Guiding the Possibility of Conduct: A Reading of ‘Rama-Katha’

Ramayana is not a solo entity. The number of Ramayanas and the range of their influence in South and Southeast Asia over the past twenty-five hundred years or more are astonishing. Different versions of Rama story are available. We can trace the story line in Burma, Thailand, Japan, Oman etc. But from 20th century, from the time modern thought of learning came into practice, Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas started gaining unprecedented importance. ‘Ramakatha’ has such great influence that still its repercussions are felt. Bhakti notion has completely erased the original scripts of Ramayana which characterized the pangs, desires, ambitions of a king who with his power and subjectivity has overcome the difficulties of his lifetime. Rama is portrayed as an ordinary man with all lot of desires and doubts. But with Bhakti movement, all the humane character disappears and he becomes divine. The angst in the original Ramayana and how he overcomes this with his general concern for the humans disappears.

dharma. The story of Rama in its travails has to be understood as one that has variegated meanings and apprehensions. Bhakti movement has created such great ripples that it has masked all other variance of Ramayana and has just projected Valmiki Ramayana. My paper intends not to negate the culture, cult or values that the great literature has provided but to identify the variance and diversity of life that 'Rama-katha' has granted. The comportment of humans decides the culture. To formulate a culture, human beings are made subjects. How Rama-katha conducts the conduction of the generations also form the study of my paper.
Ramayana is not a solo entity. The number of Ramayanas and the range of their influence in South and Southeast Asia over the past twenty-five hundred years or more are astonishing. Different versions of Rama story are available. We can trace the story line in Burma, Thailand, Japan, Oman etc. But from 20th century, from the time modern thought of learning came into practice, Valmiki Ramayana started gaining unprecedented importance.
The enormous figure of Lord Rama has shadowed the transposition of different cultures, languages and religious traditions. A.K. Ramaujan's "Three Hundred Ramayanas" is a stupendous effort in this grab of the study. 'Aruthu Kattala'. The one who was a ferocious hunter turns out to be a poet with the evocation of concern and compassion in him. This basic principle of concern and the thread overcomes this with his general concern for the humans disappears.
Ramayana finds its expression after Buddhist period. Historians say that it's the peace and prosperity of the Mauryan era that paved the way for the expression in the textual form.
Historians read "Bala kanda", "Ayodhya Kanda" and "Uthara Ramayana" as later addition, after 2 nd century AD. The story of Rama remains the same but narratology stance different. In Vimala Soori's Bhauma Soorya, Ravana is the hero. All the adjectives given to Rama in 'Power exercised over bodies and desires' decides the proclivity and praxis of the people. It is a pointer index in deciding the conduct of the people. "Conduct is the activity of conducting, of conduction if you like, but it is equally the way in which one conducts oneself, lets oneself be conducted, is conducted and finally, in which one behaves as an effect of a form of conduct as the action of conducting or of conduction" (Foucault,193). The conduct of the humans decides the social cultural and linguistic system of a society. To authorize it, divergent layers are added by churning people as subjects.
Foucault attributes two meanings to 'subject'-"subject to someone else by control and dependence; and tied to his own identity by a conscience or self-knowledge" (23). Both these meanings suggest a form of power that subjugates individuals and make them subjects. In his act of killing Vali, the same act of injustice is revealed. He is killed from behind. One wonders why a person who is acclaimed as valour even from his childhood, did this? It is believed that Vali possessed the boon of acquiring half the strength of his enemy.
Was Rama afraid that he will loose the battle? Whatever, the act of injuring from behind despite all the greatness dims his halo. Ezhuthachan justifies the act by stating the cruelties Vali done to Sugreevariding him off the kingdom because of the suspicion and making Ruma his wife. Later we find Sugriva does the same actmaking Thara, wife of Vali, his queen. But then it was not questioned and was accepted as a practice of the tribe. Even the beautiful rendition of the event failed to prevent people from questioning Rama's ethical concept. Throughout the war, we find Rama and the vanara soldiers, though not rampant like Mahabharata war, negating the ethical rules of the war. We find Rama giving consent to the soldiers to disturb the yajna of Indrajith and Ravana for fear of being defeated. Had he actually been the divinity incarnated why should he fear yajas and the strength of his enemies? He is a mortal who has all the fears and anxieties when in war.
Rama, in many studies today, is blatantly put to criticism for asking Sita to take the fire ordeal. But in the political sense, he is setting the code of conduct for a ruler/leader. A ruler's personal life should be freed from all black spots. He evolves as Gandhiji addresses 'Maryada Purushothaman', a leader on whom none can charge accusations. This is evident later when Sita is sent to forest when his subjects doubt her chastity. Though one cannot justify the act of Rama, especially because she has already gone through the fire ordeal, he was standing for a value that needs to be practiced for the state. This very element of ethical concern he sowed in his subjects made them criticize the act of Ramaabandoning of Sita.
When Valmiki's 'Rama Katha' was listened by the people, they questioned the ethicality of their king. It is the self regulation of Rama that made him 'conduct the conduct of the people'. Not just his brothers but kings of various tribes adopted the ethical code set by Rama is not the king of Ayodhya or son of Dasharatha or husband of Sita, but a representation of unending consciousness of truth in his mind. Rama is born to define the utmost humanity. Numerous adjectives ascribed to Rama place him as embodiment of truth, of morality and of justice. He is considered as a complete ruler and the most kind and good human being and.
Today in the technologically driven post modern world, caste, class racial differences are rampant. It has huge undertones. Apart from material benefits and selfish creeds, nothing affects man. It's all a question of comfort. Virtue just flees over one's head. Suicides of agriculturalists, killing each other in the name of religious totem etc has becomes rampant in India. It is in this phase Rama, who for Gandhiji was a representation consciousness of truth in a ruler, has to be remembered. 'Rama Rajya' for Gandhi was a nation where all are treated with compassion. Hence his mission: 'to wipe out the tears from the eyes of the common man'. Such is dharma and that can be embraced only by the technologies of self adopted by the leaders in a world driven by lust and greed.