Summary:
Maharajah Dasharatha lives in the capital city of Ayodhya, he has three queens named Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, none of whom has borne him an heir. Dasharatha decides to hold an Ashwamedha in hopes of earning the gods' favor in the form of a son. After the early stages of the process, wherein a Brahmin accompanies a horse on a year long wandering journey, the horse is sacrificed along with many other creatures. The gods promise Dasharatha four sons. This is convenient as in the land of Lanka, demon king Ravana must be defeated by a human - so Vishnu decides to come to earth in the form of a human avatar: Dasharatha's son Rama. Rama and his brothers grow - Rama and Lakshmana battle the rakshasi Thataka, earning Rama spiritual weapons which speak to him. Rama, avatar of Vishnu, meets Sita, avatar of Goddess Lakshmi - the two fall in love. Rama wins a challenge, bending the bow of god Shiva, earning the right to Sita's hand. Rama then completes an additional challenge laid out by Parashurama, another avatar of Vishnu, earning an additional weapon. Rama and Sita are wed, and Rama's brothers Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna also marry into Janaka's family. Mother of Prince Bharata, Manthara, demands Rama be exiled - which he is, accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana leave the city, cross the Ganges, and begin exile. As Dasharatha dies, attended by Kaushalya and Sumitra, he thinks on a curse stating he's doomed to lose a child - he leaves the earth aware of karma's role in his life. Dasharatha dies without any of his sons present.
Analysis:
Most of these tales seem to be oriented around the idea of interconnectedness and consequence; everything lines up as to balance the cosmic scales. Dasharatha requires a son, the gods require the human form to defeat Ravana - Vishnu descends as a son of Dasharatha. Everything has balance and consequence, as Rama is exiled in an attempt by Manthara to see her son on the throne, but it's in this exile Rama finds his true evolution. These tales hinge on the idea of permanence and continuity, and that's very interesting as oftentimes in western literature things are closed without need or happen in a vacuum; all too often kernels end up being satellites and the story fades.
Bibliography:
Public Domain Edition | Valmiki | Ramayana
Photo Credit:
Four Sons of Dasharatha | unknown artist
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