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“Rama, devoted as he was to dharma, spoke: ‘Among our ancestors were renowned kings who earned fame and heaven by doing their father’s bidding. Mother, I am but following

their noble example’” (695)

� � Author � Time/Date of Composition � Contextual Information � Form � Major Themes

Preview

� Author

� Valmiki à not much is known about him, except for what he says in his poetry �  Was an ascetic, or

person who practices self-denial in order to develop spiritual discipline

�  Invented the sloka, a type of verse

(Valmiki from Wikipedia)

� � Probably composed around 550 BCE

�  Gilgamesh: ~1200 BCE (standard version by Sin-leqi- unninni)

�  The Iliad: ~ 800 BCE � Expanded upon by other authors and composers for

the next 500-600 years

Time & Date of Composition

� � Crash Course Hinduism: Vishnu � Crash Course Hinduism: Dharma

Context

� Context

� Vishnu, meaning “the pervader” in Sanskrit

� Vishnu is the second god of the Hindu triumvirate �  Brahman – creator of

the universe �  Vishnu – preserver

and protector of the universe

�  Shiva – the destroyer (Vishnu from the Brooklyn Museum)

� Context

�  Vishnu often appears in avatar form �  An avatar is the “human

or animal form of a Hindu god on Earth” (“Avatar” from Merriam-Webster)

�  Two of Vishnu’s most famous avatars are Rama from The Ramayana and Krishna from The Mahabharata

(Vishnu from Wikipedia)

� � Vishnu is portrayed as a blue-skinned man with four

arms. He always carry items representing different aspects of himself �  The conch �  The chakra �  The lotus flower �  The mace (“Vishnu” from BBC)

Context

� � Dharma means “duty, virtue, morality” and

“religion” �  It is a universal law that “upholds the universe and

society” and “gives humans the opportunity to act virtuously” (“Hindu Concepts” from the BBC)

�  Everyone has different dharma “according to their age, gender, and social position” (“Hindu Concepts” from the BBC) �  Example: the dharma of a woman is different than the

dharma of a child, or the dharma of a warrior

Context

� Context

�  Rama is an example of someone who loyally performs his dharma: as son, as prince, and as husband

�  But.. You could also argue that Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman perform their dharma too. Sita is the “perfect wife,” Laksmana the “perfect brother” or vassal, and Hanuman is a loyal follower

�  Who(m) do you think is the “hero” of The Ramayana?

(Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana from Wikipedia)

� �  The dharma of different social classes or castes is different �  In hierarchical order:

�  Brahmans – intellectuals and priestly class �  Kshatriya – nobles or warriors �  Vaishyas – commoners or merchants �  Shudras – workers

�  The lowest class, called “the untouchables,” were considered impure à the caste system has been officially abolished, but it is still practiced in some rural parts of India nonetheless

�  The caste system is fixed; intermarriage is very rare

Context

� � The Ramayana was first composed orally “using a

large repertoire of formulaic expressions” � The Ramayana is divided into seven books called

kandas �  The kandas are subdivided into sections called sargas

�  Each sarga contains about twenty to fifty couplets � There are a total of 24,000 couplets in The Ramayana

�  About 1.5X the length of The Iliad and The Odyssey combined.

Form

� �  The Ramayana is composed in lines called sloka, meaning

“song” in Sanskrit �  Unrhymed metrical verse; usually a couplet �  Used in Indian epic verse; often called “epic couplets” �  Example of a rhyming couplet:

“Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow That I shall say good night till it be morrow.” (from Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2)

�  Example of an unrhymed couplet: “The man bent over his guitar, A shearsman of sorts. The day was green.” (from “The Man with the Blue Guitar” by Wallace Stevens)

Form

� � Dharma à probably the most important theme � Loyalty � Virtue � What else do you think might constitute a theme?

Themes