The Role Of Rama In Greek And Ancient Literature

Rama is a man unlike many of the leaders in Greek and ancient literature. For one, The Ramayana of Valmiki is a much older story, one passed from around 2,000 years ago. Instead of focusing on worldly riches and possessions, Rama instead “cannot swerve from the path of dharma”, shunning worldly desires such as greed and lust. Like Gilgamesh who is “two-thirds” god and “one-third”, he is also a god, but a much higher one, the “imperishable cosmic being” Visnu (Foster: Tablet I: 50), (Venkatesananda: Yuddha 120). Since he is characterized by dharma, he is a god that lives very righteously and upright. He is “the Creator, the Preserver, and the Reedeemer”, an almighty god who set everything into motion (Venkatesananda: Yuddha 120). Rama shows
traits of being just, even tempered, and humble, and by being so righteous makes his entire country follow in his footsteps as the entire nation walks in the ways of dharma.
Dharma is living righteously and doing what is right, and this is how Rama leads.
He leads by living virtuously himself because he holds dharma in extremely high regard. According to Confucius in Analects, a gentleman must be “straight as an arrow” under bad government and good government (Confucius: Book XV: 15.7). Rama is a tremendously straight leader, one whom is righteous even when his father banishes him to the forest for fourteen years. Being a good leader requires one to be noble in their actions, and to be confident and decisive in their decisions. When Laksmana pleads with her son not to obey his father, Rama rebukes her and asks for a blessing so that he can have “a pleasant and successful term in the forest” (Venkatesananda: Ayodhya 21). This shows that Rama is a good leader, one who makes the best of his situation instead of plotting revenge or getting
even.
While Rama excels in almost every aspect of leadership, many other leaders in ancient literature show characteristics of a bad leader.
Agamemnon in The Iliad bullies his best warrior, Achilles, into giving up his prize woman, and while they argue Achilles calls him a “shameless, profiteering excuse for a commander” (Homer: Book I: 159). A bad leader must have his way in all situations, and if that does not happen, everything goes downhill. In this case, hundreds of soldiers died because of the arrogance of these two men, two of the top leaders in the Achaean army. A bad leader will also lead people astray, and their kingdom will often crumble under poor leadership. Rama’s rule, when he finally came to power, was “characterized by the effortless and spontaneous prevalence of dharma” (Venkatesananda: Yuddha 131). While a bad leader can sour an entire population, a good leader, such as Rama, brings out the best in the land, creating an unprecedented time of prosperity throughout the
land.
Although it took a very long time, Rama’s power and reign was unparalleled to any kingdom past or present. People were healthy and “free from sorrow” in daily life (Venkatesananda: Yuddha 131). His subjects enjoyed long lives, and people all over the country “joyously devoted to their own dharma” in this new society (Venkatesananda: Yuddha 131). Since Rama wholly dedicated himself to the purpose of dharma and righteousness, his kingdom therefore produced people who also loved dharma, creating a peaceful reign under a brilliant leader. Rama is a type of leader that is not common in ancient Greek literature, but he is one who can manage and sustain a long reign in his kingdom. His characteristics of justice, coolness under pressure, and humbleness brought out the best in his people during his reign, creating a lasting impact and a textbook example of how to be an efficient and successful leader.