In Rk Narayan's Ramayana Rama is a perfect human being. He is banished from his kingdom shortly after being told he would become king because one of his father's wives asked her son to rule and not him. Rama is banished and has to live fourteen years in the forests. His wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshama. Throughout history, the story of Rama provides many examples of how to live ideally. According to “The Ramayana”, human beings should live selflessly and seek fulfillment. They must also respond to new and difficult decisions with grace and humility. Human beings should also avoid being tempted by things like lust and greed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In “The Ramayana” it is believed that human beings should live without being selfish and seek their own personal fulfillment. At the beginning of the novel, Rama and Lakshama are taken by Viswamithra as bodyguards to perform a ritual during a journey. While under Viswamithra's watch, they are told stories and taught lessons on how to live selflessly. One thing Viswamithra tells his students is that "he who is selfish is never worse than he who stays the hand that is about to give", which means that being selfish can cause a lot of problems. A good example of humans handling new and difficult situations in an ideal manner is when Rama is banished from his kingdom. Kaikeyi, one of the king's wives and Bharatha's mother, urgently wants her son to become the next king rather than Rama. To achieve her goal, Kaikeyi tricks her husband, the king named Dasaratha, into fulfilling two promises made two years ago. He says that Dasaratha must fulfill two promises by banishing Rama to the forest for fourteen years and letting his son Bharatha be ruler instead. Dasharatha, though deeply saddened by these requests, fulfills his wife's wishes. When Rama is informed of the news, she accepts it “with much grace” (Narayan 47). He does not act out of anger or greed, but accepts his new destiny. He is happy to leave the crown to his brother, but even happier to give command to his father. Rama says that Dasaratha's wives should stay and comfort him, since he seemed upset at having to banish him to the forest. This story also teaches that humans should avoid the temptations of lust and greed. A good example of this within the story is the character Ravana. Ravana is the ruler of Lanka and begins to feel feelings of lust towards Rama's bride, Sita. He devises a plan to kidnap Sita from her two companions and bring her back to his palace. The plan succeeds and Ravana makes numerous attempts to convince Sita to succumb to his lustful needs, but to no avail. Once confronted with an attack by Rama and his monkey army to save Sita, he discusses what he should do with a council of other members of his kingdom. Vibishana, Ravana's younger brother, tells Ravana that "a man loses his honor and name only through lust and greed" (Narayan 127). Vibishana states that the difficulty between Ravana and Rama stems from his lustful capture of Sita, not anything to do with Rama. Vibishana says that this abduction of Sita is a wrong use of her divine power and releasing her to her real husband would improve her morality. Naturally, Ravana ignores this advice and ends up losing in battle. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The story of Rama has several lessons and, 2006.