The Introduction
Who is the brilliant,
heroic warrior in the Ramayana? His name is Rama, and he is the human
form, or avatar, of Vishnu. He was also the ruler of the great Indian
city,
Ayodhya. Rama is the epitome of the perfect human being. He is wise and
noble, and he first considers others before he takes any action. His
wife, Sita, is seen as the perfect woman. The Ramayana depicts the life
of Rama, including his fourteen-year exile from Ayodhya. The Ramayana
serves as a great guide for learning about the virtues of
mankind. This storybook contains four stories that will surely help you
delve further into the mind of Rama.
There are four unique storytelling techniques that you will read in
this storybook. I have tried to incorporate different techniques so
that you will be able to see each scene from a different perspective.
As
you read, you will gain a better understanding of Rama. Through his
interactions with people, you will be able to see the many virtues that
Rama possesses.
In
the first story, you will read about Rama’s
Heroic Chase for the Golden Deer. Instead of showing the story
using Rama’s inner thoughts, the
deer will actually be telling the story. Since Rama had a lot on his
mind, it will be interesting for you to see a new perspective on the
chase. Being chased by Rama would be a grueling experience, and seeing
it from the deer’s point of view will help us learn more about Rama.
In
the second story, you will read about the Battle
Between Rama and Ravana. While reading the Ramayana, it is nearly
impossible to stop
reading while this battle is raging on. This story will be told from
the perspective of a five million year old ancient tree that is right
in the middle of the battle. While reading the Ramayana, it is quite
clear that the author was set on portraying Rama in a certain way.
Because of this, I feel that the battle scenes may have been portrayed
in a way that glorified Rama, and not his adversaries. Perhaps the
battle was actually a little closer than we think. A tree will surely
give an unbiased account of everything that happened that day.
Furthermore, it will be very interesting to see a story done in a form
that has a narrator that is unable to communicate with others.
In the third story, you will read about the great Rama Breaking the Bow of Shiva. This bow was
said to be indestructible, and the person that could wield it would be
worthy to marry the beautiful sita. In the original story, they don't
go into that much detail about Rama was actually feeling. In this
story, you will see the inner thoughts of Rama while he was attempting
to string the bow. Check out this story, I am sure that you will enjoy
it.
In the fourth story, you will read about Rama Banishing Sita.
The citizens of Ayodhya were worried that Sita would be impure after
she was held captive by Ravana. To appease their fears, Rama has to
send her away. This is a very sad story that will show Rama's inner
thoughts. I hope that you enjoy this last story!