We have grew up reading The Ramayana.
This is one staple religious book any Indian kid can’t go without coming across, especially when there were graphic novel versions available aplenty also. When someone asks you about Ramayana stories, the first that crosses the mind that how Lord Rama won Sita’s hand into marriage by hitting the bull’s eye or how the forever demonized Ravana abducted Sita to flex his ego against Ram.
However, Ramayana is classified into Seven Kandas or parts such as Balakanda, Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Yuddha Kanda, Uttara Kanda.
The stories from Ramayana are not merely stories which we realized as we grew up and understood that they had strong life messages. Now, quickly brush up your knowledge on the 4 most lesser known stories of Ramayana:
Ram’s lost ring:
To teach Hanumana, his ardent devotee the inevitability of death, once Lord Rama threw his ring on the floor which created a crack. Hanumana, in search for Rama’s ring entered the crack and upon entering he flound himself landed in Laga-lok where he explained everything to the serpant hking, He then took him to a mountain of rings and asked Hanumana to pick up his lord’s ring and Hanuman found out that every ring belongs to Rama. The serpant king then explained to him that the rings are the repository of circle of life and no one can stop death. One has to die to be reborn again and that is how the circle of life continues.
Sita’s tears:
When Sita was abducted by Ravana leaving Rama in a state of despair, a crane came to Rama saying that its feathers turned white as Sita’s tears fell on its feathers from the chariot of Ravana.Overwhelmed with joy, Rama blessed it that it won’t have to work for four months in the monsoon abut the crane was apprehensive that everyone would judge him for eating the leftover food of its wife. Rama then explained to it that as Sita is his equal, every wife is equal to her husband and there is no shame in eating the food she brings home.
The story of Indumati’s death:
Indumati was the wife of Aja, grandfather of lord Rama and father of Dasaratha. It is said that her husband too died after her death because he mourned her too much. However, when alive, Indumati was once taking a stroll in the garden when a flower fell from the Narada’s garden and Indumati passed away followed by a state of shock.
When Lakshman’s wife slept for fourteen years:
When Lord Rama was exiled, Lakshmana was worried for his brother and sister-in-law’s safety and he accompanied them to the forest. Then the goddess of sleep, Nidra came to him and Lakshmana begged that he didn’t want to sleep as he is committed to the safety of his elder brother. Nidra retorted that one has to sleep for fourteen years to compensate that and Lakshmana asked to pass that on to his wife Urmila. Impressed, Nidra did as suggested and Urmila slept for straight 14 years until Lakshmana came back with his brother and sister-in-law in Ayodhya safely.
These are the four lesser known handpicked stories from Ramayana.
