The Ramayana relates the story of two powerful races, the Kosalas and the Videhas. Dasa-ratha, the king of the Kosalas, had four sons, the oldest of whom, Rama, is the hero of the epic. Teh other sons were Bharat, Lakshman, and Satrughna. Janak, the king of the Videhas, had a daughter named Sita, who was miraculously born of the earth and who is the heroine of the epic.
Janak orders a severe test, an archery contest, for the hand of his daughter. Suitors from far and near demonstrate their skill in archery but leave disappointed. Rama succeeds and wins the peerless Sita for his wife. The two brothers of Rama marry a sister and a cousin of Sita. The three brothers return to Kosalas and are received joyfully by the people. Preparations are made for the consecration of Rama as future king of the Kosalas.
In the meantime, an intrigue developed in the place of King Dasa-ratha. Kaikeyi, the mother of Bharat, became jealous of the honor conferred on Kausalya, the mother of Rama, and plotted against Rama. She went to the old king, Dasa-ratha, and reminded him of a certain promise he had made her when he was ill - that he would give her any boon she wanted. She requested that Rama be exiled for fourteen years in the forest of Dandak and that her son Bharat be made regent king.
Dasa-ratha was shocked and saddened over her request, but he had no recourse except to grant her wish. The next morning, Dasa-ratha proclaimed the banishment of Rama and the elevation of Bharat as king regent.
The faithful wife Sita and the loving brother Lashman accompanied Rama in his exile, while the loyal people of the city of Ayodia followed their exiled prince as far as the banks of the Tamasa river, where they halted on the first night.
Rama and his wife and Lakshman stole away at night to escape the citizens who wanted to follow them. Their wanderings during the following days, going deeper and deeper into the forest, are described beautifully in the poem. Three thousand years have passed, but every step of this supposed journey is annually reenacted by thousands of devoted pilgrims in India. Rama and Sita still live in the hearts of millions of faithful men and women in this vast country.
Rama and his wife and his brother crossed the Ganges River, penetrating deeper into the wilderness of the forest until they came to the hermitage of Valmiki, the reputed author of the epic. The whole neighborhood of this hermitage is called Rama's country. Every headland has some legend; every cave is connected with Rama's name; some of the wild fruits are even called Sita-phal because these fruits were the reputed food of the exiles. Thousands upon thousands of Indians visit this spot as a holy pilgrimage. Round the hill is a footpath upon which the people walk with naked feet and with pious devotion.
In Ayodia, Dasa-ratha grieved so much over banished Rama that he soon died. The story now moved to Bharat who refused the throne reserved for him. He joined Rama in the forest and implored him to return, stating that with his father's death, surely Rama had been released from the sentence of exile. This is one of the most impressive parts of the epic. Rama told his brother that death did not release a son's promise to his father.
"But I may not," answered Rama, "seek Ayodia's
ancient throne,
For righteous father's mandate dutious son may not
disown;
And I may not, gentle brother, break the word of
promise given
To a king and to a father who is now a saint in heaven!"
Bharat made a passionate plea for Rama to return and rule Kosalas but all in vain. Bharat then took Rama's sandals to place them on the throne as testimony to the people that he was ruling in Rama's name. Rama then penetrated deeper into the Dandak forest so that his friends and relatives would not seek him in exile.
Rama wandered from Northern India and reached Southern India. He built his forest hermitage in the wilderness that is now within a hundred miles of modern Bombay. There he lived with Sita and Lakshman in peace and serenity for a few years.
This ideal existence was interrupted when Raksha, a princess, fell in love with Rama. He rejected her in scorn. He offered Lakshman to the passion-blinded Princess Raksha.
Rama heard her wicked purpose and a scornful smile repressed.
To the foul and forward female thus these mocking words were addressed:
List, O passion-smitten maiden, Sita is my honored wife.
With a rival loved and cherished, cruel were thy wedded life!
But no consort follows Laskhman, peerless is his comely face,
And he leads no wife or consort to his darksome woodland grove,
With no rival to thy passion, seek his ample-hearted love.
The wicked princess offered her love to Lakshman who mocked her and told her to go back to Rama. Indignant and revengeful, the princess went to her brother, Ravan, the monster king who ruled over monsters of various forms. These were the dwellers of Ceylon. Ravan sent a beautiful deer to tempt Rama and Lakshman away from the hermitage, and in their absence he stole Sita.
The second part of the poem deals with Rama's search for Sita and the long war with Ravan that ended in the recovery of Sita. The epic ends with the trial by fire to which Sita submitted to prove her stainless virtue during her captivity by Ravan. She returned with her lord and with Lakshman in an aerial car that Rama had won from the gods. As Rama traveled from Southern India to Northern India, the poem gives a bird's eye view of the whole continent of India in beautiful nature descriptions that make this part almost a travelogue.
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