Who Is Rama?
The ideal prince who always does what is right
Rama is the hero of the Indian epic Ramayana and the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Kosala. He is seen as the ideal hero, a man who values righteous conduct above everything else. In Hinduism he is worshipped as one of the avatars (incarnations) of the god Vishnu.
In Episode 1, Rama is born to Queen Kausalya. Shortly before turning sixteen, he follows the sage Vishvamitra on a journey and slays the demoness Tataka. Using divine weapons given to him, he protects the sage's ritual and blasts the demon Maricha far across the ocean. He also lifts Ahalya's curse, and in Mithila he marries Princess Sita.
Rama won Sita's hand by drawing the great bow of the god Shiva, which no one else could handle, and breaking it. Later in the story, Rama is driven from his kingdom and begins a long journey through the forest.
Episodes featuring this character2
NEWEpisode 1
The Boy Whose Arrow Was Too StrongRamayana: Bala Kanda (The Book of Youth)
A poet's grief over a slain bird becomes a song, and that song becomes the story of a prince. In Episode 1, young Rama leaves his father's side to travel with a stern sage, and learns for the first time how great his own power is, and how frightening.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 2
Whoever Draws the Bow Wins the BrideSita's Swayamvara (The Bow of Shiva)
No king could even lift the divine bow, yet young Prince Rama bows to his teacher and quietly draws it. A wedding to Sita, daughter of the earth, follows—but on the road home, an axe-bearing sage named Parashurama awaits with a trial of his own.
19 pages