Ahalya
=
Wife of sage Gautam ;
Angad
= Son of Vali ; Heir to the
Bharat = Son of king Dashrath and Kaikaiye
Dasharath = King of Ayodhya ; Father of Rama, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan ; Husband to Kaushalya, Kaikaiye, Sumitra and a number of other queens ; Scion of the Solar dynasty and descendant of great kings like Raghu, Ajmeedh, Bhagirath and many others.
Hanuman = God Shiva’s avatar ; Undefeated hero of many battles ; Often depicted as a monkey faced god, though he can take any form he chooses ; Son of Vayu (God of Wind) and Anjali
Kaushalya =
Mother of Rama ; Chief amongst the many queens of king Dashrath
Kaikaiye =
Mother of Bharat ; Princess of the
Jambavan =
Richha (bear) leader / minister of Sugriva
Janak =
King of Mithila ; Father of Sita
Jatau =
Vulture who tries to stop Ravan from kidnapping Sita and dies in the attempt ; With his dying breath, he tells Rama that Ravan has kidnapped Sita ; Younger brother of Sampati
Lakshman =
Son of king Dashrath and Sumitra ; Follows Rama to the forest ; Brave warrior who defeats several demons during the great battle at Lanka
Mandodari =
Chief wife of king Ravan ; Mother of Meghnada / Indrajit
Marich =
Son of demoness Tadaka ; Maternal uncle of Ravan ; Defeated by Rama in his first battle ; Deceives Rama by taking the form of a golden deer to lure him away from the hermitage so Ravan can kidnap Sita.
Parashurama = 6th Avatar of Vishnu ; Axe yielding Rama who killed many generations of Kshtriyas ; Son of sage Jamadagni and Renuka ; Nephew of sage Vishvamitra
Rama =
God Vishnu’s seventh avatar ; Son of king Dashrath and Kaushalya ; Eldest prince of Ayodhya ; Brave warrior ; Husband of Sita ; Tragic Hero of
Ravan =
Rakshaha king of Lanka ; Conqueror of many kingdoms ; Lustful person with a roving eye for beautiful ladies ; Kidnapper of Sita ; Husband of Mandodari ; Father of several great warriors including Meghnada ; Brother of Kumbhakara, Vibhishan and Shurpankha ; Step-brother of heavenly treasurer Kuber ; Owner of many wonderful things including the flying viman ; Lord of the Golden city of
Sampati =
Vulture who lost his wings because he flew too close to the Sun ; Elder brother of Jatau ; Points out where Sita is held captive then Hanuman and his companions are at the Southern shore
Shabri =
devotee of Shri Rama who famously feeds him wild berries
Shatrughan =
Son of Dashrath and Sumitra
Shurpankha =
Sister of Ravan ; Fell in love with Rama and tried to hurt Sita, which made Lakshman cut off her nose and ears ; She instigated Ravan to kidnap Sita
Sita =
Daughter of king Janak ; Princess of Mithila ; Dutiful & beautiful wife of Rama ; Mother to the twins Lav (Love) and
Subahu =
Son of demoness Tadaka ; Killed by Rama in his first battle
Sugriva =
Vanar king of Kishkindha in
Sumitra =
Mother of Lakshman and Shatrughna
Vali =
Vanar king of Kishkindha in
Valmiki Rishi =
Author of Ramayan ; Seer of profound insight ; Creator of the first poetic meter – Shardul-vikridit
Vashishtha Rishi =
Official Guru and royal perceptor of Rama's dynasty
Vishwamitra Rishi = Sage who teaches Rama use of divine weapons ; King of Kaushik dynasty who later became a rishi / sage ; Takes Rama to Janak's court where Rama marries Sita
Vibhishan =
Brother of Ravan ; Friend of Rama ; KinVishvamitra = Sage and teacher of divine weapons to Rama and Lakshman ; King who became a sage of the Kaushik dynasty
My analysis of Ramayan –
Why did sage Valmiki write the story of Rama and Sita
What does the Ramayan say about the society of the time.
How has Ramayan impacted lives of Indians through the centuries.
How does Ramayan continue to impact us today.
Sita, the gentle face of the goddess
Rama, why did he abandon Sita ?
Sita, why did she stay so silent though she was abandoned ?
Some of the reasons why we still adore Rama.
Rama Rajya, can it ever come back ?
© Bhagwat
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