"Life and death, joy and sorrow, gain and loss.  These dualities cannot be avoided.  Learn to accept what you cannot change and give up sorrow."

-- Vasistha to Bharata in the Ramayana

SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

A Possible Seminar Note Topic For Those Of You Who Are Already Deeply Familiar With The Ramayana (You do not need to answer all of these questions but instead use them as a loose guide):  When and how do you remember first encountering the Ramayana as a story?  What are some of the ways in which you have encountered the story in the succeeding years?  Where, when, and how have you encountered some of the characters that appear in the Ramayana?  Have you been to any places associated with the Ramayana and, if so, what comments would you offer here?  How important has the Ramayana and its characters been to you personally?  What meaning do you take from the story?  What role do you think the Ramayana and its characters play in both the history of India and in India today?)

The Ramayana has often been interpreted as a meditation upon the Hindu value of dharma.  What seems to be  the meaning of dharma and how is woven into the Ramayana?

How would you compare and contrast Rama as hero with others we have studied in the course?  What is most distinctive about Rama?  What is the nature of Rama's mission to this world?

Assess Sita as a character.  What qualities does she embody?  What do you find to be most interesting about her?  How would you describe the relationship between Sita and Rama?  What would you say more generally about the gender dynamics within the Ramayana?

What other characters did you find to be most interesting?  Why?  How would you begin to connect them to larger themes?

-- Hanuman

-- Lakshmana

-- Ravanna

-- Dasaratha (Rama's father)

-- Kaikeyi (Dasaratha's youngest wife)

-- Bharata (Rama's brother)

-- Jatayu (the vulture god who attempts to rescue Sita)

-- Vali (the monkey brother of Sugriva)

-- Surpanakha (sister of Ravanna)

-- Indrajit (Ravana's eldest son)

-- Vibhisana (Ravana's brother)

How would you begin to compare the Ramayana to other great world epics?  The title means "Rama's travels."  How would you compare and contrast the travels of Rama with those of Odysseus or Gilgameh?  How instructive is the Rama/Jesus comparison?  How would you compare and contrast Rama with the traditional representations of the different Sikh gurus?  How would you compare and contrast the battle on Lanka with the story of the Trojan War?

What most surprised you with the Ramayana?

To what extent is the Ramayana a morality tale of good versus evil?  How do the consequences of karma shape the Ramayana?

How would you use family and the meaning of family as a theme through which to analyze the Ramayana?

A number of powerful brother relationships help to provide structure to the Ramayana, including those between Rama, Lakshmana and Bharata; between Vali and Sugriva; and between Ravana and Vibhisana.  What is most noteworthy about any of these relationships, and how would you begin to compare and contrast them?

What does the epic have to say about the ideal king and about just rule?

How are the gods portrayed in the Ramayana?  How would you describe the relationship between gods and humans?  Where do demons (asuras) fit in this equation?

What has been the recent history of the Indian city of Ayodhya, and how has it become enmeshed in Indian politics since the late 1980s?