CHARACTERS IN THE RAMAYANA AND CHARACTER-VALUES

 CHARACTERS IN THE RAMAYANA AND CHARACTER-VALUES

Every character in the Ramayana is unique and has its importance. Characters in Ramayana are beautifully portrayed and are meaningfully interwoven with each other. These characters facilitate to carry the tale forward towards the conclusion. The characters in Ramayana are instrumental in narrating the entire epic. They are meaningfully related to each other helping to bring a significant conclusion. Each of the characters significantly adds to the narration at different times and places in the Sanskrit epic. Most of the characters like Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman and others are considered as deities according to Hindu mythology. Prince Rama is considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu; whereas Hanuman is considered as the incarnation of Lord Shiva. The antagonist in the Hindu epic, Ravana, is an iconic character in Hindu mythology and some religious sects regard Ravana as a deity as well. The characters in Ramayana can be divided into three major categories in accordance to the dynasties they belong.

Characters in Ayodhya

One of the most prominent characters in Ramayana is the King of Ayodhya; Dasaratha. He was a noble king with three wives and four sons. The three queens were Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. Dasharatha`s favourite queen forced him to enthrone her son Bharat and send Lord Rama, the eldest, into exile. Dasharatha died broken hearted after Rama left with his wife and brother. Rama is the central character of the epic and the eldest son of the King with Kaushalya. He is considered as the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was the upholder of Dharma. He was the epitome of virtue, courage, love and mercy. Lakhsmana was Rama`s younger brother who went into exile along with Rama and Sita. He is considered as an avatar of Shesa Naga. Lakhsmana and Shatrughna were twins from Dasharatha and Sumitra. Bharata was Kaikey`s son. When he heard of the true story of Rama`s exile, he insisted Rama to come back. However, when Rama refused he placed Rama`s sandals on the throne and ruled the kingdom as the representative of Rama. Sita was Rama`s wife and one of the central characters of the epic. It is she for whom the duel between Rama and Ravana was fought. She was Rama`s life partner in its true sense. She followed her husband into exile and was abducted by Ravana. Sita gave birth to two sons, Lava and Kusha.

Characters in Lanka

Ravana was the ten headed king of Lanka who abducted Sita. He was a powerful Demon king disturbing the penances of the Rishis. He was the principal adversary of Lord Rama in the epic. His brother Vibhishana served Rama during the war. Instead of belonging to demon dynasty he was a noble character. He was exiled by Ravana and joined Rama`s army. Mandodari was Ravana`s favourite wife. She was pious and always tried to bring her husband in the path of purity. Indrajit was the son of Ravana and Mandodari. He was a courageous warrior and a great fighter giving Rama a tough rivalry. Indrajit was powerful that he had once defeated Kind of Devas Indra and made him captive. Brahma granted him boon to set Indra free and also derived the name Indrajit i.e.Victor of Indra.

Characters in Kishkindha

Hanuman was the leader of the monkey team belonging to the Kishkindha kingdom. He was believed to be the eleventh incarnation of Lord Shiva. He was the true `bhakta` of Rama and helped him throughout the whole journey to rescue Sita. Vali was the emperor of Kishkindha, the kingdom of monkeys. Sugreeva was the younger brother of Vali. He became the King of Kishkindha after defeating his brother in a duel. He helped Rama in his quest of Sita.

Besides them Ramayana has many minor characters as well. Some of them are Kumbhakarna, Surpanakha, Mandavi, Maricha, Jambumali, Sarabha etc. All of them contributed to make the epic complete.