India is an amazing country with a rich and unusual culture, folk and religious traditions, carefully and continuously preserved from boundless antiquity to the present day thanks to highly developed oral creativity.
The identity of Indian civilization was born from the images and ideas of the ancient epic. Myths and legends are the basis of the Hindu religion, art and literature.
The origins of the epic
The mythology of ancient India was not static - it constantly changed with the change of eras, absorbing new deities and other images, creating a picture, at first glance, chaotic, but at the same time absolutely integral, organic. All this extraordinary diversity exists in a single common framework and still.
India, as the highest we alth, keeps monuments of thousands of years of ancient Indian literature - works of Vedic literature - Hindu scriptures, on the basis of which the epic later grew.
"Veda" means "knowledge". The core of Vedic knowledge was, first of all, spiritual - religious doctrines. And material knowledge is about medicine, music, architecture, mechanics and the ability to wage war. There are four Vedas.
In the Vedic era, the famousIndian epic - "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana". Truth, Vedic knowledge, fiction and allegory intertwined in both works of the epic.
In the traditions of Indian culture, the Mahabharata is considered the fifth Veda and is revered as a sacred book.
Only the priests had access to the four Vedas, and the Mahabharata epic became the Veda of the class of warriors - the Kshatriyas, about whose life and deeds it tells, and entered the common people as a moral edification.
History and myths
The epic "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata" for a long time remained an oral tradition. The poems were written down at the very beginning of a new, Christian, era, when they had already acquired a grandiose size: "Mahabharata" - 100,000 couplets (in Indian - sloka), collected in 18 books, and "Ramayana" - 24,000 slokas (7 books).
Due to the lack of chronology in traditional Indian culture, it was difficult to establish the exact dates of the creation of epics.
Indians were more interested in the impact of events and actions on a person. From the past, they tried to learn morality and lessons for their lives.
The epic "Mahabharata" is called "itihasa", which literally means "it really happened".
The Indian epic "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata", having evolved over many centuries, absorbed the improvisations of many storytellers and their current appearance is the result of countless and incessant changes and additions.
As a result, insert texts occupy two thirds of the volume of the entire poem "Mahabharata". ATthe Ramayana has undergone such additions and changes to a much lesser extent.
The basis of the plot of the Mahabharata
“Mahabharata”, translated into Russian, is “The Great Legend of the Descendants of Bharata” or “The Legend of the Great Battle of the Bharatas.”
The epic tells about the mutual enmity of the two lines of the royal family of Kuru - Kauravas and Pandavas, about the nobility of heroes in various trials, and about the final victory of the Pandavas, adherents of justice.
The heroic, military epic "Ramayana" is no less famous. Its main character Rama is one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu on earth. Briefly, the plot of the Ramayana is present in the Mahabharata.
Summary of Ramayana
The word "Ramayana" is translated from the Indian "Acts of Rama". "Rama" means "Handsome" or "Handsome". Rama had blue skin.
The epic "Ramayana" has a more harmonious composition and is better edited, the plot develops very harmoniously and consistently.
"Ramayana" is a literary epic, in Indian "kavya". It is filled with colorful metaphors, intricate turns of phrase and eloquent descriptions. This poem of refined sensitivity, pathos of love and fidelity.
The plot is based on the life story and exploits of Prince Rama.
In those ancient times, the ten-headed demon Ravana was the ruler of the island of Lanka. From the god Brahma, he received invulnerability as a gift. Taking advantage of this, Ravana went on a rampage, insulting the heavenly gods. God Vishnu decided to deal with the demon. In view of the fact that only a man could kill a demon, Vishnu chose Rama for this prince and was reborn in hisimage.
The poem describes Rama's childhood, his growing up and his marriage to the beautiful Sita. Due to the treachery of his father's younger wife, Rama and his wife lived in exile for 14 years. The lord of evil demons, Ravana, kidnapped Sita, and with the help of his faithful brother Lakshman, the prince, united with monkeys and bears, attacked Lanka, defeated Ravana, and not only freed his wife, but also delivered people from evil demons.
The meaning of the epic
The Ramayana epic is very popular in India. Rama is the universal favorite of India. The names of the characters have become household names, and the heroes serve as examples of loy alty, nobility and courage.
The ancient Indian epic had a huge impact on the culture of all Asian countries. The poems were repeatedly translated into different languages, including Russian. The works of the Mahabharata and Ramayana were admired by prominent figures of world culture.
Having great historical and literary value, the poems "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata" became the national heritage of the Indian people, who in difficult periods of their history drew moral strength and support from them.
