Ramayana is the Aadikaavya. And Valmiki the poet, as is said of all poets, knows it all—the past, the present and the future. That must be the reason why Valmiki was able to see through the character of Rama and say with conviction that he is the best of all, for all the times.
Rama is portrayed as the avatar of Lord Vishu only in two chapters—one and seven—and in the rest, he is the vir purush, the epitome of heroism, and above all, a human being.
Though Ramayana is the story of Rama, it can have many an interpretation. I will attempt one: imagine Rama standing for human beings, Ayodhya for heart, Sita for peace and tranquility,
Lakshmana for trust, monkeys for triviality, Sugreeva for friendship, hanuman for power and demons for bad thoughts… Ramayana is all about a man’s quest for peace and tranquility. He will be able to reclaim Ayodhya, that’s heart, if he can eliminate the demons and recover Sita, that’s peace. I would say this what Ramayana essentially is.
Many see Ramayana as a literary work; for me, it’s beyond that. The general principle applicable to many fields including literature and science is that the first product would be an immature, incomplete one, and the best will follow it. But in the case of Aadikaavya, I would presume that no other work that followed could overwhelm it.
It was modelled on nothing but still it continues to floor people due its exceptional content and brilliant form. It’s the seat of sacrifice, dharma, love and truth; everything in nature, be it human beings, animals, birds, trees, oceans or mountains. It gives us lesson in co-existing with the nature.
There are people who criticise Rama directly or indirectly. For them I have only one thing to say: Poets such as Valmiki and Ezhutthachan, who were ardent devotees of the Lord, would not have gone for the creation of a character with faultlines running in him.
And if people see something indigestible in his characterisation, it must be because of the wrong reading they must have had.
(The writer is poet and fiction writer)
