of Lord VISHNU. Rama’s full story is told in the
RAMAYANA epic.
In that famous epic, the gods ask Vishnu to
incarnate in the world as a man, in order to kill
the demon Ravana, who was tormenting all the
worlds. Ravana has a boon that he cannot be
killed by any god or demon, but, in his arrogance,
he never imagines he can be killed by a human.
Thus the avatar of Rama is arranged.
Rama is born to Dasharatha, king of AYODHYA,
and his wife, Kaushalya. In his youth Rama is
sent to the sage Vishvamitra’s hermitage to help
defend it from beings who are trying to disrupt the
sacred Vedic rites. There he slays the female being
Tataka who was tormenting the sages. He receives
certain celestial weapons and is obliged to kill the
demons Marica and Subahu.
Rama later wins a contest to bend the bow of
SHIVA; as his prize he wins the hand of SITA, daughter
of the king of VIDEHA. In Ayodhya another wife of
Dasharatha, Kaikeyi, plots to have her son, Bharata,
put on the throne in place of Rama. As a result
Rama is forced into exile for 14 years. His wife, Sita,
and his brother, Lakshmana, follow him.Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, with his wife, Sita (right), and his brother, Lakshmana (left) (Institute for the Study
of American Religion, Santa Barbara, California)Rama 347 J