They are not far away in the skies. You can keep yourself open to them or keep yourself shut to them. Thoughts which are directed to the body and to the center of the personality called the ego, prevent the entry of universal forces into our personality, so that the more important we look in our own eyes, the more impervious we are to the entry of the forces of the cosmos. The bigger we are in the world, the worse we are from the point of view of spiritual strength and knowledge. Because, this self-importance, self-assertion, Ahamkara, personality-consciousness, body-consciousness, social-consciousness and status-consciousness--all these put together act as psychological barriers which shut off the forces of the cosmos from entering into us. These forces are not absent. They are just here, and the moment we think in terms of them, they enter into us. When we …show more content…
Terror was Rama, thunderbolt was Rama--says Valmiki. "But butter was Rama, a rose petal was Rama, all compassion was Rama--says the same sage Valmiki. In anger, Rama was fierce like fire,--fire comparable only with the fire during the dissolution of the cosmos, and at the same time nobody could be so compassionate, good-hearted and simple as Rama himself was." This is the dramatic contradiction of personality, which Valmiki introduces into his Epic, to bring out the greatness of the divine personality. What are the characteristics of great men? They are harder than a diamond but softer than a lotus-petal. The great masters are harder than a diamond and, therefore, you cannot do anything to them and they will never budge from their principles. You cannot shake them by your powerful logic and argumentation. This is only one side of these great Masters. The other side is that no person can be so good, merciful and tenderhearted as they, which characteristics are revealed in proper time. Such is the mysterious combination, a terrific manifestation of divinity combined with most perfect humane characteristics and features that we see in Sri
Siddhartha progresses from an aloof and slightly arrogant youth, not unlike young Grendel, to a wise, satisfied man.
In this paper, I will be explaining how Siddhartha had arrived at the Four Noble Truths. The first paragraph contains how Siddhartha’s life was full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. The second paragraph will be the cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions in Siddhartha’s life. Following, in the third paragraph I will be explaining how the only way to cure suffering is to overcome desire. Finally, I will be explaining that the only way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Siddhartha.” SparkNotes.com. Sparknotes LLC. 2004.
Firstly, religion and philosophy greatly affected life in Ancient India. Document A states, “India has been an important part of three major world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.” These religions change people’s day-to-day lives, because of their beliefs. For example, Hindus life their lives based on their dharma, or their spiritual duties they have to fulfill in their lifetime. Hindus believe that by following their dharma and being a good person, they will establish good karma, which is the effect(s) that good or bad actions have on the soul. By establishing good karma, Hindus believe that they will be born into a better caste, or social division. This will definitely change the way people act, since they will want to be born into a better life in
The first understanding of India arrived in America through commercial and missionary activity. The finding of America itself was a mistake, as explorers were searching for a shorter route to India. At the time India was known for its great wealth, kingdoms and exotic mysteries (Charles Lippy & Peter Williams). Based on religious perspective India was thought to have an “ancient wisdom”, which rest upon a philosophy with the oldest religious scriptures. Prior to the twentieth century Americans knew little about Hinduism, therefore conceived it as inferior, pagan, and probably idolatrous (Charles Lippy & Peter Williams). Sadly this will not be the first of or last time America will have made quick and inaccurate decision on a diverse world religion. Even though Hinduism may have had difficulty establishing itself earlier in America, it has grown exponentially over the years.
“Ramayana.” The Language of Literature Ed. Arthur N. Applebee, et al. Boston: McDougal Littell, 1983. 130-140. Print.
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 Bhagavad-Gita, a portion of the great epic the Mahabharata, is the “most typical expression of Hinduism.” It is eighteen chapters long and was composed around the first century BCE. The sage Samjaya recites the story to the blind king Dhrtarastra, the father of the Kaurava princes. While presenting ideas of wisdom, duty, and liberation in the midst of the rivalry between the Kauravas, the Bhagavad-Gita epitomizes the teachings of Krishna. Focusing specifically on the moral struggle of the Pandava prince Arjuna, the Bhagavad-Gita’s major themes include yoga, karma, dharma, and moksa. Yoga, being discipline or the strict and “attentive cultivation of mental character and meaningful action” , is crucial to the text because it is dharma yoga, acting properly according to one’s dharma, and bhakti yoga, a disciplined life of devotion that allows one to achieve moksa, or liberation, one of the four aims of li...
Readers have been fascinated with Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha for decades. Written in 1951, Hesse’s most famous novel provides the reader with a work of literature that, “presents a remarkable exploration of the deepest philosophical and spiritual dimensions of human existence” (Bennett n.p). Siddhartha takes place in India while the Buddha has first began his teachings. The book follows the life of a man by the name of Siddhartha, on his journey to reach enlightenment. The main theme in Siddhartha is reaching enlightenment without the guidance of a teacher or mentor. Siddhartha believes that he must learn from himself, and the guidance of another teacher will only distort his goals of reaching enlightenment. Siddhartha says that he must, “learn from myself, be a pupil of myself: I shall get to know, myself, the mystery of Siddhartha” (Hesse 36). On Siddhartha’s journey to reach Nirvana, the highest level of peace in the Buddhist culture, he undergoes three stages all of which are critical in helping Siddhartha find peace within himself.
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
Pandey, T. N., 2014. Lecture 1/9/14: Culture of India: Aryan and Indigenous Population. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.
Starting at the core of India, its heart can be correlated with Hinduism. Hinduism started in Indian approximately the third millennium BC and is still practiced in the present day. Also, as it is of Indian origin, its rightful place can be considered the heart of India. It can be said that Hinduism is substantially “outdated” by today’s standards as formidable religion of Indian majority. During the period of the caste social structure within India it was en excellent fit. But this ensures its position of the heart of India by being fundamental to the development of ancient India and forming modern India.
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.
Also with abundance of history relating not only to Hinduism but as well as the backdrop of the story which was the beautiful city of Hastinapura, located on Ganges River, gave me a topographical sense where the city was located therefore providing a connection within me and the epic. There are many topics in which I can analyze and respond about the epic but I will discuss the author Vyasa who is said to be credited for the writing and his important role in the epic also I will describe the epic The Mahabharata and how dharma and fate influences its characters throughout the story and elaborating on the dice game which eventually lead to the declaration of war between the Kauravas and Pandavas clans. Another topic is how dharma is still used to influence society today in India.
Nothing has been capable of fulfilling a man’s heart completely, only God has infinitely. Believing in God encompasses courage and steadfast faith from human beings. Nothing happens to be extremely magical than hoping for the unseen in God. Thinking the best of God forms the truest foundation of devotion. Believing in God has an impact of glorifying him as a supreme ruler and creator of the entire universe. God is powerful and full of wisdom. Believing in him gives an opportunity to Christians to be Christ-like. Christ manifested unimaginable wisdom and ideal attributes that no human being has been capable of fulfilling. Believing in God enriches our souls with wisdom, power ad knowledge to tackle numerous issues in life. The belief in God encourages the implementation of a spiritual dimension in tackling the issues existent in life. Embracing the spiritual dimension in tackling situations ascertains the prevalence of peace, love, unity, humility, and benevolence (Lakhani