MARICRIS N.

TOBIAS
Reporter
WHAT IS AN EPIC?
A long poem, typically derived
from oral tradition, narrating
the deeds and adventures of
heroic or legendary figures or
the history of a nation.
Maharshi
Valmiki
The author of the
great Indian
epic Ramayana.
Valmiki is
celebrated as the
first Sanskrit poet.
Maharshi Valmiki
 Maharshi Valmiki gives very little
information about himself since he was
a sage who had completely dedicated
his life to contemplation on God and
service to humanity.
The only work available of the great
sage-poet, The Ramayana, has
established the poet's timeless fame.
VYASA
He was a
devotee of
Lord Vishnu.
Since birth,
he already
possessed the
knowledge of
the Vedas.
VYASA
He had a great
powers of
meditation and
he lived a very
long life.
BACKGROUND OF INDIAN
LITERATURE
It is to be noted that a large part of
Indian literature revolves around
devotion, drama, poetry and songs.
Sanskrit language dominated the
early Indian literary scene.
BACKGROUND OF INDIAN
LITERATURE

Their traditions are well

reflected in great works like
Vedas and epics such as
Ramayana and Mahabharata.
 EPICS OF INDIA
RAMAYANA MAHABHARATA

 One of the largest  It is called the National

ancient epics in epic of India. It is
written by the great
world literature. author Vyasa in 4th
 It consists of century AD.
24,000 verses.  The epic has been
passed down to us in a
classical Sanskrit verse
lines of 200,000.
 EPICS OF INDIA
RAMAYANA MAHABHARATA
 It is divided into 7  It is the longest
kandas (books) and Sanskrit epic.
about 500 sargas  Roughly ten times the
(chapters) length of Iliad and
Odyssey combined or
 The epic contains
about four times the
the teachings of the length of the
very ancient Hindu Ramayana.
sages.
 RAMAYANA MAHABHARATA
 Mahabharata means
 The travels of “great [story of the]
Bharatas.” Bharata was
Rama an early ancestor of both
the Pandavas and
Kauravas who fight each
other in a great war, but
the word is also used
generically for the
Indian race, so
the Mahabharata someti
mes is referred to as “the
great story of India.”
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
RAMAYANA
As a religious text,
the Ramayana provides a basis for
understanding the guiding principles
of Hinduism.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion and
the three most important deities are
Shiva, the destroyer of evil; Brahma,
the creator; and Vishnu, the protector.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
RAMAYANA
Comprising 24,000 verses, the epic
contains the teachings of the very
ancient Hindu sages.
 One of the most important literary
works of ancient India and it has
greatly influenced art and culture in
the Indian subcontinent and South
East Asia
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
RAMAYANA
The Ramayana also hinges
on the logic of Dharma,
which refers to a universal
order, practical morality, and
the correct way of living.
SUMMARY OF RAMAYANA
Rama, prince of Ayodhya, won the hand
of the beautiful princess Sita ,but was
exiled with her and his brother Laksmana
for 14 years through the plotting of his
stepmother.
In the forest Sita was abducted by Ravana,
and Rama gathered an army of monkeys and
bears to search for her.
SUMMARY OF RAMAYANA
The allies attacked Lanka, killed Ravana,
and rescued Sita. In order to prove her
chastity, Sita entered fire, but was
vindicated by the gods and restored to her
husband.
After the couple's triumphant return to
Ayodhya, Rama's righteous rule inaugurated
a golden age for all mankind.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS:
1. Traditionally, Sita was regarded as the
model for ideal womanhood. Does Sita
exemplify the traits that you think
women should have? Why or why not?
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS:
2. Do you think that being good or bad is a
matter of personal choice, or are people
simply born good or bad?

3. Rama insists that his exile in the forest is

destined by fate. What purpose did this
exile serve?
THE RAMAYANA LITERARY
ELEMENTS
SPEAKER OR NARRATOR, AND POINT
OF VIEW
The poem is written in the third person.
It generally describes events from the
point of view of Rama, but also
switches to other relevant settings
where Rama is not present, such as the
court of Ravana.
SIMILE
-The Ramayana makes extensive use of
similes.

One example of a simile occurs on pg. 15:

"Dasaratha said in a clear voice, "Viswamitra,
your coming here is a Godsend to me: like
nectar to a mortal, rain to the famined, the
birth of a son to the childless, like treasure
to a poor man!"
SETTING
-The Kosala Kingdom of ancient
India and the island of Lanka

CLIMAX
-The confrontation between Rama
and Ravana.
 THE RAMAYANA SYMBOLS

FLOWERS
-The features of good or divine characters are
often compared to flowers, and flowers
miraculously fall from the sky as a sign of
divine blessing. Conversely, places occupied
by demons and rakshasas are described as
being flowerless.
 THE RAMAYANA SYMBOLS

SILKS, JEWELS, AND PERFUMES

-Sita is frequently described as being adorned

by a variety of silks and jewels. Perfume is
said to fill the air on occasions when the
gods are pleased with an auspicious event.
 THEMES

 The need to uphold one's duty

Good vs. Evil
 LEGACY
The Ramayana's characters have found
their way into the common speech and
idiom of the land.
Public recitations of the Ramayana are
common. The epic has been adapted into
plays and films; it is also enacted every
year by local troupes and neighbourhood
societies in North India during the
Dusshera festivities of the present times.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
MAHABHARATA
 The Mahabharata has the honor of being
the longest epic in world literature.
 The Mahabharata is an ancient Sanskrit
poem describing the mythical Kurukshetra
War between two sets of brothers descended
from the king Bharata: the Pandavas and the
Kauravas.
 The work is divided into 18 books,
concerning an 18-day war .
MAHABHARATA: SUMMARY
 THE EPIC OF MAHABHARATA TELLS ABOUT TWO
FAMILIES VIE FOR THE THRONE OF
HASTINAPURA.
 THESE FAMILIES, THE KAURAVAS AND PANDAVAS,
DISAGREE ABOUT THE PROPER LINE OF
SUCCESSION.
 THIS RIVALRY CULMINATES IN A GREAT WAR
THAT BRINGS DESTRUCTION AND SORROW TO
BOTH CLANS.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS:
1. What triggered the “Kurukshetra
War”?
2. How did Arjuna live in accordance
with his dharma?
3. What is the role of dharma in this
epic?
THE MAHABHARATA LITERARY
ELEMENTS
NARRATOR AND POINT OF VIEW
 The epic is told through a series of
narrators.

SETTING
 Ancient India
THE MAHABHARATA LITERARY
ELEMENTS
TONE AND MOOD
 Bellicose and spiritual

MAJOR CONFLICT
 Duryodhana instigates a war with
Yudhisthira and his brothers over the
rights to the kingdom.
THE MAHABHARATA LITERARY
ELEMENTS
SIMILE
"You are so stupid that you want to seize
him, like a child who wants the moon!"
(Simile)
Dhrtarastra reprimands his son Duryodhana
for seeking war against Yudhisthira, likening
him to a child that wants the moon.
 THE MAHABHARATA SYMBOL
LOTUS
-The lotus plant has a long-running
significance in the Hindu faith. The
flower is often used to evoke
beauty, but it can also represent a
kind of blossoming of the soul.
 THEMES
DHARMA is the central theme
of the Mahabharata. Dharma,
most simply put, is the destiny
and responsibility of an
individual.
Unconditional support and loyal
friends can take you places.
 THEMES
You need to fight for what you
think belongs to you.
Welcome all challenges in life.
Don't be swayed by greed
ANALYSIS:
Both epics portray Hindu dharma.
For thousands of years, the people
of India have derived inspirations
from the lessons of the Ramayana
and Mahabharata to live a nobler
and higher life.
ANALYSIS:
Ramayana and Mahabharata were both
written in two different eras. While
Ramayana happened in Treta yuga,
Mahabharata happened in the Dwapara
Yuga. In both the epics Lord Vishnu took
two distinct Avatars. However the
purpose of both Avatars was the same.
This was to end evil and acquire victory of
truth.
ANALYSIS:
One should conquer evil with
good. Death by dharma is better
than victory by evil deeds."
HINDUISM
Hinduism is the term used to describe the
diverse forms of religious expression native
to the Indian subcontinent.

CORE BELIEFS OF HINDUS

Everyone should strive to achieve dharma
Individual souls are immortal
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thoughts! 