Abstract and questions
Consider the story in terms of the Hindu concept of dharma. Narayan does not use the Sanskrit word dharma, but the idea that each character has a duty or destiny which must be fulfilled pervades the book. What is Rama's dharma? What is Sita's dharma? Consider in particular how the marriage of Rama and Sita is restored at the end of the story by divine intervention. What is Hanuman's dharma? Since he is non-human, how does this alter his dharma? What is Ravana's dharma? Since he is a demon, he might fulfill his demon dharma, and yet commit evil as understood in human terms. How does this apply to his actions and ultimate fate? How does this help explain why evil exists?
Introduction:
Dharma in Hindi is a reference to the natural order of things or the Natural Law and actually refers to one’s personal obligations, their philosophy and also their religion. All this is actually achieved through the complex system of castes which pervades the Hindu religion and which is perhaps completely espoused in this fine novel, The Ramayana which describes the life story of a number of individual characters who also are pervaded by divine intervention. Interestingly, the concept of duty and destiny is the fulcrum and actual leitmotif over which the whole story is based and which develops accordingly as the novel reaches its climax. The life stories and destinies of Sita, Rama, Hanuman and Ravana all provide different aspects to the narrative which culminates very powerfully indeed.
Sits is a typical middle class Indian woman from a fictional town in the state of Uttar Pradesh and she is obviously singularly affected by all that goes on in that place. Her Dharma is pretty simple, she is destined to be married, have children and take care of her husband who is also pre-ordained for her. This is in line with Hindu custom where the marriage is a pre arranged one. There is no room for human emotion in these matches, the elders arrange for such marriages without any shred of kindness or love. This brings the whole concept of the Dharma into perspective as how can one have a destiny if all this is pre-ordained? A number of questions arise, especially if Sita is happy with her destiny or not, it seems that she has no other real choice but to accept the situation as it is. Obviously everything is open to interpretation especially since one must consider the fact that the whole Ramayana is an epic tale which has its own hidden meanings and aversions.
Rama’s Dharma
Rama is another character who is interesting and he personifies what the male Indian should be in this respect. The male should have a career and should be able to provide for his wife and family so his destiny is also up to a point pre-ordained. Obviously the fact that he is the son of a King continuously brings him into further focus and he is also portrayed as the epitome of virtue. He is continuously searching for new ideals and new challenges and that is also an important part of his Dharma for the future. Everything comes together towards the end as Rama achieves what one may term to be as spiritual perfection especially through his heavenly marriage with Sita. All this is extremely complex and mystical to understand yet if everything is actually revolving around the concept of Dharma, perhaps one can arrive to a better conclusion in this respect. Rama is continually challenged by his thoughts and reflections but the conclusion is that his divinity and virtue are all encompassing.
Ravana’s Dharma
Ravana who is King of Lanka has to perform severe penance for a period of ten thousand years and after that he receives a gift from the God Brahma which gives him powers that cannot have him killed by Gods, demons or other spirits. His Dharma could be said to be described as power as he is also a Demon King who actually disturbs the penance of Rishis. Vishnu then incarnates himself as the human Rama to eventually defeat him thus nullifying the gift. This is a kind of tragic story in every respect demonstrating that Ravana’s Dharma cannot in a sense be pre ordained or justified intrinsically due to the fact that he is up to a point a bad deity. Evil is a topic which crops up considerably frequently in the Ramyana although it is somewhat tempered by other more moderate influences.
The marriage of Sita and Rama
This event is perhaps the whole topic on which the Ramayana rests. Through their marriage, Sita and Rama personify goodness and virtue apart from the fact that they are also divine beings now. The story personifies the coming together of these two divine beings who are now united in another world and as such the wheel has turned full circle. Rama’s virtue is matched by the holiness and beauty of Sita who in her own way also demonstrates perfection. Thus the concept of Dharma is completely fulfilled here as both beings now have become deities and are united in holy marriage. It is a Dharma which everyone can practically aspire to.
Hanuman’s Dharma
Hanuman is in a sense a devil who is doomed to eternal damnation so he does not have much of a Dharma except one which is completely doomed to failure and eternal damnation. The Ramayana treats hanuman carefully although there is also a sense of tragedy in all this, particularly due to the fact that this demon can have various facets and he is not completely evil or bad. But the whole concept of Dharma is actually distorted here as it does not portray what actually needs to be achieved but all is rather muddy and unclear. Actually his Dharma is distorted in the sense that he is not human so his achievements are spiritual and not temporal. This is perhaps the greatest single departure from the concept of Dharma in question although the fact that Hanuman assists in finding Sita is also important as that could also be seen as his Dharma.
Conclusion: Dharma as the fulcrum of everything
Dharma can be seen as the concept of achieving all that can be achievable in life and even after death. The way everything is actually woven together in the Ramayana causes for substantial reflection but at the end of the day it demonstrates the fine balance of Hindu religion. In their own way, all the characters in the story have Dharmas which can also be replicated in real life and which also show us that we can be affected by destiny but also not be a slave to it. The Ramayana is truly a great book which requires intense and appropriate study for proper understanding.
