The Ramayana and Hindu religious traditions

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The notion of Dharma is a primary concept in Hinduism. Dharma, or the Dharmic conduct, can be understood as a code of conduct of a person's life, guided by the morals, principles and discipline of spirituality. Hinduism describes it as the natural laws of the universe, which if observed properly, provide followers happiness and keeps them away from suffering. Its purpose is to present to the people a way of conducting their lives to enjoy the worldly joys and happiness, while also attaining a union with the soul spiritually. In lay man terms, Dharma can be seen as playing a role in a play. If the character performs his/her duties according to the script, then the play goes well, but if he/she doesn't, then the play is a failure. Similarly, if everything in the universe follows its Dharma, then the universe operates smoothly. If not, then everything in the universe starts to fall apart.

Apart from religious scriptures, Hinduism has many texts that include tales of the evolving years of Hinduism. One of them is the tale of Ramayana, which relates to a Hindu deity, Rama, and tells the tales of his life. Ramayana includes several events that form an example of Dharma for the followers of Hinduism and can be taken as a guide. It also includes various violations of Dharma, and teaches the lesson about such violations to be avoided so that one can achieve happiness and success in life.

Many events have been found in the Ramayana that have pointed towards the violation of the Dharmic conduct. Based on these events, an understanding of the complex nature of Dharma can be gained, which would clarify the methods by which Dharma acts to resolve the vagueness of social and ethical tensions. Many characters of Ramayana have to face various distinctive social and ethical dilemmas regarding the Dharma, in which they have to choose the right action that is in line with concepts of moral behavior and would stand out as an example for their fellow countrymen.

One such incident mentioned in the Ramayana is when Kaikeyi, the third wife of the King of Ayodhya, Dasaratha, demands the fulfillment of two promises made to her by the King.

"You have promised me the granting of two boons, and you have sworn to it in the name of Rama -- your darling son Rama. And now I'll speak out my mind. If you reject my demand, you will be the first of the Ikshvahu race, proud descendents of the sun god himself, to go back on a promise for the sake of convenience." She took breath and demanded, "Banish Rama to the forests for fourteen years; and crown Bharatha and celebrate his enthronement with the arrangements you have already made." (Narayan 1995)

After some thinking, Dasaratha, unwillingly, sends Rama to the forests. While satisfying the Dharma of fulfilling his oaths to his wife, Dasaratha is left to breach his promise made to Rama, violating the Dharma and the accepted customs of primogeniture.

In a different event, after the defeat of Ravana, Rama sends Hanuman to fetch Sita. Sita is asked to dress up appropriately by Hanuman, and is presented to Rama in front of a huge crowd. Rama acts cold to her and explains to her that by saving her, he has fulfilled the task of restoring the honor of the Ikshvahu race, and after living in Ravana's house, he could not accept her and they could never live together again. Thus, Sita decides to prove her purity.

The flames rose to the height of a tree; still Rama made no comment. He watched. Sita approached the fire, prostrated herself before it, and said, "O Agni, great god of fire, be my witness." She jumped into the fire. From the heart of the flame rose the god of fire, bearing Sita, and presented her to Rama with words of blessing. Rama, now satisfied that he had established his wife's integrity in the presence of the world, welcomed Sita back to his arms. (Narayan 1995)

By forcing Sita to prove her purity and telling her that they could not live together again, Rama violates the Dharma of being a trustworthy and faithful husband by not believing the word of Sita. Consequently, he opts to satisfy the Dharma of fulfilling role as the protector of the honor of the Ikshvahu race.

In another case, it has been described that beautiful women are a weakness of Ravana, the King of Lanka. He is told about Sita by his demon sister, Soorpanaka.

Soorpanaka described Sita from head to toe in minute detail. The picture she conjured up was convincing and Ravana fell madly in love with her image. He became restless and unhappy. Every syllable that Soorpanaka uttered gave him both pleasure and pain. Soorpanaka urged him to set forth and capture Sita. (Narayan 1995)

Eventually, Ravana, despite being married to many wives, violates his Dharma being a loyal husband by kidnapping Sita and attempting to convince her to marry him.

Evidently from all these scenarios, the Dharmic conducts are complex as they leave the character to opt for one of two choices, which would be seen as a precedent in any similar future scenarios, without knowing in what way the decision would impact the society at large. Although not completely, in this manner, these specific options attempt to clarify the ambiguity regarding social and ethical issues existing in the society, as people would choose the option that best serves them and the surrounding environment. But one needs to understand the motive behind the selection of an option to conclude that it was exemplary. Would it have been any different if Rama had not asked Sita to prove her purity? It is possible that the current day followers of Rama would not be as critical of such cases regarding their own women.

These episodes have proved to support the hierarchical structured relationships within the modern Hindu society, whereby a child learns to respect his/her parent, even if it is not acceptable to the child. Women have been provided with an example to honor their roles as mothers, sisters and wives, despite them being ill-treated, while men have been taught to act responsibly, righteously and honorably in dealing with people and relationships around them, even if they have to punish their loved ones for reasons that only satisfy the society.