question for hindus?

Question

Do you regard the Ramayana and Mahabharata as literal history or as allegory?

Answer 1

I believe in it, because I am a Hindu, and for those other versions, please read valmiki ramayan because others are mostly based from it. and Tulsidas ramayan came after the south indian (tamil) Kambars' Rama Avataram or popularly known as Kambaramayanam. So please when you read other peoples response do a little search on some of them. as some people have ulterior motives in their answers (like non hindus who dont believe in pagan religions and will do anything to talk bad about it). In the end these epics tell people how to live righteous life and the results of following it. For example, when Hanuman flew from India to Sri Lanka in a single leap, it means that by chanting gods name we can overcome any obstacle, not that we will be able to fly like him. it also shows the parallels between the current period and in the past, like problems people faced, etc...

Answer 2

Part Allegory Part Literal History. Why are you asking?
Please add some details.

^The guy above me has got a cool answer.

Oh by the way, the aeroplane, A-bomb, engines and stuff were ideas taken off from both the epics. Do a research. You'll know.

Answer 3

It's a combination of both and some more.One should always remember the scope of poetic exaggeration,incremental glorification with passage of time and difference in perception on a time scale.Both are great epics,which unfortunately seem to have had their peak time and now ready to commence their journey to oblivion.

Answer 4

Stories written by men.
There exists a Jain Ramayana which says that Laxman was evil , he kidnapped and had sex with many girls on the way and he went to hell after death alongwith Ravana.
Mahabharata initially had 18000 sutras which was written by VedVyasa but later it was modified by his disciples and became 80000 sutras.

Therefore if we believe in story as if its is history then we make ourselves prone to those who may exploit us by just story telling. These stories became popular and then those who could recite were called pandits (actually story tellers) and in the name of Ram collected lots of wealth and lived lavishly while poor remained poor living in thatched huts who were forced to spend on religious ceremonies periodically for the only purpose of storytelling (katha vachan).
Poor people and farmers even started borrowing large sums of money to facilitate the religious functions where story telling was the only activity. They lost their lands as mortgages became further poor and at last became laborers only.

Tulsidas Ramayana(Ramcharitmanas) goes even further. South india was never subjugated but by teaching Ram's story the influential wanted to pat their backs that they had done so at some point of time with the only purpose of mentally enslaving south indians by intrigue.

Besides that Tulsidas writings in Ramcharitmanas were designed to enforce the rule of influential upper caste domination when he states that :

Dhol, Ganwar, Shudra , Pashu, Nari
Ye sab Tadan ke adhikari
(Illitrates, Low caste untouchables , animals and women , these all must be beaten like a man beats a drum)

Why he did it?
These words do not exist in original Ramayana of Valmiki but were put in the mouth of Ram by Brahmin Tulsidas so that weak and poor remain depressed and upper castes, which he belonged to , always ruled them and used them as slaves. Therefore Tulsidas is simply trying to enforce slavery system which Buddha denounced.
Besides that , these words are uttered by Ram when he is sitting on a rock looking at lanka which he was going to attack the next morning. Actually Ravan was a brahmin and if Ram attacked and killed Ravan it would make brahmins be seen in poor light. People would think that brahmins are evil. In order to dissipate this fear , Tulsidas wrote these lines which are theoretically opposite to the actions of Ram.

These stories have had the minds of poor people captive for thousands of years. Wherever these stories are told and heard, common people become poor and poorer. The hindi belt of Bihar, M.P., Rajasthan and Uttar pradesh are called BIMARU states (Orrissa , Jharkand , Chhattisgarh & Bengal are also poor) . In these states casteism, corruption, crime etc all negative social practices are simply way of life.

Moral: It is better to get rid of a story if it does not do any good.

Answer 5

Folk tales

Answer 6

I am Indian muslim, in my opinion these are true stories of some good and bad people, but lots of things have been added and many thing have been exaggerated in these stories.

Answer 7

in my opinion it is a true story but the forefather misunderstood that the characthers in it is human not god.