Posted: August 9th, 2022

The Ramayana is basically an Ancient Indian epic poem

The Ramayana
The Ramayana is basically an Ancient Indian epic poem that follows the story of a young prince called Rama who is a mortal incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god. The epic portrays gender roles. It is important to note that the society in which the epic is centered is highly patriarchal. As such, only men can be rulers and leaders. Rama says on his designation as a prince regent: “Mother, my father has appointed me to the task of offering protection to the people” (Narayan 534). This passage clearly shows how power is transferred from father to son so as to meet the needs of the community as a whole. Therefore, as a leader, Rama is expected to enforce values among others and show his desire to bring incredible attitudes to the people surrounding him. Women are expected to be faithful, loyal, loving and compassionate towards their husbands. This is demonstrated by Kausalya, Rama’s mother, who obeys and is faithful to the King and adheres to dharma, “a husband must be constantly worshipped as a god by a wife who is faithful” (Narayan 560).
From the epic, it is also evident that the sexuality of women is subsumed within her reproductive role. As such, she is expected to produce children for her husband and give up any personal ambitions she has. This is what is expected of the King’s two wives, i.e., Kausalya and Kaikeyi. I think that these roles are harmful to society. This is because they favor men at the expense of the women. Men are given the liberty to pursue their dreams and become great in society while women are restricted to being caregivers. This is very unfair to them since they are not given the chance to exploit their potential. If given the chance, I believe women can provide viable solutions that plague our societies. They can be great leaders too.
Work Cited
Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana. Penguin Books, 2001.

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