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Home , Angada, Bharata (Mahabharata), Brahmastra, Danava (Hinduism), Jatayu, Kesari (Ramayana)

Component-I (A) – Personal details:

Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri University, .

Prof. V. Ramana Reddy Director, O.R.I., S. V.University, Tirupati.

Prof. V. Venkata Ramana Reddy Director, O.R.I., S. V.University, Tirupati.

Prof. V. Kannan University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad.

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Component-I (B) – Description of module:

Subject Name Indian Culture

Paper Name Vedic, Epic and Puranic culture of

Module Name/Title Important Characters in

Module Id I C / VEPC / 19

Pre requisites Knowledge in later Vedic literature and importance of Ramayana To know about Significance of Ramayana Objectives Characters, major characters of Ramayana, Unique bonding between some characters, Ramayana characters in Keywords Ramayana / epic

E-text (Quadrant-I): 1. INTRODUCTION: CHARACTERS IN RAMAYANA The Ramayana is one of the greatest epics of . Written by the sage . The Ramayana is not just a story, but also an perfect medium for educating ones life. This has been an educational medium utilized by the ancient sages to impart the values of doing ones (duty) and maintain relationships. The Ramayana has many varieties of characters who set as example how to lead life and how one should not. These characters are templates of roles a human play in life as an ideal father, ideal son, ideal brother, ideal leader, ideal wife, etc. The Ramayana is just not a fictional story, but depicts the importance of values such as how to lead a family life, up keeping the promises, protecting the weak etc. The great epic Ramayana preach a lot of values that we would want our next generation to inculcate. One can Learn the greatest gems of Hindu Epics, namely the Ramayana to make our children to live with moral values and ethics. In the next heads will discuss the importance of major character of Ramayana what an individual should learn from it. It also teaches what a person should not do in life for e.g. though well learned man met his death because of his bad vices. All the characters of Ramayana are mirror of the human virtues and vices. The entire theme narrates family and life in a macrocosm. The characters in Ramayana are very much inspired from the real life. Ramayana is not only an epic but also a Historical depiction. We can also get the first hand information about the society and situation of Ramayana times. From the ages till even modern contemporary world the acceptability of the characters in Ramayana is praise worthy. The narration of the great epic is through the characters, they are very instrumental in narration of the epic. They are very apt and interwoven and related to each other which helps to bring a significant ending. Each of the characters significantly evolve with the progress of the story at different times and places in this great epic. Many of the characters like Lord , , , and others are considered as deities according to Hindu mythology. Prince Rama is considered as the seventh incarnation of Lord ; whereas Hanuman is considered as the incarnation of Lord . The villain of in the epic, Ravana, is an iconic doomed character in Hindu mythology. Some religious sects regard Ravana as a deity as

2 well. The character traits in Ramayana are categorized into three parts according to the dynasties. Today thousands read the sacred Ramayana, but few understand its core essence. They spend their time in acquiring mere bookish knowledge and learn knowledge superficially, but fail to put the wisdom acquired into practice. There are many people who can render or chant Ramayana in a beautiful way, but how many of them follow the instructions and listen to the command of their fathers in their respective life? Ver few does! Just reading various texts will not take anyone anywhere, if we do not understand and put into practice the message conveyed in them? Intellect will blossom only when there is transformation in human beings. The story of the Ramayana reveals the ideal relationship that should exist between brothers. Lakshmana and Satrughna served Rama and respectively with utmost devotion and sincerity. When Lakshmana fell in the battlefield by Indrajeet’s arrow, Rama bemoaned, "In this world I might find another mother like , a wife like Sita, but definitely not a brother like Lakshmana." A brother should be like this - one who respects elders and brings fame to the whole family. It is the unanimity and the bond amongst the brothers that brought reputation to the whole Raghu family. 2. RAMAYANA'S TEACHING ABOUT CHARACTERIZATION: Ramayana teached about the bondage between two persons and various relationship an individual to the family and society. A person plays a role of husband, father , brother, son, friend and various kinds of relationship in his circles. What is the highest order of standard of relationship is depicted in Ramayana. For example relationship between brothers of Rama is an ideal to the rest of the humanity. They lived in unity in spite of troubles and turmoil. wanted her son Bharata to be the king of , but Bharata never had such a dream. He went to Chitrakoota Mountain, fell at the feet of Rama and prayed to come back and take over the kingdom of Ayodhya. But, Rama did not yield more over quoted the Vedic dictum “Mathru Devo Bhava, Pithru Devo Bhava”. He advised Bharata to follow the command of the father and fulfill the wish of his mother. This is why Rama’s Pitruvakyaparipalana and adhering to truthful speech is hailed as de-facto highest standard of ethics. 2.1 The various Relationships we find in Ramayana In Ramayana we find very interesting varieties of characters which is the mirror of the world. Brothers, wife and husband, Friends etc. Three types of brothers  Rama and Lakshmana  and Sugreeva  Ravana and Vibheeshana Three types of Wife and husband  Sita and Rama  Mandodhari and Ravana  and Vali 5 types of Friendship  Rama and Sugreeva  Vali and Ravana  and Mainaka  Ravana and Maaricha  – Dasaratha 3 types of Kings and Subjects  Rama and Ayodhya kingdom 3

 Ravana and Lankans  Sugreeva and 3. Major Characters in Ramayana: RAMA: Rama is the 7th of God Vishnu according to the Hindu belief. All kinds of human charm appeared on him. He was born to the King Dasaratha of Ayodhya kingdom. Mother is Queen Kauslya. He had portrayed as the epitome of virtue and ideal son. He was considered as Personification of Dharma (Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmaha). He was the accomplished king of ancient India and his kingdom is called Rama Rajya, the perfect way of State Administration. SITA: Sita was the avatar of Goddess , the consort of Vishnu. Sita had portrayed as the epitome of female purity and virtue. She is the beloved wife of Rama was the daughter of king who got her in a field (Bhumija). Along with Viswamitra Rama went to (current day Janakpur, Nepal), and got a chance to participate in the challenge (swayamvara) marry her. The competition was to lift a heavy Bow given by Lord Shiva. Though not compulsory she followed her husband into exile. She was abducted by Ravana and was imprisoned on the island of . Rama waged a battle on Ravana and rescued her by killing the demon king Ravana. and ware borne as sons of Sita and Rama. LAKSHMANA: Lakshmana was the younger brother of Rama and twin brother of Shatrughnu. He was the son of King Dasaratha and Queen . He had chosen to go into exile with Rama and Sita. Lakshmana has portrayed as ideal brother. He spended his time protecting Sita and Rama. Lakshmana was married to Sita's younger sister . He had two sons, named Angad and Chandraketu. BHARATA: Bharata was the son of and Queen Kaikeyi. He learned that his mother Kaikeyi had asked Rama into exile which caused Dasharatha to die heartbroken. He left the palace and went in search of Rama in the forest. Rama refused to return from his exile to become the king. Bharata to refused to ascend the throne. He obtained Rama's sandals, and placed them on the throne as a representation of Rama , the true king. Bharata then ruled Ayodhya as the regent of Rama for the next fourteen years. He was married to . He had two son, named Taksha and Puskal. SATRUGHNA: Satrughna was the son of Dasharatha and Sumitra. He was the youngest brother of Rama and also the twin brother of Lakshmana. He had married to .He. He had two son, named and Shatrughati. DASHARATHA: Dasharatha was the valor king of Ayodhya who helped the Gods on the war on . He is the father of Rama. He had three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra, and three other sons: Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrugna. Queen Kaikeyi, Dasharatha's favourite queen, utilizes the boons bestowed by the king on her. She sends Rama to exile and to make her son Bharata as the crown prince. Dasharatha died heartbroken after Rama goes into exile. Kousalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra Kousalya was the mother of Rama and Queen of Ayodhya. She was a great mother who loved her son and supported his cause of keeping up the parents word. Sumitra was the mother of Lakhmana and Shatrughnu, another great mother sent her son Lakshmana along with the elder brother Ram to forest for service. Kaikeyi was fundamentally a good natured and who loved Rama more than anyone, but by the venomous counsel of her maid servant whom she consider loyal and wise. She was convinced to send Rama into exile and insist on her son Bharat being crowned king’s vicious 4 boons she also ruined her life. She lost her beloved husband to heartbreak and her son Bharat, for whom she asked for those very boons, chastised her for dreadful behaviour. For everyone this is a very important lesson in life. One should stay on guard against vicious counsel. VISHWAMITRA: Sage Viswamitra was a king earlier who became Rishi with the intention of competing with Sage Vasista, and finally attains the state. He was the father of Sakuntala whose son was Bharata the king. Viswamitra plays a vital role in Ramayana. He takes Rama and Lakshmana to the forest in the pretext of saving the yajgna. During the journey he teaches many sacred warfare techniques and gives Rama many powerful weapons. He teaches sacred BALA ATIBALA vidya which enables one go for months without food and sleep. Popular rishi in Ramayana. Finally, he escorts Rama to King Janak's court, where Rama lifts the magic bow and thus win's Sita's hand in marriage. Mentioned as the Father of Sakuntala but no mention in Mahabharata on whether he lived during time JATAYU: Jatayu was the younger son of and nephew of brother of Sampathi who gives clue to vanaras about Sitamata. In the old age this demigod was living in the form of a vulture in Panchavati. He was a friend and former associate of King Dasaratha. When Ravana tried to abduct Sita Jatayu tried to rescue Sita from the evil Ravana. Jatayu was very old still and causes his chariot to crash in his attempt to rescue Sita. Ravana soon got the better of him and chopped off his wings. Rama and Lakshmana met the dying Jatayu on their way in search for Sita. He informed them the direction in which Ravana had gone. He witnesses Ravana abducting Sita. Ravana mortally wounds him, but before he dies he manages to inform Rama and Lakshmana of what has happened. HANUMAN: Hanuman is also known as Anjaneya, Maruti, Bajrangi, Vayuputra, pavanaputra etc. Hanuman was the chief among devotees of the world. According to the story of Ramayana Hanumana was the famous belonging to the kingdom of . In some versions, (other than Valmiki's) he was portrayed as the eleventh avatar of God Shiva (He is also called ) and an ideal devout of Rama. He was born as the son of , a vanara king, and the Anjana. Hanuman was a very faithful devotee of Shri Rama. He is considered as avatar of Lord Shiva. Hanuman is a great warrior, powerful who can astral travel, Well Learned, musician, very humble and with lot of noble qualities. He is played a very instrumental and positive role in Ramayana, vital in finding the whereabouts of Sita by crossing the sea. He helped Sugreeva and got restored his kingdom. Received Rama on kishkinda and made friendship between Sugreeva and Rama. He helped in removed spell of snakes on Ram and Lakshmana by Meghanada son of Ravan, (by invoking Garuda). Hanuman also helped reviving Lakshmana from the weapon by bringing Sanjeevini herb on Dronagiri Mountain from Himalayas. His character in Ramayana is very vital and very inspirational. Hanuman lived a very long life to spread the message of Shri Rama in this world. In Dwapar yug, Shri eventually meets his beloved devotee. He played an important part in locating Sita and in the ensuing battle. He believed to live until our modern world. : Sugriva was a vanara king. Sugriva was the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom Kishkindha. Rumā was his wife. He was the born by the boon of . Hanuman was his minister who was very sincerely helped him in every walk. He helped Rama regain Sita from Ravana. He had an agreement with Rama through which – Sugriva's brother and king of Kishkindha-would be killed by Rama in exchange for Sugriva's help in finding Sita. Sugriva ultimately ascended the throne of Kishkindha after the slaying of Bali, and fulfiled his promise by putting the Vanara forceed at Rama's disposal. 5

The King of the monkeys, he is dethroned by his evil brother Bali due to a misunderstanding when both fight a water buffalo together and Sugreeva accidentally leaves Bali trapped in a cave, thinking he is dead. Bali then defeats Sugreeva and bansishes him to the forest. Rama and Lakshmana form an alliance with Sugreeva and help him regain his throne and defeat Bali. In return, Sugreeva pledges his monkey army (led by Hanuman) to Rama's aid in rescuing Sita from her imprisonment by Ravana on the island of Lanka. The story of Sugreeva and Bali is generally given more weight in Southeast Asian versions of the Ramayana than it is in the Valmiki version. He was very able king his order is very powerful which is known as Sugrivajna (Sugriva Order). His character is one example for friendship and commitment. VALI: Another powerful character in Ramayana is Vali. He was born by the boon of . Vali’s wife was Tara and they had a Son . He is very powerful who even defeated Ravana. He had the special boon that he could grab the power of opponent during the war. He had dispute with his younger brother and thrown him out of his country and kept his wife in captivity. Vali had a curse by a rishi that he cannot step on Rishyamooka mountain. Sugreeva taken this as advantage and was wandering on Rishyamooka mountain in exile. Rama became friend of Sugreeva and encouraged him to challenge Vali for a duel. Vali and sugreeva had a deadly fight where sugreeva almost got defeated. Rama killed Vali by an Arrow by standing behind a tree. Rama later consoled Vali and made his son Angad as Prince of kishkinda. This is another character which is an example of misuse of powers and capturing other’s wife. Both are punishable crimes and got punished by Rama. RAVANA: He was a Great scholar and read all . A great master of music and composition. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva also. After performing severe penance for ten thousand years he received a boon from the creator-God : he could henceforth not be killed by Gods, demons, or spirits. He was son of keisiki and grandson pulstya brahma. Ravana was the ten headed king of Lanka who abducted Sita. He was a powerful Demon king disturbing the penances of the . He was the principal enemy of Lord Rama in the epic. He was exiled by Ravana for his good advise and joined Rama's army. His brother served Rama during the war. was Ravana's favourite wife. She was a pious and always tried to bring her husband in the path of pity. was the son of Ravana and Mandodari. He was a courageous warrior and a great fighter giving Rama a tough rivalry. INDRAJIT: Indrajit or Meghanada was son of Ravana and prince of Lanka and a conqueror of Indra Loka(heaven). Indrajit played an pivotal role in the great war between Rama and Ravana. He was said to be unconquarable in battle because of a called Abhichara, he used to perform before every battle. He was a mighty Atimaharathi. He is considered as the most powerful and the only warrior ever had the three ultimate weapons of i.e.Brahmanda , Vaishnava astra and . He even twice defeated Rama and Lakshman in the battle. Indrajit killed 670 million Vanara's in a single day, nearly exterminated their race. But got succumbing to Lakshmana on the third time. He was vigorous character. : Kumbhakarna is brother of Ravana and Vibheeshna. He is very great warrior and also did penance along with Ravana. It is said that a wrong boon which made him famous for his eating and sleeping. He was very instrumental in the wars against the enemies of Asuras. He would sleep for six months at a time and would be extremely ravenous upon waking up, consumed anything set before him. His monstrous size and loyalty made him an important part of Ravana's army. During the war, he decimated the Vanara army before Rama cut off his limbs and head. Kumbhakarna a brother of Ravana, was famous for his eating and sleeping. He would sleep for months at a time and would be extremely ravenous upon waking up, consumed anything set

6 before him. His monstrous size and loyalty made him an important part of Ravana's army. During the war, he decimated the Vanara army before Rama cut off his limbs and head. SURPANAKHA: Surpanakha was Ravana's sister. She has fallen in love with Rama. She had the magical power to take any form she wanted. Her husband Biddyutjiuha was killed by Ravana.

VIBHISHANA: He is the youngest of Ravana, kumbhakarna and Vibheeshana brothers. He is pious and devotee of Lord Vishnu. He advises Ravana at various stages like before abducting Sita and during the visit of Hanuman to Lanka. His daughter is the one who solaces Sita at Ashoka vana. Vibheeshana was exiled by Ravana before the start of war, thus he surrender himself to Rama. After Ravana's death he become king of Lanka. He is the one who was instrumental in upcoming of Lord ’s Temple at (now in ). He was mentioned in Mahabharata also. Mahabharata mentions that Vibheeshana sent Jewell and Gems to Yudhisthira's Rajasuya sacrifice. He is example of pious character who in-spite of raised by Asuras. Never feared to advise good and leaving his own kith and kin for the sake of upkeeping the good. His intricate knowledge of Lanka was vital in the war. He was crowned king after the fall of Ravana. He has humble character. Her father Suketu, a king performed tapasya for an offspring. Suketu had desired a son, but Lord Brahma blessed him with a strong and beautiful daughter. She was a beautiful princess that was wooed by and married Sumali, an King. She had two sons and Subahu and a daughter, Kaikesi. When Rishi cursed both Suketu and Sumali to death, Tadaka took it upon herself to wreak vengeance on the sage. This earned them both the Rishi's anger. Agastya cursed Tadaka with the loss of her beautiful physique, and transformed both mother and son into hideous demonic creatures with a cruel, cannibalistic nature . The curse particularly transformed Tataka into a man-eater with an ugly and fierce figure. After being cursed by Agastya, Vishwamitra and the two princes came to Tataka's forest and the sage ordered Rama to kill the demoness to free the area from her terror. Rama was hesitant to kill her as she was a woman later by the advice of Rishi he kills her. Maricha and Subahu Maricha and Subahu are Sons of Tataka. Rama’s first encounter with Tataka was at the age of 16 when he was following Sage Viswamitra to save the sacred yajgna, she was killed by Rama. During the process of saving the Yajgna Rama killed Subahu and sends Maricha to a distance with whirlwind astra. Ravana asks the help of Maricha (who was his uncle) to abduct Sita, with reluctance Maricha obliges him. Knowing his death is inevitable he prefers to die in the hands of Rama. Maricha assumed form of suvarna mriga (golden deer) and help abduct Sita. During the process he gets killed by Rama. Manthara Manthara was the Maid servant of Keikeyi. She came along with Kaikeyi from she got married to Dasaratha. Manthara is from Keikeyis parents place. She was very scheming and cunning lady in Ramayana. Manthara could not see Rama getting crowned instead of Bharata who is Keikeyis son. She spoils the mind of keikeyi with ill advise and reminds her to use the two boons that Dasaratha given against favor Keikeyi did in the war. Manthara convinced Keikeyi for Bharat's thorne and exile of Rama. After the return of Bharata and Shatrugnu from their maternal grandfather’s place after rama left Ayodhya, she got punished by them. If Manthara was not in Ramayana the story would have not taken place a great turn. 4. LIST OF CHARACTERS APPEAR IN RAMAYANA

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Character Description

Wife of sage Gautama, who was turned into a stone and later became free from curse by the touch of Rama

Bharat Brother of Rama and son of Kaikeyi

Dasharatha Rama's father and King of

Dashanan Ten headed King of Lanka a.k.a. Ravana

Garuda Eagel; King of winged creatures

Sage/Rishi who cursed her wife Ahalya to be a stone for her immoral Gautam conduct

Son of the wind God; Devout of Rama and a leading warrior among monkey Hanuman tribe

Indrajit Ravana's son who fought with Rama with magical powers

Jambuvan Leader of bears who found Sita with his supernatural powers

Janaka King of Mithila; Father of Sita, who found her in a furrow

Jatayu Great bird who was killed by Ravana while rescuing Sita

Dashartha's youngest queen and mother of Bharata who asked for Rama's Kaikeyi exile

Kausalya Dashratha's queen and Rama's mother

Boatman who let Rama, Laxman and Sita cross the river in his boat and Kevat washes Rama's feet for his fee

Khar Brother of Ravana and

Kumbhkarna Ravan's brother known for sleeping and eating

Kush Son of Rama and Sita

Laxman Queen Sumitra's son and Rama's brother

Lava Son of Ram and Sita; brother of Kush

Mandavi Bharat's wife & King Janak's daughter

Maid servant of Keikeyi who convinced her for Bharat's thorn and exile of Manthara Rama

Maricha or Who assumed form of suvarna mriga (golden deer) and help abduct Sita Mareech

Ravana's son, who made Laxman unconscious in the battlefield with his Meghanad arrow

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Nala - Nil Son of great builder who helped Rama build bridge to Lanka

Ten headed King of Lanka, who abducted Sita; brother of Vibhishana & Ravana Surpanakha; father of Indrajit; husband of Mandodari

Sampati Brother of Jatayu

Shatrughna Rama's younger borther

Shabari Devotee of Ram who offered him berry fruit

Shatananda Head Preist (kul ) of Mithila

Shiva Hindu Lord, whose bow was lifted by Rama in swayamvara

Shravan Son of blind parents; known as an idol of service to parents

Shrutkirti 's wife and King Janak's daughter

Shurpanakha Ravan's sister whose ears and nose were cut by Laxman

Sita Daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama

Sugriva King of monkey tribe and King of Kiskindha

Sumanta Charioteer of King Dasharatha

Sumitra Wife of Dashratha; Mother of Laxman & Shatrughna

Sunayana Wife of King Janak; Mother of Sita

Lankan physician, who advised Sanjivani herbs from Kailas mountain in Sushen order to cure Laxman

Tataka Demoness (rakshasi) killed by Rama; mother of Mareecha

Sanskrit scholar and poet who created , a version of Valmiki Ramayana in local Avadhi language

Urmila Laxman's wife; daughter of King Janak and sister of Sita

Vali (Bali) or Cousin of Sugriva, who occupied Kiskindha and was killed by Rama Vaali

Great Poet and creator of Ramayana; Sage who helped Sita and her two Valmiki son Lava-Kush stay at her

Vanara Monkey; A hill tribe of Southern India

Vasistha Head priest (kul Guru) of Ayodhya

Ravana's brother who leaves Lanka to join Rama and later become king of Vibhishana Lanka

Vishnu Hindu Lord; Rama is considered as eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu

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Vishwamitra Rishi, who took Rama for killing troubling demons

5. Characters feature both in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There are several characters who are common both to Ramayana and Mahabharata. In addition there are several other characters common to both epics, like , Durvasha Muni , ( who can live as long as he wants ) etc. Those days people lived for more than 180 years. The Maharishis with 12 strand DNA lived much longer. Hanuman: Hanuman character will appeared in both the epics. Hanuman belongs to Vanara clan and a very faithful servant of Shri Rama. He played a big part in Ramayana helping Shri Rama to recover Sita from Ravana. Hanuman lived a very long life to spread the message of Shri Rama in this world. In Dwapar yug, he meets Shri Krishna after keeping him waiting for long. Hanuman was present in Arjun’s flag during the war of . He helped Arjun in the battle after asked to by his Master Shri Krishna. Hanuman and as both ’s children. An episode in Mahabharata gives an account of meeting of old Hanuman and Bhima. The latter went in searching for a flower for on the way meets Hanuman who tries to test his strength asks him to lift his tail. But Bhima was failed to do the same his great strength to lift his tail. Jambavanta: Jambavant was Riksha clan king who helped Shri Rama in his war with Ravana. He was also a devotee who, like Hanuman lived a long life on earth to spread His message. He was there even in Avatara stime. Shri Krishna also met in Mahabhatata (Dwapar yug). His daughter Jambavathi married Lord Krishna. Shamantaka Gem is Jambavanta’s diamond and he gave it to Lord Krishna. Parashurama: Parasurama who fought with kings had spared the life of Dasaratha, the father of Lord Rama. . He gifts the bow to Janaka(which Rama breaks in Sita's Suyamvara). At Sri Rama’s wedding, Parasurama challenged him to hold the bow of Lord Vishnu—the Chapam. Parasurama killed Karthavirya , who had defeated Ravana. appears in Lord Ram and Sita's marriage. In Mahabharata,he is the Guru of the three greatest warriors of the epic namely: , the great Grandsire; Guru Dronacharya and . Parashurama trained all of these three great warriors. Parashurama also appears in Mahabharata when he and his disciple are unfortunately forced to fight each other. This is how the story goes. , the daughter of king of Kashi swore to kill Bhishma in this birth or the next. She went to the great Parashurama and asked him to kill his own disciple Bhishma. Parashurama said that he would convince Bhishma to marry Amba. However Bhishma refused his Guru's request.On that Parashurama said that now he had no choice but to fight him. Bhishma fought with his Guru and eventually won. Parasurama gave his axe to . Drona was the Guru of ’s grandchildren, the and the Pandavas. Agastya: Met Rama before the war with Ravana and taught Aaditya Hrdayam which revitalize Rama. Mahabharata mentions that Agastya was the one who gave the weapon "Brahmashtra" to Drona. (Arjuna and Aswatama had obtained this weapon from Drona) Mainda and dwivida: The Vanara heroes who in the army of Lord Rama , were killed by Lord Krishna’s brother when they attacked Dwaraka. Vibhishana: Mahabharata mentions that Vibheeshana sent Jewell and Gems to Yudhisthira's Rajasuya sacrifice. That is the only mention about Vibheeshana in Mahabharata. King Janaka:

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Balarama, the brother of Lord Krishna, visited King Janaka, Rama’s wife Sita’s father. He trained in Yuddha (battle with the heavy mace club) at Mithila.. Narada: Narada was who inspires and narrates Story of Rama to Valmiki. He Comes in many occasions in both stories. In Mahabharata he was one of the Rishis attended to Krishna's peace talks in . Bharadwaja: Disciple of Valmeeki lived during Ramayana. Father of Drona but there is not mention about him as a role in Mahabharata other than being the father of Drona. : Who build the Indraprasta palace hall for Yuddhistira was Ravana’s father in law. . Rsi: A rishi Rama visited. Atri appears before Drona during the Mahabharata war 6. Summary Ramayana is great epic, Valmiki shown his dexterity in molding each character. One should try to inculcate the characteristics of great characters like Rama, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Sugreeva, Vibheeshana etc. At the same time one should get warned by the negative characters like Ravana, Vali, Manthara. Various characters showcases how a human being should live a moral, ethical life. At the same time it depicts how one should not to hurt or harm a fellow living being. Ramayana characters will also gives the correct way of leading a life as a king, subject, father, mother, son, brother, teacher, disciple, friend etc.

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