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Ramopakhyana
''Rāmopākhyāna'' is a section of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata'', telling the story of Rama and Sita, a tale best known from the other great Sanskrit epic, the ''Ramayana''. Content The story comprises 704 verses spread across book 3 (the ''Vana Parva'', also known as the ''Aranyaka-parva'' or ''Aranya-parva''). In the standard numbering of the chapters of book 3, it comprises chapters 257–75. At the beginning of the ''Ramopakhyana'' section of the ''Mahabharata'', the character Yudhishthira has just suffered the abduction of his wife and been exiled to the forest. Asking whether there has ever been someone more unfortunate than himself, he is told the comparable story of Rama and Sita as a moralising tale, counseling him against despair. The account of Rama and Sita in the ''Rāmopākhyāna'' is noted for treating Rāma as a human rather than a divine hero; in not mentioning Sita's banishment following her return to Ayodhya; and in not mentioning how she disappears into t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandava, Pāṇḍavas. It also contains Hindu philosophy, philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or ''puruṣārtha'' (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the ''Mahābhārata'' are the ''Bhagavad Gita'', the story of Damayanti, the story of Shakuntala, the story of Pururava and Urvashi, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha (sage), Kacha and Devayani, the story of Rishyasringa and an Ramopakhyana, abbreviated version of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'', often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the ''Mahābhārata'' is attributed to Vyasa, Vy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kabandha
In Hinduism, Kabandha (, , lit. "headless torso") is a Rakshasa (demon) who is killed and freed from a curse by the god Rama – an Avatar of Vishnu – and his brother Lakshmana. Kabandha's legend appears in the Hindu epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', as well as in later Ramayana adaptations. Kabandha was a gandharva (celestial musician) named Vishvavasu or Danu, who was cursed and made into an ugly, carnivorous demon by a sage named Sthulshira. In an encounter with Rama and Lakshmana, the brothers sever his arms and proceed to cremate his corpse. Upon his death, Kabandha resumes his Gandharva form and directs Rama to the Rishyamukha mountain, where the exiled monkey-chief Sugriva is hiding. Kabandha advises Rama to form an alliance with Sugriva, who would be of assistance in the search for Rama's wife Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka. Following Kabandha's advice, Rama befriends Sugriva and rescues Sita with his help. Literary sources The mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion. Sita's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Sita Navami. Described as the daughter of Bhūmi (the earth), Sita is brought up as the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha. Sita, in her youth, chooses Rama, the prince of Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya as her husband in a swayamvara. After the Sita Swayamvara, swayamvara, she accompanies her husband to his kingdom but later chooses to accompany him along with her brother-in-law Lakshmana, in his exile. While in exile, the trio settles in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the garden of Ashoka Vatika, in Lanka, until she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jatayu
Jatayu (, ) is a demigod in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', who has the form of a vulture. He was the younger son of Aruṇa and his wife Shyeni, the brother of Sampati, as well as the nephew of Garuda. He was also an old friend of King Dasharatha, Rama's father. Legend Flight towards the Sun During their youth, Jatayu and his elder brother, Sampati, under a wager, flew towards Surya, the solar deity. Jatayu, careless due to his youthfulness, outflew his brother, and entered the Sūryamaṇḍala, the orbit of the Sun, during noon. Due to the blazing heat of Surya, his wings started to get scorched. In a desperate bid to rescue his brother, Sampati flew ahead of him, spreading his wings wide open to shield him. As a consequence, it was Sampati who had his wings burnt, descending towards the Vindhya mountains. Incapacitated, he spent the rest of his life under the protection of a sage named Nishakara, who performed a penance in the mountains. Jatayu never met his brother aga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maricha
In the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', Maricha, or Mareecha (Sanskrit: मारीच, IAST: ), is a rakshasha, who was killed by Rama, the hero of the epic and an avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned as an ally of Ravana, the antagonist of the epic. His most notable exploit is his role in the kidnapping of Sita, Rama's wife. His son Kalanemi was killed by Hanuman. Cursed to be a rakshasa along with his mother Tataka and brother Subahu, Maricha initially led his life terrorizing sages. He was defeated by Rama at the behest of the sage Vishvamitra. He tried again to kill Rama, but had to run for his life again. Ultimately, Maricha assumed the form of a golden deer and helped Ravana kidnap Sita. Legend Early life Maricha was the son of the demon Sunda (son of Jamba or Jharjha) and a Yakshini named Tataka, also known as Taraka, Tadaka or Thataka. Tataka was the daughter of the yaksha king Suketu, who had gained her as a blessing from the god Brahma. Maricha also had a younger bro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dandakaranya
Dandakaranya (), also rendered Dandaka (, IAST: ), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana''. It covers about of land, which includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the Eastern Ghats in the east, including regions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Telangana states. It spans about from north to south and about from east to west. Etymology ''Dandakaranya'' means "the Dandaka forest" in Sanskrit, the abode of the rakshasa Dandaka. It was the site of the Danda kingdom in Hindu puranic history, a stronghold of the rakshasa tribes. It was a state of the Lanka kingdom under the reign of Ravana. Ravana's governor Khara ruled this province. Hinduism Dandakaranya is considered sacred in Hinduism, as many accounts of the region describe ancient Hindu peoples and Hindu deities living together in refuge there. The Dandakaranya zone was the location of the turning point in the Ramayana, a famous Sanskri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nandigrama
Nandigrama is the name of a location, place or region somewhere in Western India where a school of astronomers and mathematicians flourished during the thirteenth-eighteenth centuries CE. David Pingree, one of America's leading historians of the exact sciences (primarily mathematics) in antiquity, identified Nandigrama with Nandod in Gujarat. However, modern scholarship has identified Nandigrama as the Nandgaon village in the Raigad district in Maharashtra State Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the sou .... It lies about 64 km south of Mumbai on the Konkan coast. Astronomers and mathematicians Ganesa Daivajna was an astronomer born in 1507 in Nandigrama. His father Kesava Daivajna and paternal grandfather Kamalakara (not to be confused with Kamalakara of Golagrama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakshmana
Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and is known for his loyalty and dedication towards Rama. Lakshmana was born to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya and Queen Sumitra. Shatrughna, is his twin brother. He was married to Urmila, after his brother Rama married Sita in her swayamvara. Lakshmana devoted himself to Rama since childhood and accompanied him during his fourteen-year exile, serving him and Sita endlessly. He also played a pivotal role in the war and killed Meghanada. Lakshmana is worshipped in Hinduism, at various places in India, alongside Rama and Sita. Etymology The name Lakshmana is of Sanskrit origin, which means 'the one endowed with auspicious signs'. He bears the epithets of Saumitra (, ) and Ramanuja (, ). Legend Birth and early life King Dasharatha of A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bharata (Ramayana)
Bharata ( ) is the younger brother of Rama in Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', and the regent of Ayodhya during Rama's exile. Bharata is considered as an incarnation of the Panchajanya of god Vishnu, and was married to Mandavi. Bharata is regarded for his devotion towards his elder brother Rama. He went against his mother and refused the throne of Ayodhya while elder brother, Rama, was exiled. Bharata also lived a life in exile, in Nandigram, Ayodhya, till Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya. He is mostly worshipped in Kerala. Etymology The name Bharata is of Sanskrit origin. His name means "one to be r beingmaintained". Legend Birth and early life King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. Bharata was born to Kaikeyi, while Rama was born to Kausalya, and Lakshmana and Shatrughna were born to Sumitra. In the ''Ramayana'', he is described as an incarnation of Panchajanya. While Lakshmana was a loyalist of Rama, his twin, Shatrughn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaikeyi
Kaikeyi,(Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is a princess of Kekeya and the queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Kaikeyi is the third queen and favourite consort of King Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital, Ayodhya. She is the mother of Bharata. Out of Dasharatha's three wives, Kaikeyi exerts the most influence. Formerly the princess of Kekeya, she is described to have served as an able counsellor to her husband during times of war. Initially loving and motherly towards her stepson, Prince Rama, Kaikeyi's mind is poisoned by Manthara, her maid. Under her influence, Rama is exiled to the forest for a period of fourteen years. Legend Birth and early life Kaikeyi is born to King Ashvapati of Kekeya shortly before her mother was exiled. She was raised with her only mother figure being her hunchbacked nursemaid, Manthara. She is raised with seven brothers, including her twin, Yudhājit. Marriage and child Kaikeyi is married to the ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dasharatha
Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. Dasharatha also finds mention in the ''Vishnu Purana''. Legend Early life and marriage King Dasharatha was believed to be an incarnation of Svayambhuva Manu, the son of the Hindu creator god, Brahma. Dasharatha was born as the son of King Aja of Kosala and Indumati of Vidarbha. He was originally named Nemi, but he acquired the moniker ''Dasharatha'' ('ten chariots') as his chariot could move in all ten directions, fly, and return to earth, and he could fight with ease in all of these directions. Dasharatha became the ruler of Kosala after the death of his father. He was a great warrior who subjugated many of the neighbouring kingdoms with his prowess and slew many asuras in battle. According ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
