ishnu, are the most popular incarnated forms of Vishnu that are worshipped. Rama is one of the incarnated forms that Vishnu appears as, in Valmiki's Ramayana. Vishnu takes this form to restore order to the kingdom of Ayodhya. Rama is sent to kill the ten-headed monster known as Ravana. Ravana is the king of a group of demons called Ashuras and he has taken Sita to his kingdom on the island of Lanka (Yutang 138). Rama makes a bridge to the island with the help of Hanuman the monkey. Rama then kills Ravana and rescues his wife. The battle represents the ongoing struggle that Vishnu, the balancer of good and evil, stands for. Rama, in his quest for eternal truth and order, has to overcome several internal and external trials that face him. All through the novel, Rama is always the perfect example of Hindu belief. He always maintains the self-control and internal balance that is needed to maintain balance in the external affairs of the kingdom, with his family, and his wife. The idea of order in oneself reflects the kingdom and also extends to the universe. The Hindus understand that if the individual is in constant harmony with himself and his surroundings, then the world and universe at large will also be in harmony. The core of the Hindu religion is based on several ideologies. Hindus believe in the eternal truth of dharma. Dharma represents moral law and righteous order. In Valmiki's Ramayana his father, King Dasaratha against his will, banishes Rama to the forest for fourteen years. Rama goes willingly, maintaining righteous order in the kingdom and moral order between his father and himself. Rama later maintains this order again, despite great odds, with his wife Sita. The citizens of Ayodha question Sita's chastity. Rama must banish her from the kingdom, even though he knows that she is still chaste, in order to establish order. These are the two most enduring themes in Ramayana (Kinsley 27).When Rama leaves to th...
