From the Blog

Rama is the hero that gets called to adventure.  He is called to adventure more than once in his stories, the first being called to celebrate a sacrifice which turns into fighting off Titans at the age of 12 which he is successful.  Through a jealous maiden of Rama’s “aunt” (I’ll call her his aunt even though she’s not related to his mother) Queen Kaikeyi, Rama is denied his rightful crown and subsequent throne and is sent into exhile for 14 years in the forest.  He loses his father over this (dies from guilt) and is asked to return to the crown but refuses to dishonor his father’s original request and continues to carry on his 14 year exhile.  A third call to adventure occurs when his wife, Sita, is captured by the trickster Ravana who tries to make her one of his wives.

Rama is aided on his quest by many supernatural beings.  He is given a celestial bow, two inexhaustible quivers and a sword from the sage Agastya.  Rama is then aided by a giant eagle by the name of Jatayu who is tasked with keeping watch over Sita while Rama and his brother hunt for the golden deer.  Little did they know the golden deer was a distraction so that Ravana could kidnap Sita and try to make her one of his many wives.  Jatayu’s elder brother, a vulture by the name of Sampati told of Sita’s wherabouts.  A chief of monkeys by the name of Hanuman gave the most assistance of locating Sita and bringing Rama and his brother to her rescue.  Finally, Rama received aid in fighting Ravana by Ravana’s brother Vibhishana who advised Ravan to give up Sita and spare destruction of Lanka which his brother Ravana did not like and punished him for so Vibhishana sought refuge with Rama’s camp in return, Vibhishana helped Rama in defeating Ravana.

The atonement, or in this story, the Dharma happens at first when King Dasartha, Rama’s father, appears from his heavenly abode asking Sita to forgive Rama for his transgression (not believing she stayed faithful in captivity) in order to preserve Dharma.  In return, Rama begs Dasartha to give his blessings to Kaikeyi and Bharata.  Rama also asks Indra, the celestial chief, to restore the life of the monkeys who had been killed in war.