Ramayana The Epic Full Movie Watch Online

[Marieta Reeks]

TheRamayana is one of the two great Indian epics. The Ramayanatells about life in India around 1000 BCE and offers models in dharma. Thehero, Rama, lived his whole life by the rules of dharma; in fact, that was whyIndian consider him heroic. When Rama was a young boy, he was the perfect son.Later he was an ideal husband to his faithful wife, Sita, and a responsibleruler of Aydohya. "Be as Rama," young Indians have been taught for2,000 years; "Be as Sita."

Prince Rama was the eldest of four sons and was to become king when hisfather retired from ruling. His stepmother, however, wanted to see her sonBharata, Rama's younger brother, become king. Remembering that the king hadonce promised to grant her any two wishes she desired, she demanded that Ramabe banished and Bharata be crowned. The king had to keep his word to his wifeand ordered Rama's banishment. Rama accepted the decree unquestioningly."I gladly obey father's command," he said to his stepmother."Why, I would go even if you ordered it."

When Sita, Rama's wife, heard Rama was to be banished, she begged toaccompany him to his forest retreat. "As shadow to substance, so wife tohusband," she reminded Rama. "Is not the wife's dharma to be at herhusband's side? Let me walk ahead of you so that I may smooth the path for yourfeet," she pleaded. Rama agreed, and Rama, Sita and his brother Lakshmanaall went to the forest.

When Bharata learned what his mother had done, he sought Rama in the forest."The eldest must rule," he reminded Rama. "Please come back andclaim your rightful place as king." Rama refused to go against hisfather's command, so Bharata took his brother's sandals and said, "I shallplace these sandals on the throne as symbols of your authority. I shall ruleonly as regent in your place, and each day I shall put my offerings at the feetof my Lord. When the fourteen years of banishment are over, I shall joyouslyreturn the kingdom to you." Rama was very impressed with Bharata'sselflessness. As Bharata left, Rama said to him, "I should have known thatyou would renounce gladly what most men work lifetimes to learn to giveup."

Later in the story, Ravana, the evil King of Lanka, (what is probablypresent-day Sri Lanka) abducted Sita. Rama mustered the aid of a money army,built a causeway across to Lanka, released Sita and brought her safely back toAydohya. In order to set a good example, however, Rama demanded that Sita proveher purity before he could take her back as his wife. Rama, Sita and Bharataare all examples of persons following their dharma.

1. Dasharatha, King of Aydohya, has three wives and four sons. Rama is theeldest. His mother is Kaushalya. Bharata is the son of his second and favoritewife, Queen Kaikeyi. The other two are twins, Lakshman and Shatrughna. Rama andBharata are blue, perhaps indicating they were dark skinned or originally southIndian deities.

3) In a neighboring city the ruler's daughter is named Sita. When it wastime for Sita to choose her bridegroom, at a ceremony called a swayamvara, theprinces were asked to string a giant bow. No one else can even lift the bow,but as Rama bends it, he not only strings it but breaks it in two. Sitaindicates she has chosen Rama as her husband by putting a garland around hisneck. The disappointed suitors watch.

4) King Dasharatha, Rama's father, decides it is time to give his throne tohis eldest son Rama and retire to the forest to seek moksha. Everyone seemspleased. This plan fulfills the rules of dharma because an eldest son shouldrule and, if a son can take over one's responsibilities, one's last years maybe spent in a search for moksha. In addition, everyone loves Rama. HoweverRama's step-mother, the king's second wife, is not pleased. She wants her son,Bharata, to rule. Because of an oath Dasharatha had made to her years before,she gets the king to agree to banish Rama for fourteen years and to crownBharata, even though the king, on bended knee, begs her not to demand suchthings. Broken-hearted, the devastated king cannot face Rama with the news andKaikeyi must tell him.

5) Rama, always obedient, is as content to go into banishment in the forestas to be crowned king. Sita convinces Rama that she belongs at his side and hisbrother Lakshman also begs to accompany them. Rama, Sita and Lakshman set outfor the forest.

Bharata, whose mother's evil plot has won him the throne, is very upset whenhe finds out what has happened. Not for a moment does he consider breaking therules of dharma and becoming king in Rama's place. He goes to Rama's forestretreat and begs Rama to return and rule, but Rama refuses. "We must obeyfather," Rama says. Bharata then takes Rama's sandals saying, "I willput these on the throne, and every day I shall place the fruits of my work atthe feet on my Lord." Embracing Rama, he takes the sandals and returns toAydohya.

6) Years pass and Rama, Sita and Lakshman are very happy in the forest. Ramaand Lakshman destroy the rakshasas (evil creatures) who disturb the sages intheir meditations. One day a rakshasa princess tries to seduce Rama, andLakshmana wounds her and drives her away. She returns to her brother Ravana,the ten-headed ruler of Lanka (Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon), and tells herbrother (who has a weakness for beautiful women) about lovely Sita.

Ravana devises a plan to abduct Sita. He sends a magical golden deer whichSita desires. Rama and Lakshman go off to hunt the deer, first drawing aprotective circle around Sita and warning her she will be safe as long as shedoes not step outside the circle. As they go off, Ravana (who can change hisshape) appears as a holy man begging alms. The moment Sita steps outside thecircle to give him food, Ravana grabs her and carries her off the his kingdomin Lanka.

8) Ravana's men capture Hanuman, and Ravana orders them to wrap Hanuman'stail in cloth and to set it on fire. With his tail burning, Hanuman hops fromhouse-top to house-top, setting Lanka afire. He then flies back to Rama to tellhim where Sita is.

9) Rama, Lakshman and the monkey army build a causeway from the tip of Indiato Lanka and cross over to Lanka. A might battle ensues. Rama kills several ofRavana's brothers and then

Rama confronts ten-headed Ravana. (Ravana is known for his wisdom as well asfor his weakness for women which may explain why he is pictured as verybrainy.) Rama finally kills Ravana.

10. Rama frees Sita. After Sita proves here purity, they return to Ayodhyaand Rama becomes king. His rule, Ram-rajya, is an ideal time when everyone doeshis or her dharma and "fathers never have to light the funeral pyres fortheir sons." Mahatma Gandhi dreamed that one day modern India would becomea Ram-rajya.

This lesson focuses on how the Ramayana teaches Indians to perform theirdharma. Encourage students to pick out examples of characters in the epic whowere faithful to their dharma and those who violated their dharma.

Procedure

1. Review with students the Indian concept of dharma. Remind them thatdharma is like one's role in a play or position on a team. For the play to gowell or for the team to win, each person must "stay in character" or"play his position." If each thing in the universe does its dharma,the universe functions smoothly. When people or things violate their dharma,things fall apart.

1a. As an alternative strategy, tell students that Rama, Bharata and Sitaare very important in India because they always did their dharma. Tell them to listencarefully to the story and then figure out what they think dharma means.

3. Hand out the different visuals and ask groups of students to figure outwhat part of the story their picture illustrates. Get the students to tell thestory again by describing what's happening in their pictures.

7. Based on this story, what is dharma? Why do Indians consider it soimportant? Imagine if tree started to walk or apples to talk. Could societyfunction if nothing had discrete properties and appropriate ways of acting?

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