Rama

Quick Facts

About Rama

Eldest son of Dasharatha of the Ikshvaku line, whose story Markandeya tells the exiled Yudhishthira as proof that better men have borne worse. Robbed of Sita by Ravana, he made his compact with the exiled monkey king Sugriva over a scrap of her cloth, shot Vali from cover to seat his ally on the throne of Kishkindha, and burned Lanka with his arrows. At the end he told Sita before the whole army that she was free to go where she liked, and only the testimony of Wind, Fire, Water and Brahma gave her back to him.

In Their Words

What had to be done is done, daughter of Videha. Thou art free; go where thou wilt.

Rama

Traits

• dutiful
• exacting
• grieving
• unbending

Story Appearances

• The Arrow From Behind the TreeThe compact at Rishyamuka and the arrow from cover❧ 16 min
• The Bird With the Burnt WingsThe lord whose grief sent the search south❧ 16 min
• The Testimony of the ElementsThe husband who demanded proof❧ 16 min

Stories Featuring Rama

16 further tales on this site name Rama, in canonical reading order.

• The Court of Sages at the Dvaita LakeAn exile that filled up with brahmanas instead of soldiersVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Grove of Ashoka TreesA captive refuses, and a rakshasi tells her dreamVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Sleeper WokenRavana spends his brothers one after anotherVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Bow at the FrontierParashurama Tests Rama of Ayodhya and Loses His EnergyVana Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Gods Ask for RamaAgni pleads before Brahma, and the answer is a king's son and an army of monkeys and bearsVana Parva ‧ 12 min
• The Friend of DasarathaA vulture fights Ravana in the sky, and a headless Rakshasa points the way to SugrivaVana Parva ‧ 14 min
• Nala's BridgeThe Ocean refuses to part and names a workman instead, and the monkey army walks to LankaVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• Sakamvari and the Ford of GoldThe goddess who fed the sages on herbs, and the tirtha where Vishnu knelt to RudraVana Parva ‧ 21 min
• Four Duels on the Fourteenth DayKshemadhurti, Viradhanwan, Niramitra and Vyaghradatta go down before Drona's divisionDrona Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Price on Arjuna's HeadKarna offers everything he owns to any man who will point out ArjunaKarna Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Head That Would Not Let GoWhy the ford on the Sarasvati is called KapalamochanaShalya Parva ‧ 19 min
• Duryodhana Rises from the LakeTaunted in the water, the last Kaurava comes up armed and asks for one man at a timeShalya Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Wife Who Cooled a Naga's AngerPadmanabha would not go out to a waiting guest, until his wife named the ends of Ravana and KartaviryaShanti Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Savitri Mantra of SalutationsBhishma gives Yudhishthira the roll of names to be said at dawnAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Names That Cleanse SinAsked what destroys sin, Bhishma answers with a litany of gods, rivers, mountains, sages and kingsAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Fourfold Religion of CompassionBhishma on abstaining from meat, and the kings who kept the vowAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min

Character Arc

1. 1The Empty AsylumSita gone, and a vulture dying on the forest road
2. 2The Compact at PampaA scrap of cloth traded for a monkey king's throne
3. 3The Elements SpeakWind, Fire and Water answering for his wife

Key Relationships

• Husband➝Sita
• Brother➝Lakshmana
• Enemy➝Ravana
• Master➝Hanuman

Places in Rama's Story

Drawn from the stories Rama appears in.

• Saraswatiसरस्वती
• Dvaitavanaद्वैतवन
• Dwaitavana Sacred Lakeद्वैतवन सरोवर
• Rishyamuka Mountainऋष्यमूक पर्वत
• Kamyaka Forestकाम्यक वन
• Kishkindhaकिष्किन्धा
• Lankaलङ्का
• Malayaमलय
• The Oceanसमुद्र
• Chitrakutaचित्रकूट
• Kosalaकोसल
• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र

Related Characters

Others counted among the Sages & Others.

• ✦Sage Kanva
• ◎Eklavya
• ★Shukracharya
• ♛Vrishaparva
• ♛Yadu
• ✧Princess Amba