#THE RAMAYANA INSTALL#

It is one of the two most important ancient epics of India, the first one being the ancient Mahabharata. Since this is a common practice in literature and media, even in modern times, it would be curious to learn if people apply this habit in everyday occurrences: judging a defendant in court, hiring an employee, or tipping a server.The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic about Rama and Sita. While the Ramayana is most concerned with the escapades of Prince Rama, his kingdom, and his wife, the epic also exists as another example of how beautiful women are portrayed as good, and ugly women are depicted as bad, as evidenced by the characters Sita and Manthara. In doing this, the reader cannot help but assume that aesthetic beauty is indicative of kindness and purity.

Sita is depicted as вЂњbeautifulвЂќ and вЂњradiant,вЂќ even when she is being treated poorly in prison and вЂњ a prayer for вЂќ when she sees signs of bad tidings to come. While Sita is being escorted into exile by Laksmana, she вЂњ ill omens and anxious on account of her husband and her mothers-in-law: she a prayer for their safetyвЂќ (1426). Following this joyful event, Bhadra informs Rama that some citizens have been gossiping about Sita, saying that she was impure during her captivity by Ravana.ДЄs a result, Rama commands that Sita unknowingly be taken and left in the hermitage of the sage Valmiki. After Sita is rescued from RavanaвЂ™s clutches, she and Rama return to Ayodhya and are installed as the rightful king and queen. She was beautiful in form, though emaciated through sorrow, hunger and austerityвЂќ (1401). She is described as, вЂњradiant though her garments were soiled. In Book 5, Hanuman reaches RavanaвЂ™s palace where he finds Sita imprisoned in the Asoka-grove. In RamaвЂ™s quest to save his wife, he gains the support of a great warrior, Hanuman, who helps in the search for Sita. In Book 3 of the Ramayana, Sita is kidnapped by a group of demonesses obeying orders from the demon king, Ravana. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Sita, RamaвЂ™s beautiful and dutiful wife. By describing Manthara as an вЂњevilвЂќ woman only after personal gain and then explicitly mentioning that she is вЂњdeformedвЂќ with a вЂњhunchback,вЂќ the reader is conditioned to relate unattractive appearances with poor moral fiber.

#THE RAMAYANA INSTALL#

However, after much urging on MantharaвЂ™s part, her вЂњevil counselвЂќ (1366) convinces the queen to force King Dasaratha to install her son, RamaвЂ™s brother, Bharata as king and to banish Rama to the forest to live as a hermit for fourteen years.ДЇollowing MantharaвЂ™s persuasion, Kaikeyi says to her, вЂњThey say that deformed people are sinful and wicked, but in your case, the hunchback is packed with wonderful tricksвЂќ (1366). At first, Kaikeyi does not understand why Manthara views this occasion as her downfall and brushes her off. Manthara makes her first appearance in the Ramayana in Book 2 when she informs Queen Kaikeyi of RamaвЂ™s impending coronation. These trait pairings teach the reader to, over time, automatically associate oneвЂ™s outward appearance with oneвЂ™s character. Women described as ugly and disfigured like KaikeyiвЂ™s servant Manthara are portrayed as evil, manipulative, and conniving, while beautiful women such as Sita are depicted as kind, obedient, and righteous. Although not completely centered around the main plotline, the role of women in the Ramayana brings to light a noteworthy collection of stereotypes found in myths, folklore, and fairy tales from every time period and country many times over. The Ramayana, one of IndiaвЂ™s two great literary epics, is the story of the tragic romance between Prince Rama and his wife, Sita.

The ramayana