by C.V.Rajan

Created on: September 07, 2008   Last Updated: August 29, 2010

Ramayana is just not a mythological story; it is one of the two "itihas" most widely read and revered by Hindus. Itihas means "thus happened"; Ramayana is considered the true story of Rama, the king of Ayodhya, who is considered the very incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The historic period or Yuga in which Rama lived is known a Treta Yuga, when dharma (righteousness) and moral standards of people were generally of high order. In subsequent yugas (Dwapar Yuga when the story of Mahabharata took place and the present Kali yuga in which we live) dharma and morality keep steadily declining. Thus the story of Ramayana, whenever read, gives us a great insight to the very high moral and ethical standards of the yore; at times of mental turmoil, we get enlightenment by reading Ramayana.

Here are some of the lessons one can learn from reading Ramayana:

(1) Relationship between Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha:

Human life is consumed in chasing materialism (Artha) and sense pleasures (Kama). Ramayana makes it clear that these two pursuits should never be at the cost of Dharma (righteousness). In withholding dharma, both artha and Kama can be and must be sacrificed. The ultimate goal of life is Moksha (liberation) and it can be attained only by relinquishing Artha and Kama and by strictly following a life of Dharma.

(2) The importance of one man being wedded to only one wife:

During Ramayana period, polygamy was quite prevalent and it was quite an acceptable social norm for kings to marry many women. Rama's own father Dasaratha was wedded to 3 wives (queens) and he had innumerable concubines at his palace. In a stark contrast to his father, Rama remained wedded and staunchly loyal to his only wife Sita. With this qualification, he held his head high as the greatest king ever ruled in Bharat. He set example for future generations of men as to what constitutes a sterling quality for the respectability of a man in society.

(3) Adherence to truth and the need to honor one's word:

When Rama was a young boy, the love and affection his father Dasarata had on him was immense. He would never like to be separated from his son. But when he had promised to offer whatever help that the visiting Sage Viswamitra asked for and when the sage requested for Rama's help to fight the demons at the forest, Dasarata was terribly shocked. But still, he agreed to part with Rama, to honor his promise.

Later in time, when his third wife Kaikeyi wanted the throne of Ayodhya for her own son Bharata and wanted

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