Abstract

Among Hindu expressions of divinity, Rama in the Ramayana is an unusual god. First, he is moral. Anyone familiar with Hindu deities knows that one of their striking and common characteristics is their amorality. Rama is distinguished as a Hindu god by his preoccupation with virtue and with serving as an example of ideal human behavior. Second, Rama is a suffering god. From his birth right up until his death he is faced with a series of unexpected and undeserved adversities. There is no other god in Hinduism for whom hardship and suffering are major defining characteristics of his or her life. Third, Rama was not always seen to be a god. It has been established that in the Ramayana Rama is treated both as a human hero and as a god. Only Books One and Seven consistently portray him as a divinity, and scholars are generally agreed that these books are later additions. Because of his differences in character from the other Hindu gods, Rama's promotion to divinity is particularly noteworthy. ;Many scholars have focused on Rama's morality as his most significant characteristic in the Ramayana. They have, therefore, largely attributed his rise in status and popularity to his morality. In contrast, this thesis emphasizes Rama's relationship with suffering as his most important feature in the epic. Although the thesis does not attempt to argue that Rama's involvement with suffering is the only, or even the major, factor responsible for his promotion to divinity, its shows through an analysis of the various books of the epic that suffering is a pervasive and meaningful element in Rama's earthly existence both as a hero and a god in three ways. First, Rama suffers himself. His familiarity with human anguish enables humans to empathize with him. Furthermore, it gives him a special protective and consoling quality. Second, by dealing constructively with his own hardship and despair, Rama becomes a model for how to suffer. Third, Rama's acceptance of his role as a suffer and a protector of sufferers is what provides the distinctive, authoritative, and charismatic quality to his morality. In the Ramayana his moral decisions grow out of and receive vitality from his involvement with suffering. ;It is difficult to resist the conclusion that Rama's relationship with suffering might have played an important part in his rise to divinity. Even if it did not, however, it is significant that his involvement with suffering is continued and even emphasized after his rise. Clearly, at the time the Ramayana was being composed, Rama as a suffering divinity was both valued and needed