400 word, have to get refrences

sample paper 1 The Ramayana If a non-Hindu reader were to read the Ramayana, he or she would probably think that Rama is a cold, dominating, uncaring husband. First of all, he won Sita by breaking the bow, so it could be thought that he owns her and she’s more like his property than his wife. Also, he requires her to prove her purity by making her undergo the fire-ordeal, rather than taking her on her word. He requires proof of her innocence twice and thinks that she will go through anything to be with him and will always come back to him. A non-Hindu reader might take this as being misogynistic and might think Rama takes Sita for granted.

In addition, a reader with no knowledge of Hinduism might think that in the beginning, when Rama quitely and without question went into exile at the request of his father, he was being passive and meek. They might take this as a weakness and that he isn’t as strong as he was made out to be.

However, none of this is the case as, first of all, Rama accepted his fate and realized that whatever happens happens for a reason and it will help him achieve his dharma. Also, when he made Sita go through the trials, as well as sent her away whilst pregnant, he did so to protect her from slander and to make sure no one would question her innocence. Sita was also a means for him to complete his dharma. He had to seperate himself from her, causing him great pain, in order to protect her and establish order.

I will be honest, mythology is not my favorite subject. It’s very confusing to me and there’s a lot of it that just doesn’t make sense to me, and a lot of things that I really don’t agree with. That being said, there is always a good lesson to be learned from them. What this myth taught me is that everything really does happen for a reason and sometimes you have to accept your fate because eventually you will get what you deserve. Whether that ends up being a good or bad destiny, it always comes true, and everything that happens in between is really just a means to an end. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

sample paper 2

A non-Hindu reader who didn’t know anything about Hinduism may have responded with confusion. He may have come to the realization that Rama didn’t care about his wife as much as he cared about his people. They would think that he abused his power because always convinced his wife to do things and she always came back to him. This is incorrect because he didn’t abuse his power and his wife went along with the sacrifces so that Rama could fulfill the dharma. They are trying to establish order and rid the world of evil and the way that this works in the epic, is for Rama to sacrifice his wife.

Myths confuse me a lot so I had to re-read it again to see if it helped me understand it anymore. What I got is that karma will always hit you in the face. Evil will never go away because with evil comes good and with good comes evil. There will never be a happy medium between the two.

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Ramayana

Option A: Read the following primary source and provide an answer to my questions (found near the end of the below text) by midnight Sept. 7th. The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics. The Ramayana tells about life in India around 1000 BCE and offers models in dharma. The hero, Rama, lived his whole life by the rules of dharma; in fact, that was why Indian consider him heroic. When Rama was a young boy, he was the perfect son. Later he was an ideal husband to his faithful wife, Sita, and a responsible ruler of Aydohya. “Be as Rama,” young Indians have been taught for 2,000 years; “Be as Sita.”

Prince Rama was the eldest of four sons and was to become king when his father retired from ruling. His stepmother, however, wanted to see her son Bharata, Rama’s younger brother, become king. Remembering that the king had once promised to grant her any two wishes she desired, she demanded that Rama be banished and Bharata be crowned. The king had to keep his word to his wife and ordered Rama’s banishment. Rama accepted the decree unquestioningly. “I gladly obey father’s command,” he said to his stepmother. “Why, I would go even if you ordered it.”

When Sita, Rama’s wife, heard Rama was to be banished, she begged to accompany him to his forest retreat. “As shadow to substance, so wife to husband,” she reminded Rama. “Is not the wife’s dharma to be at her husband’s side? Let me walk ahead of you so that I may smooth the path for your feet,” she pleaded. Rama agreed, and Rama, Sita and his brother Lakshmana all went to the forest.

When Bharata learned what his mother had done, he sought Rama in the forest. “The eldest must rule,” he reminded Rama. “Please come back and claim your rightful place as king.” Rama refused to go against his father’s command, so Bharata took his brother’s sandals and said, “I shall place these sandals on the throne as symbols of your authority. I shall rule only as regent in your place, and each day I shall put my offerings at the feet of my Lord. When the fourteen years of banishment are over, I shall joyously return the kingdom to you.” Rama was very impressed with Bharata’s selflessness. As Bharata left, Rama said to him, “I should have known that you would renounce gladly what most men work lifetimes to learn to give up.”

Later in the story, Ravana, the evil King of Lanka, (what is probably present-day Sri Lanka) abducted Sita. Rama mustered the aid of a money army, built a causeway across to Lanka, released Sita and brought her safely back to Aydohya. In order to set a good example, however, Rama demanded that Sita prove her purity before he could take her back as his wife. Rama, Sita and Bharata are all examples of persons following their dharma.

Dharma is like one’s role in a play or position on a team. For the play to go well or for the team to win, each person must “stay in character” or “play his position.” If each thing in the universe does its dharma, the universe functions smoothly. When people or things violate their dharma, things fall apart. Rama, Bharata and Sita are very important in India because they always did their dharma.

For this assignment, read the brief Ramayana at the following web site carefully then figure out what they think dharma means:

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/sac/The_Ramayana_A_Telling_Of_the_Ancient_Indian_Epic/

Then, explain in your own words what you think dharma means based on how the characters acted. How did Sita and Rama conform to their dharma? Why do Indians consider dharma so important? Be sure to include examples drawn from the primary and secondary readings, our discussions, and the text, which you cite.  ?

Ramayana

Option A: Read the following primary source and provide an answer to my questions (found near the end of the below text) by midnight Sept. 7th. The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics. The Ramayana tells about life in India around 1000 BCE and offers models in dharma. The hero, Rama, lived his whole life by the rules of dharma; in fact, that was why Indian consider him heroic. When Rama was a young boy, he was the perfect son. Later he was an ideal husband to his faithful wife, Sita, and a responsible ruler of Aydohya. “Be as Rama,” young Indians have been taught for 2,000 years; “Be as Sita.”

Prince Rama was the eldest of four sons and was to become king when his father retired from ruling. His stepmother, however, wanted to see her son Bharata, Rama’s younger brother, become king. Remembering that the king had once promised to grant her any two wishes she desired, she demanded that Rama be banished and Bharata be crowned. The king had to keep his word to his wife and ordered Rama’s banishment. Rama accepted the decree unquestioningly. “I gladly obey father’s command,” he said to his stepmother. “Why, I would go even if you ordered it.”

When Sita, Rama’s wife, heard Rama was to be banished, she begged to accompany him to his forest retreat. “As shadow to substance, so wife to husband,” she reminded Rama. “Is not the wife’s dharma to be at her husband’s side? Let me walk ahead of you so that I may smooth the path for your feet,” she pleaded. Rama agreed, and Rama, Sita and his brother Lakshmana all went to the forest.

When Bharata learned what his mother had done, he sought Rama in the forest. “The eldest must rule,” he reminded Rama. “Please come back and claim your rightful place as king.” Rama refused to go against his father’s command, so Bharata took his brother’s sandals and said, “I shall place these sandals on the throne as symbols of your authority. I shall rule only as regent in your place, and each day I shall put my offerings at the feet of my Lord. When the fourteen years of banishment are over, I shall joyously return the kingdom to you.” Rama was very impressed with Bharata’s selflessness. As Bharata left, Rama said to him, “I should have known that you would renounce gladly what most men work lifetimes to learn to give up.”

Later in the story, Ravana, the evil King of Lanka, (what is probably present-day Sri Lanka) abducted Sita. Rama mustered the aid of a money army, built a causeway across to Lanka, released Sita and brought her safely back to Aydohya. In order to set a good example, however, Rama demanded that Sita prove her purity before he could take her back as his wife. Rama, Sita and Bharata are all examples of persons following their dharma.

Dharma is like one’s role in a play or position on a team. For the play to go well or for the team to win, each person must “stay in character” or “play his position.” If each thing in the universe does its dharma, the universe functions smoothly. When people or things violate their dharma, things fall apart. Rama, Bharata and Sita are very important in India because they always did their dharma.

For this assignment, read the brief Ramayana at the following web site carefully then figure out what they think dharma means:

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/sac/The_Ramayana_A_Telling_Of_the_Ancient_Indian_Epic/

Then, explain in your own words what you think dharma means based on how the characters acted. How did Sita and Rama conform to their dharma? Why do Indians consider dharma so important? Be sure to include examples drawn from the primary and secondary readings, our discussions, and the text, which you cite.  ?