The Epic Ramayana

Having heard tales of this epic all of our growing years, I identify with it
like one would with one’s kith and kin,  ethnicity, and one’s very Wajood. (raison de etre)

These are a couple of my favorite anecdotes from this epic that I’d like to share.

First one is when Nall and Neel  the master architects are in the process of
 constructing the bridge to Lanka.  They achieved this by inscribing the name
 of Rama on each rock and then throwing it into the ocean.  The stones stay
afloat and do not sink as they bear the Lord’s sacred name.  But when Lord
Rama himself tries to throw a rock into the water,  it sinks at once.
 The explanation given was that whom the Lord himself discards
how can it stay afloat..

 Now, Ravan hears about this bridge and that the stones are staying afloat merely by
Virtue of bearing Lord Rama’s name.  He tells his people that, this is not a big deal
 as he too can do this minor miracle.  He goes towards the ocean and writes his name Ravan on
The rock and casts it into the water and it too stays afloat.  His people cheer “Long Live
Ravan” and they depart.  Ravan goes back to his palace and tells his wife of his minor
Success.  His wife Mandodari knows her husband very well and asks him, pls tell me the
Whole truth- how did you make the rocks stay afloat.  Ravan  was in the habit of
confiding all to his wife and tells her that whilst immersing the rocks, he had whispered
 to each rock that “tumhe ram ki kasam agar dubey to”. Hence the rocks stayed afloat!!!

Second one is when Ram and Ravan are face to face in the war arena, Laxman urges
His brother to slay Ravan at once, but Lord Rama hesitates.  Upon asking why is he not
Hurrying up and finishing this war by slaying the demon Ravan, then Lord Rama says
How can I slay him Laxman as my beloved Sita is still residing in his heart and I cannot
Aim at that heart where my beloved resides.  The minute his attention and mind are
 diverted from my beloved Sita, at that very moment I will slay him.  Such was the
Immense love of Lord Rama for his beloved Sita.  This tale touched my heart as well.

(from internet)
Ramayana is one of the great epics of India. This story of Sri Rama by the great sage Valmiki
 is referred to as the Adi Kavya. Other famous versions of Ramayana include Shri Ram Charit Manas
 in avadhii by Goswami Tulasidas and Kambar’s Kambaraamayanam in Tamil.
The Ramayana has been a perennial source of spiritual, cultural and artistic inspiration, not only
 to the people of India but also to the people all over the world. It has helped to mould the Hindu
 character and has inspired millions of people with the deepest of love and devotion.
"Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal
 son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before
 us by the great sage Valmiki. No language can be purer, none chaster, none more beautiful,
 and at the same time simpler, than the language in which the great poet has depicted the life of Rama."

-- Swami Vivekananda

   
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rāmāyaṇa (Devanāgarī: रामायण) is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage
 (maharishi) Valmiki and an important part of the Hindu canon (smṛti). It was the original
 story on which other versions were based such as the Thai Ramakien, the Lao Phra Lak Phra Lam
 and the Malay Hikayat Seri Rama.

The name Rāmāyaṇa is a tatpurusha compound of Rāma and ayana "going, advancing", translating
 to "Rāma's Journey".[1] The Rāmāyaṇa consists of 24,000 verses[2] in seven books, and 500
 cantos (kāṇḍas)[3] and tells the story of Rāma, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon
 (Rākshasa) king of Lanka, Rāvana. Thematically, the epic explores themes of human existence
 and the concept of dharma.[4]

Verses in Rāmāyana are written in thirty two syllable meter called anustubh and the epic was
 an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry and Indian life and culture, primarily
 through its establishment of the śloka meter. But, like its epic cousin the Mahābhārata,
the Rāmāyana is not just an ordinary story. It contains the teachings of the very ancient
 Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the
 philosophical and the devotional. The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanumān
 and Rāvana (the villain of the piece) are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.

One of the most important literary works on ancient India, the Ramayana has had a profound
 impact on art and culture in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The story of Rama
has inspired great amounts of latter-day literature in various languages, notable among
 which are the works of the fifteenth century Bengali poet Krittibas Ojha, known as the
Krittivasi Ramayan; the sixteenth century Hindi poet Tulsidas, Tamil poet Kambar of the 13th
 century, Molla ramayanam in Telugu and the 14th century Kannada poet Narahari Kavi`s Torave
 Ramayan. The Ramayana became popular in Southeast Asia during the 8th century and was
 represented in literature, temple architecture, dance and theater