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1. RAMAYANA
by
Sean Craig D. Alsim
8-Blessed Clement of Osimo
Ms. Eden Sangel

2. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SETTING 2
MAIN CHARACTERS 2
PLOT 3
CONFLICT 4
THEME 4
LESSON 5
REFERENCES 6

3. 2
SETTING
The story took place in India many centuries ago.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Rama - the son of King Dasaratha and Queen Kausalya, Rama is
the prince of Ayodya. He is an avatar of Vishnu, the Blue God
and the sustainer of worlds. He is also a virtuous, strong, and just
man in his own right.
Sita – the adopted daughter of King Janak. She is famed for her
virtue and beauty, and is regarded as an avatar of the goddess
Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort.
Ravana - a rakshasa who performed penance for the God Siva for
many years, and in return received a great blessing from the God:
he cannot be killed by any God, demon, or other divine being.
His arrogance combined, with great intelligence and power, has
led him to rule over much of the earth, spreading terrible evil
everywhere he goes.
Lakshmana - Son of King Dasaratha, and brother of Rama. He is
deeply devoted to his brother, whom he follows through many
dangerous adventures and quests.
King Dasaratha -King of Ayodhya, father of Rama, Lakshmana,
Bharata, and Shatrughna. Of all his three sons, he loves Rama
most deeply, and tries to shelter the boy from any danger. He is a
good king: kind, just and well-liked by his people.
Viswamitra - is a great sage and wise man who was once a king.
Through long meditation, he gained a number of magical powers.
He takes Rama on a quest to defeat a demon and to lift the bow of
Siva, the first step in the future king's great journey.
Kausalya - the first wife of Dasaratha and mother of Rama. She
is the oldest wife, and very kind and wise. She does not have a

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close relationship with her husband, but she loves her son Rama
very deeply.
PLOT
Dasharatha was the King of Ayodhya and had three wives and
four sons. Rama was the eldest and his mother was Kaushalya.
Bharata was the son of Dasharatha’s second and favorite wife,
Queen Kaikeyi. The other two were twins, Lakshmana and
Shatrughna whose mother was Sumithra. In the neighboring city
the ruler’s daughter was named Sita. When it was time for Sita to
choose her bridegroom (at a ceremony called a swayamvara)
princes from all over the land were asked to string a giant bow
which no one could lift. However, as Rama picked it up, he not
only strung the bow, he broke it. Seeing this, Sita indicated that
she had chosen Rama as her husband by putting a garland
around his neck. Their love became a model for the entire
kingdom as they looked over the kingdom under the watchful eye
of his father the king.
A few years later, King Dasharatha decided it was time to give his
throne to his eldest son Rama and retire to the forest. Everyone

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seemed pleased, save Queen Kaikeyi since she wanted her son
Bharata to rule. Because of an oath Dasharatha had made to her
years before, she got the king to agree to banish Rama for fourteen
years and to crown Bharata, even though the king pleaded with
her not to demand such a request. The devastated King could not
face Rama and it was Queen Kaikeyi who told Rama the King’s
decree. Rama, always obedient, was content to go into banishment
in the forest. Sita and Lakshmana accompanied him on his exile.
One day Rama and Lakshmana wounded a rakshasas (demon)
princess who tried to seduce Rama. She returned to her brother
Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of Lanka. In retaliation, Ravana
devised a plan to abduct Sita after hearing about her
incomparable beauty. He sent one of his demons disguised as a
magical golden deer to entice Sita. To please her, Rama and
Lakshmana went to hunt the deer down. Before they did though,
they drew a protective circle around Sita and told her that she
would be safe for as long as she did not step outside the circle.
After Rama and Lakshmana left, Ravana appeared as a holy
man begging alms. The moment Sita stepped outside the circle to
give him food, Ravana grabbed her and carried her to his
kingdom in Lanka.
Rama then sought the help of a band of monkeys offer to help
him find Sita. Hanuman, the general of the monkey band can fly
since his father is the wind. He flew to Lanka and, finding Sita
in the grove, comforted her and told her Rama would come to
save her soon. Ravana’s men captured Hanuman, and Ravana
ordered them to wrap Hanuman's tail in cloth and to set it on
fire. With his tail burning, Hanuman escaped and hopped from
house-top to house-top, setting Lanka on fire. He then flew back
to Rama to tell him where Sita was.
Rama, Lakshmana and the monkey army built a causeway from
the tip of India to Lanka and crossed over to Lanka where a
cosmic battle ensued. Rama killed several of Ravana’s brothers

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and eventually confronted the ten-headed Ravana. He killed
Ravana, freed Sita and after Sita proved here purity, they
returned to Ayodhya where Bharata returned the crown to him.
CONFLICT
The primary conflict in the book is between the cosmic forces of
good (embodied by Rama and his allies), and the forces of evil
(personified by Ravana). It is Rama's duty to restore dharma and
balance to the world.
When Rama must endure banishment because of the deception of
one of his father's wives, there is a conflict, and it is resolved by
accepting what is seen as his duty. When Sita must struggle with
whether or not to let the mendicant into her home or to give him
food, there is a struggle as to what to do and how she shall live.
When Rama must confront Ravana, there is a conflict as to what
to do and how he should live. When Rama rescues Sita, and
recognizes the doubt of his people about her virtue, the
construction of the pyre upon which she will burn is yet another
instant where the conflict of what to do and how to live is
present. As a result, when Sita chooses to walk through the fire to
demonstrate her purity, but also to move to a transcendent realm
where even her husband can no longer reach her, it is a
statement of what to do and how one shall live in the face of
intense and agonizing conflict.
Ravana, the evil King of Lanka, (what is probably present-day
Sri Lanka) abducted Rama’s beloved wife, Sita. Rama mustered
the aid of a money army, built a causeway across to Lanka,
released Sita and brought her safely back to Ayodhya. In order to
set a good example, however, Rama demanded that Sita prove her
purity before he could take her back as his wife. Rama, Sita and
Bharata are all examples of persons following their dharma.

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THEMES
The main themes involves being a suitable husband for a worthy
wife; the "Bala Kanda" or Book of Childhood covers Rama's
heritage and discovery of wife Sita. The Ayodhya theme mainly
covers Rama's faith and loving companionship with his wife
until she is kidnapped in the next book, the Book of the Monkey
Kingdom. The Sundara Kanda details the rescue of Sita by
devoted servant Hanuman. The Book of War details the war of
Sita's kidnappers and Rama and his armies. It symbolizes the
valiance found with the help of faith. This is the reconciliatory
book; here they return back to Ayodha to rule. The last book
covers infidelity, trust and detail Rama's departure from the
earthly realm. The Ramayana is considered by Hindus and
others as a document reminiscent of the Bible; similar to Jesus,
the book focuses on a man's spiritual and physical journey with
embedded lessons that serve as guidelines for the reader.
Romantic Love - central focus of the Ramayana is the love
between Sita and Rama.
The Perfect Man - Rama is the time-honored symbol of the
perfect man: he is generous, just, merciful, the master of his
emotions, and a valiant warrior. He is a dedicated son and a
loyal husband.
Dharma - a central concept in Hinduism and Indian philosophy,
dharma may be translated as truth, justice, and duty.
Dharma refers to the central purpose of a
particular being, as well as the correct
path that she or he should follow in this
world.
Good and Evil - in the Ramayana, good and evil are
diametrically opposed forces, locked in eternal combat.

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Combat - large portions of the Ramayana describe incredible
battles between Rama and various wicked rakshasa. These battles
are intense and described in evocative prose, featuring a great
deal of violence and magical weapons.
Human and Divine - the differences and similarities between
human and divine are a major theme in the Ramayana. Rama
himself is the incarnation of a god, but much of his goodness is
the result of his own personal choices rather than this divine
heritage. Rama has been born into the world because an
enormously powerful rakshasa, Ravana, cannot be killed by any
deity or supernatural creature; the gods themselves are unable to
defeat them. In some ways, some human beings and vanaras
(magical monkeys) are superior to the gods in their virtuous
conduct. However, the gods still have the power to offer boons to
mortals, such as weapons and invincibility.
LESSONS
1. Victory of truth over evil – The first and the foremost teaching
or message of this great epic is Good always wins over evil. The
way Goddess Sita is lured by evil and finally Lord Rama wins
her back by defeating wicked Ravana, the moral of the story is, it
doesn’t matter how mighty or maleficent the evil is but noble
values and good intentions will always win over it.
2. Unity in diversity – One of the most important teachings that
come through is unity in diversity. The epic celebrates the diverse
nature of all three wives of the King Dashratha as well as the
different nature of all four brothers because, when we forgo the
idea of differences & enjoy the fruits of togetherness, any family
can sail through with ease even in the difficult times.
3. Value relationships over money – The brotherly love where
greed, anger or treachery could never penetrate, is yet another
example set in the Hindu epic. While Laxman followed Rama for
fourteen years and supported him in both good and bad, Bharata

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(Queen Kaikeyi’s son) did not take up the kingdom even when he
has the opportunity to take it. Instead, he sought for Lord Rama’s
forgiveness and asked him to take up the kingdom as it belonged
to Lord Rama rightfully. This positive tale of Brotherly love asks
us in the modern world to forgo greed and material gain rather
value relationships over money or property.
4. Importance of keeping good company – The epic also
emphasizes on the relevance of good company. Queen Kaikeyi
loved Rama more dearly than her own son Bharata. But due to
the ill thoughts and negative feed from her handmaiden,
Manthara, Kaikeyi was lured into committing the hideous act of
asking for Rama’s fourteen years of exile. It is important that we
maintain a healthy circle that motivates to be the best version of
ourselves rather than negatively pushing us to a downfall.
5. True Devotion and Surrender – Hanumanji, the monkey god
stands as an image of irrevocable faith and love for the lord. His
unwavering devotion and service to the Lord Rama and always
being available when a friend needed him, works as teaching to
the entire human race. It asks us to surrender ourselves in the
lotus feet of the divine without any question or doubts. When we
have an attitude of surrender and gratitude towards almighty, we
can expect to attain nirvana and get rid of the circle of karma.
6. Forgiveness is a better attitude than revenge – Ravana’s
abduction of Goddess Sita leads to his downfall, although he was
also a well versed and a knowledgeable man. This shows us that
in the fire of revenge we often burn our own house rather than
bringing much harm to the other party. When Ravana goes to
teach Lord Rama a lesson as Laxmana had insulted Supnakha
(Ravana’s sister) then Ravana falls into his own trap of anger,
treachery and vengeance. Therefore, we should always maintain
an attitude of forgiveness rather than giving into the ills like
revenge, ego and anger.

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7. Equal treatment for all – Lord Rama’s humble demeanor and
his attitude of respect for both elders and younger ones, works
like a teaching to all of us. We should treat everyone equally and
not discriminate on the basis of status, sex, age etc. Even animals
should be treated with love and kindness. A true human being is
one who professes equal treatment for all.
8. True Service to God – Laxmana’s conversation with his mother
Sumitra before Rama’s departure to the forest, where she counsels
him on his conduct with Rama and Sita is one of the ways of
saying, serve God with all your heart and this is the real heaven
and the only path to salvation. Sumitra mentions how it does not
matter where Laxmana stays as long as he is with Rama and Sita
because true Ayodhaya is where Lord Rama is. She teaches
Laxmana’s to serve the lord with the best of his ability, which is
the biggest deed and the real purpose of anyone’s lives.
9. Power of faith in god – The stone bridge that was created from
India to Srilanka so that Lord Rama, Laxmana and the Vanar
Sena (monkey battalion) could reach their destination was an act
of magic. Just by writing the name of god on the stones they
floated in the water. This is a great teaching, which says that just
by taking or chanting god’s name we can sail through the
toughest times and expect to emerge as a winner in every field.
10. Love and Compassion – Lastly but most important Lord Rama
is an epitome of love, compassion and positivity and if we human
beings try to embody even 10% of Lord Rama in our daily lives,
we can expect to emerge as a true human being with a happy and
satiated life. His peaceful and kind ways to complete surrender to
his duties as a son, a husband, a brother and a king, Ramayana
outlays the importance of human values and mutual love &
respect.
The epic text of the Ramayana is filled with constant lessons,
teachings and reminders, which allows the readers to be on the

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righteous path of Dharma and Karma. The modern day man
needs to follow the teachings of Ramayana in order to overcome
the corrupted mindset prevalent in the society.
REFERENCES
www.studykhmer.com
www.quora.com
www.newworldencyclopedia.org
www.gradesaver.com
www.indiaparenting.com
www.enotes.com
www.annedorothy.blogspot.com