Relevance of Ramayana: Insights from ‘Ramayana Unravelled’
हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता, कहहि सुनहि बहुविधि सब संता
Hari anaṃta hari kathā anaṃtā, kahahi sunahi bahuvidhi saba saṃtā‘
As Tulsidasji says above, many versions of our dearest Ram’s story exist.
Many of the over three hundred versions of the Ramayan consider Valmiki’s version as their inspiration. In Ramayana Unravelled, author Ami Ganatra — known for her work in making Itihasa and Bharatiya knowledge systems accessible to modern readers — divides the book into three parts, with the middle section being the largest.
The author begins by summarising the basic storyline of the Ramayana, following Valmiki’s structure. From there, the spotlight gradually shifts to explore the various aspects and key events of the story.
The first part of the book contains the lineage of the Raghus up to forty generations, twenty-seven generations of Seeta, and a brief history of Raavan’s family tree, including his elder cousin, Kuber, from whom he snatched the prosperous Lanka.
Ironically, while our education system does not require us to learn about their lineages, it does insist on memorising the names of Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, and Aurangzeb – and that too, in perfect chronological order. But the fact that Valmiki gives a proper account of the lineage of the two heroes and one villain wakes us from the slumber induced by doubt. While the world’s most followed Western religions – and some Indians influenced by them – question the existence of Ram, one must ask: can they name even five, if not forty, generations of their own messengers? Further, the author moves to differentiating between Arya and Anarya, meaning brave and cowardly respectively, contrary to the rampant Aryan Invasion Theory by some of the anti-India forces.
The various learnings that the book brings forth and its application in today’s world:
Unlearn the Tolerance
When Vishwamitra takes Ram and Lakshman to defend the yagya, Ram is reluctant to kill Tadka as he does not wish to attack a female. On Viswamitra’s insistence, he kills Tadka. Hence, sometimes, we become so tolerant that the line between nonviolence or tolerance and inactivity blurs. Perhaps the present Hindu society needs to come out of the slumber of too much glorification of non-violence.
At the time of poignant yet beautiful acceptance of exile, Ram is not anxious about the financial needs of his mother, Kaushalya. She is not dependent on the king for wealth. They have already separated their revenue and treasure – an effective way to sustain a joint family. Unlike today, brothers in stakeholder families often avoid discussing financial matters, which initially preserves cordial relations but eventually leads to bitterness after years of unspoken hypocrisy.
We can see that during his exile, Ram is neither overly bothered nor stressed about the discomfort. Born with a golden – not just silver spoon, Ram lives among wild creatures and sleeps without a bed in the jungle – yet he remains composed. This is not an absence of emotions but a result of practiced control over them.
However, there are two incidents when Ram channels his anger to get the due work done.
- When he threatened Sugreev after the monsoon, as the latter lost in luxuries, delayed the search operation for Seeta.
- Next, when the ocean didn’t pay heed to Ram’s three-day penance on the way to Lanka.
This makes us realize that solving anger issues is not about deleting the software called anger. But it’s more about using it to get work done while keeping our minds cool.
Unfortunately, even voices emerging from circles of refined education and modern discourse sometimes say, “Raavan is better than Ram as he stood up for his sister while Ram abandoned his wife over mere doubt.”
Ami ji answers this by properly highlighting the largely ignored and often taboo element in the story which is ‘lust’. Raavan is rather lustful, not just egoistic. When Shoorpnakha tells him how Lakshman hurt her and how both the brothers killed their 14,000 soldiers along with their leaders, he is not immediately ready to abduct Seeta. Shoorpankha then goes on to describe how beautiful Seeta is. She portrays her stunning eyes, lips, bosom, and each of her body parts to arouse her brother’s hunger for another female body to satiate his never-ending lust. She reminds him that being the most powerful, he deserves such beauty as Ram’s, as if Seeta is a property, not human. Moreover, it was not out of decency that he refrained from forcing himself on her; rather, three women he had previously violated had cursed him, preventing him from ever assaulting another woman.
The balance of power between Ram and Seeta is another beautiful aspect of the whole story. Both are dedicated to each other, but neither is subordinate. From joining Ram in exile, asking for the fascinating deer, forcing Lakshman out to seek Ram, giving agnipariksha, and then towards the end, choosing to return back to the Earth, leaving everyone in tears – each was Seeta’s independent decision.
Science, not Bhakti in Ram Setu
Contrary to most TV shows and cartoons, Ram Setu was not built by merely writing Ram on rocks and making them afloat. In Valmiki’s version, Neel is an expert at such construction, and under his leadership, the bridge had been constructed using rocks and trunks of trees.
Are Vaanaras Monkeys?
The author, Ami Ganatra clarifies that Vaanaras in the story refers to a tribe that followed Vedic civilization and not monkeys. Ram, as a leader always, values his followers. When Vibheeshan offers jewels to Ram after the war, he asks him to give them away to the vaanar-sena and asks Indra to bring the dead vaanaras back to life when he offers a boon to Ram.
Is Ramayana international?
Sugreev’s description of various places around India shows that the events were not confined to the Indian subcontinent but that the characters had access beyond. He sends parties in all four directions, to the eastward-moving party, he mentions the Yava Island in Indonesia. Some people there even believe themselves to be descendents of Sugreev.
Is Hanuman a Genius or an Illiterate?
There was a controversial Bollywood movie made to appear as a version of Ramayana, in which the screenwriter wrote rustic dialogues claiming Hanuman was an illiterate fellow. However, in Valmiki’s Ramayan we see that when Ram and Lakshman met Hanuman for the first time, Ram remarks that Hanuman’s style of communication reveals that he has studied the three Vedas i.e. Rigveda, Samveda and Yajurveda.
Hanuman’s Mentor
When the Southern search party discovers that Seeta is in Lanka, across 100 kilometres of the ocean, Hanuman does not take initiative until Jamvan reminds him of his powers – illustrating how mentors help us unlock our potential and ensure we don’t die with music still in our hearts.
Hanuman’s Self-Talk
The problem with us is that we don’t learn from our heroes, and the glory of heroes often clouds their practical struggles, dilemmas, and overcoming qualities. When Hanuman reaches Lanka searching for Seeta, he gathers information regarding military deployment, strength, and gateways. For a moment, he feels anxious as to how the army with Ram and Lakshman will land here and defeat such a powerful force. But soon enough, he shakes off these thoughts and focuses back on his work. Similarly, students and professionals sometimes experience anxiety, so it’s important to remember that even our heroes faced such struggles. Another common distraction among students today is lustful and scattered thoughts triggered by mindless scrolling. If unchecked, this can lead to regret, low grades, guilt, and misguided relationships, if not more serious consequences.
Hanuman was a lifelong celibate, and never felt romantic affection for any female. Yet, while searching for Seeta, he saw thousands of women in Raavan’s chamber. He paused to introspect, momentarily fearing that such emotions might arise in his mind. Students with access to such content on platforms like Instagram, under the guise of privacy must remember while mindlessly scrolling that ‘if something is free, you are the product’. We must be mindful of what we allow into our heads.
When we read, अष्टसिद्धि नवनिधि के दाता (aṣṭasiddhi navanidhi ke dātā)’, it seems Hanuman Ji’s powers to alter his size and weight unnaturally, manifest wishes, and control others’ minds are divine blessings. But the author clarifies that, in the Patanjali yoga sutra, there is a mention of unlocking such powers by having extraordinary control over the senses. The same concept can be seen in the famous TV serial Shaktiman.
In the concluding part of the book, Ami Ji mentions two controversial events: Ram abandoning pregnant Seeta and Shambhook’s beheading. Instead of proving the incident was tempered by invaders, the author insists on looking at the situation by stepping into Ram’s shoes. He kills Shambhook as a punishment for trying to get to heaven, which resulted in a young death – quite unnatural in Ram Rajya. This has nothing to do with Shambhook’s caste, unlike the notion spread by evil forces. Similarly, sending pregnant Seeta to the jungle was a compulsion as a king, as he couldn’t have let his realm normalize adultery by weaving stories about her.
This in no way makes him anti–women’s rights or a symbol of toxic masculinity. Ram has always upheld the dignity of women, and the fact that he never remarried or sought companionship elsewhere quietly reflects his unwavering devotion to Seeta and his integrity as a ruler.
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