The Ramayana Katha

At the outset let me make clear that what follows is not a ‘scripture’ but only a mythological novel based on the life of Lord Rama. Who is Sri Rama? Some say he has just an ordinary man born of human parents. A few believe he was the Lord Himself. Whatever it be, Rama is at least a historical figure. His places of activity – Ayodhya, Sarayu River, Chitrakuta Hills, Bharadwaja Ashram (near Jawaharlal Nehru’s ancestral house, Ananda Bhawan, at Allahabad) – are all real places.The believer considers Rama as an ‘Avatara’ of the Lord. Brahma told him that he was really Narayana, who has come down to earth for the purpose of punishing evildoers and protecting good people.There is, however an explanation for Rama’s behavious. When God comes to the earth as a human being, he has to behave like one and be an ideal to the other human beings. And Rama did just that. He was an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal friend, an ideal king. He even discarded his beloved wife in deference to the opinion of some of his subjects.The concept of ‘Avatara’ is accepted by the Zoroastrians also, who say, "This world is the Lord’s playground.