Introduction

Hi, my name is Dipika and I am reading the Mahabharatha for this semester.
In the Hindu religion, there are two great epics, stories that transcend time and concept, that define much of the social and ethical practices that still echo in the culture today.

The Ramayana tells the tale of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, one of the supreme trinity of Gods. The epic follows the childhood, adolescence, and subsequent maturation of Prince Rama. Through several evil forces like jealousy and greed, he was unwillingly forced into exile for 14 year with his wife and brother. His wife was kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. Rama embarks on a quest to rescue his wife and along the way he meets several important people. The culmination of this epic is in the epic battle that is fought between Rama and Ravana, symbolic of the forces of good and evil, right and wrong, and duty and desire. It is a tale of Man.

The Mahabharatha is an extremely complex epic involving hundreds of characters, each with their own web of lies, deceit, and problems. It is commonly known as the handbook of ethics. It is the determinant of most of the ethical and social practices that are still followed by most Hindus today. It follows the history of problems between two groups of brothers, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Both were born under different sets of circumstance, with different birth rights. However, as they all vie for power and benefit, they also realize that morality and ethics determine just as much of life. Exile, marriage, deceit, blackmail, righteousness, and duty are all major factors that play into this epic war story.

Stay tuned for more!