What makes Rama so great?

Ramayan is the timeless epic and the very name means the journey of Rama. The journey of Rama becomes so impactful because fundamentally his journey based itself on two legs – Satya and Dharma. I just want to highlight few points in Rama’s life where he has gone against the easier options to make sure Satya/Dharma are held upright.

1)      Episode of Viswamitra: -  Rama did not hesitate a second to follow Sage Viswamitra, just because his father asked him to do so. He did not complain that he is being asked to sleep on the rock/sand/mud floors as opposed to his usual routine of sleeping in well-made and well-maintained princely bed rooms. He did not hesitate a second to kill demon Thataki. He mentions to Viswamitra that because my father asked me to follow you and do anything you say, I am killing this demon. Period.

2)      Marriage with Sita:- As Rama broke the Holy bow of Lord Siva, it is evident that he is eligible to get married to Sita. King Janaka offered Sita to Rama, which is not easy to say no given beauty of Princess Sita. Rama showed immense maturity at that tender age by saying to King Janaka, that matter as significant as his marriage is a decision of his father and not his own.

3)      Episode of relinquishing throne:- This is a tough one. As the eldest son of the king Dasaradha, he would have known subconsciously that he is to become the king one day. Now when all of a sudden, his fortunes deceive him and he is asked not only to relinquish the throne but also asked to leave the kingdom to hardships of forest. Rama maintained his composure in that situation and followed the instructions of his father without any hue and cry. This is the defining moment of Ramayan.

4)      Episode of Bharata:- Bharata, the son of Kaika, gave an irresistible option to Rama to comeback to kingdom. Rama politely refused it stating that he cannot go back on his word. This situation he has successfully conquered the temptation of riches offered by Bharata by sticking to his path.

5)      Making Ravan as enemy:- Rama has shown his confidence by choosing to fight with Ravan. Ravan is a seasoned warrior and has an acclaim of defeated even the Gods, but that did not invoke any fear to Rama.

6)      Making Sugreeva as friend:- Rama is cognizant of the fact that Sugriva is himself in doldrums and if he chooses Vali as his friend his search of Sita would be easy. But he stood by Sugreeva and not by Vali as Vali is not in path of Dharma.

7)      Agnipravesh:- To me this is the toughest test Rama has faced in his life. Even today people find fault with Rama. I found one of the best interpretations in “Ramayana Kalpavriksham” by Telugu Poet Viswanatha Satyanarayana Garu. As per the poet, the test is not for Sita, it is a test for Rama himself. He is facing a challenge that is two-fold- one if he chooses to accept Sita without proving her purity, future generation might find fault with Sita. Secondly if he subjects her to the test, the future generation will admonish him. So he chose the option that will hold Sita upright at the risk he being ridiculed. Thus giving a chance for every tom, dick and harry to criticize him, who is a perfect individual all through his life.