The Ramayana (रामायण) is one of the most ancient and famous epics from India. Written in the poetic form, the story consists of 24,000 verses. The Indian tradition splits historical timelines into four Yugas – namely, Satya Yuga (सत्ययुग), Treta Yuga (त्रेतायुग), Dwapara Yuga (द्वापरयुग) and Kali Yuga (कलियुग). Our present time is in the Kali Yuga, which started around 3000 BCE after the end of the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata. The Ramayana is set in the Treta Yuga and thus is older than the Mahabharata.

 

Why is the Ramayana significant in the 21^st century?

We live in an era where failure to abide by values is accepted, mediocrity is the new baseline, standard ways of life are aspirations and perfection is a quality relegated to the divine.

 

Rama was a perfectionist.

 

But then, of course Rama was perfect! He is God isn’t he! Yes, we regard him as a godly figure today and have idols raised in his reverence. When he lived, however, he lived as a man. This is a fundamental distinction to bear in mind so we don’t justify divinity as a prerequisite for perfection. It is not. Perfection is an aspirational quality given to everyone. What one man has done, another can.  Therefore, by definition, we can strive to achieve perfection.

 

Ramayana is a story of a role model who is an epitome of perfection – a role model worthy of emulating.

 

The Ramayana is also a story that teaches us that life isn’t fair. Our parents largely give us a protected, entitled life. This sets us up for a rude shock when we face the real world without safety nets. Guaranteed graduation ceremonies and participation prizes have crippled the value of aspirations. Reality is far from this cocoon.  

 

Life does throw curve balls at us. The earlier we prepare our children for the real world, the better they learn to cope with life pressures. But coping cannot come at the loss of fundamental grounding in ethics. In fact, it is the ethical grounding that helps those in adversaries to rise above them in a consistent manner.

 

The Ramayana is a story of a man who epitomized integrity. A man who suffered great pain, stood by his ethics, and came out on top.

 

I dedicate the retelling of this epic to my wife, whose moral compass I aspire to achieve.