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.