Two great epics offer social guidance in Asia

Two great epics offer social guidance in Asia

By Rita A. Widiadana

JIMBARAN, Bali (JP): For several centuries, Ramayana and
Mahabharata epics have remained as part and parcel of social
milieu of many countries in Asia.

Over time, variations of Ramayana and Mahabharata have been
adopted in the southern part of Asia according to local cultures,
ethos and religious beliefs.

From India, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia to Indonesia, we can find different versions and
different ways and means of projecting the stories of the
Ramayana and Mahabharata. However, the main themes of Ramayana
and Mahabharata remain unchanged.

From Sept. 13 through Sept. 15, experts and scholars from 12
countries including Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka,
Mauritius, the United States, the Netherlands, and Australia met
and exchanged views and explored the relevance of the two great
epics in modern times at the second International Symposium on
Ramayana and Mahabharata at Udayana University's campus in
Jimbaran. The first symposium was held last year in Malaysia.

Chairman of the organizing committee I Gusti Ngurah Bagus, a
literary professor at Udayana University, said in his welcoming
address that the second meeting, officially opened by Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, was aimed at enhancing
cooperation in the field of humanities research among experts
around the world.

"The meeting is expected to derive values from the epics to
provide us with comprehensive scientific discourses and to
enhance intercultural understanding among nations," he said.

The meeting also coincided with Unesco's declaration stating
the third millennium as the years of culture and peace.

The Ramayana is a story of the banishment of Rama, the crown
prince of Ayodya, exiled with his wife Sita and brother
Lakshamana, written by Hindu scholar Valmiki, presumably in the
year 400 B.C.

Valmiki's story is of a mortal hero without any deistic
attributes but one who was, nevertheless, capable of working
wonders. It tells of the birth and childhood of Rama, of his
banishment, of the kidnapping of his wife by devilish king
Ravana, the king of Lanka, and Sita's recovery and her return to
the bosom of Mother earth.

The epic was first introduced to Europe by an Italian
translation made by Goressio under the sponsorship of Charles
Albert, King of Sardinia (l843-l867). French writer M. Hippolyte
Fauche translated the Ramayana epic into his language. The
English version was written by Ralph Griffith who produced a
complete translation of more than 24,000 English couplets and an
abstract in prose.

The Mahabharata is a story of the conflicts and tragedies that
befell the Bharata noble families.

Most participating experts agreed that Ramayana and
Mahabharata are the most unique, animated and spiritual in India
and many other countries and are comparable to the Greek epics of
Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey).

According to K. Dharmaratnam from Malaysia the Ramayana is
more of a collection of religious poems whereas the Mahabharata
is more authentic and historical, portraying the political life
of ancient India with all its intrigues and chivalry.

The Ramayana is a simple and straightforward love story ending
happily and its characters are idealistic, with the good
and the villainous being clearly demarcated.

The Mahabharata is a tragedy, much longer, with numerous
characters and enmity between kin (and hence more dangerous). The
characters are more lifelike and realistic, in some of whom good
and evil are intricately entwined. The 18 days war was for the
property and dharma and the war took a terrible toll on human
lives.

Hari Dutt Sharma, visiting professor at Silpakorn University
in Thailand, said the Mahabharata story was the biggest bloodshed
in history. A formidable war was fought dividing the world into
two giant forces causing enormous destruction.

Intolerance and arrogance caused such a devastating war, the
professor explained. Horrible pictures and terrible scenes of the
battlefield are portrayed throughout the epic. Wailing cries of
widows and mothers are heard.

"The Mahabharata delivers a perennial message that in war
there is no winner. The epic is a clarion call to the world for
peace for all times," said the professor.

The Ramayana epic, on the other hand, sets examples of moral
of an individual, leaders and the community.

P.V. Viswanathan Namporootiri, a scholar from India, reveals
in his paper titled The Ramayana -- A Search into Human
Relationships said that the epic is not just India's greatest
epic but also the soul of millions of people of India and
Southeast Asia.

Ramayana epitomizes in itself not only philosophical thoughts,
spiritual and moral values but also cultural and political
ideals.

"We find the ideals we talk about so much today being
expressed in Valmiki Ramayana," he said.

What Valmiki tried to do was to tell a noble human story. The
process of the conscious transformation on the demonic into human
and the sublimation of the human into sage is the message of the
Ramayana.

Rama has no doubts as to his duty as a King whoever stands in
relationship to his subjects. The duty of a man as brother,
friend, messenger -- the duty of a human in all his/her
numberless relationships constitutes the main theme of the
Ramayana. The characters of this epic have no doubts or fears
about their duties.

In this age of broken relationships, the Ramayana epics point
the way to the strengthening of relationships through sincere
performance and fulfillment of one's duties. Thus the great epic
is a search into human relationships which find fulfillment in
duty and service.

I Gde Semadi Astra says in the old Javanese version of
Kakawin Ramayana, an epic written in a specific verse form in the
Old Javanese language, composed by Mpu Yogiswara, contains
various doctrines (astabrata), advice and moral guidances worth
using as a reference of life.

Leadership

Rama's advice to his brother Bharata, the king of Ayodya, and
Wibhisana, King of Lengka contains elements which deal with the
personal integrity required of a leader, in this case the king.
The conduct of a king toward his people, good and bad alike, in
establishing security in the country, the measures taken by the
king in establishing friendship with other countries as well as
in facing those which become enemies and the king's concern with
matters pertaining to religion, including respect for religious
figures.

Dr. Indira Saikia Bora, senior lecturer of Pragyotish College
in Assam, India, said the Ramayana of Valmiki deals extensively
with morality and religion.

All characters of the Ramayana are cherished by the Hindus as
the embodiments of distinct moral virtues. The King of Dasharata
stands as an ideal of paternal affection, Laksmana and Bharata of
fraternal Love, Sita of purity, Chastity and wifely fidelity.

The significant features of the Ramayana are sacrifice,
devotion to duty, magnanimity, tolerance, attitude and
selflessness for one and all eternal strength for justice. The
basic tenet is duty and equality.

"The Ramayana teaches us how to live a fuller life, how to
fulfill our responsibilities and also the happiness of harmonious
living," said Indira.

"The ideals as projected in Ramayana are the ideals of any
society, even more so in modern times," he said.