Panganiban, Roman Cyril A.

English 12

2008 03955

April 30, 2012

Zero to Hero
(Reaction Paper on Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita)
There are different definitions of a hero or being a hero. When we think of what or who a
hero is, we see someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome or beautiful, and daring with the
qualities of courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to succeed. The definition of a
hero changes from one person to another. One can be a hero for saving the life of millions or
even a single damsel in distress. Every person, no matter what their age, is interested with heroes
because of their difficult journeys, challenges and changing the nature of the world through their
acts of courage and selflessness. They also endure much resistance, hardship, and danger. Often
the hero learns valuable lessons about survival and self-reliance. They also teach valuable
lessons and leaves hope that the world can be changed. In the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita, we
see what heroes are and how one can become a hero in his own right
The Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana are two of the highly known or famous Indian
Literature pieces not only to the believers of Hinduism but also to others. Both embody a form of
religious epic and philosophical foundations.
The Bhagavad Gita is full of ideals. It includes ways of improving an individuals mental,
spiritual and physical conditions. It has the concept of yoga which has four main ways of living a
good life, on earth and even after death. Here, Krishna, a deity who serves as the charioteer and
adviser to Arjuna, discusses on why Arjuna should continue to fight even against family
members through teachings of Hinduism. Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita seems to symbolize man
himself who endlessly pursues the truth and accepts it even though he is quite skeptical. The
teachings in the Bhagavad Gita may help one attain his Dharma (fulfilment of moral obligations)
and pursue Artha (pursuit of material prosperity and power), Kama (pleasure) and Moksha
(liberation/salvation). Here, life is seen as a series of fated reincarnations until one reaches
Nirvana.

On the other hand, The Ramayana shows how a human society interacts with animals and
the rest of nature and with God, the deities. It translates as the story of Rama. It is believed to
have been written by a Brahmin named Valmiki. In its seven books and 24,000 verses, the
Ramayana praises the heroism and virtues of warrior-princes: the Kshatriyas. The Ramayana has
as its main hero a prince called Rama, whose life and adventures the Ramayana describes from
birth to death. It adheres to yogic institution and tradition, as well as the codes of conduct that
govern the caste system. Rama is the perfect embodiment of Dharma itself. His life is of a great
Kshatriya or warrior and he is destined to become a king. We see the kind of progress that he
undergoes. It is a positive or upward progress within the hierarchy of human life stages. His
values, which are dominated by moral virtues, serve as the rules of the games that he plays. Both
Rama and Krishna have the perfect or ideal beings.
We can see that both Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita is an epic about Indian heroes but
through different perspectives. In the Ramayana, Rama and his brothers are depicted as
embodying the ideals of being a hero. They set an example of what a heroes are- men of loyalty
and honor, faithful and dutiful sons, affectionate brothers and loving husbands, men who speak
the truth, who are stern, who persevere but are ready and willing to make sacrifices for the sake
of virtue against the evils of greed, lust and deceit. On the other hand, the Bhagavad Gita is like a
guide to be followed, a bible- like in our sense. It shows what one do and what should can bring
you good. It shows what your duties are and that these duties must be followed.
Now that we know what Indian heroes are like, let us now compare them to our past
discussion in class, the Greeks and their heroes.
As we remember, Greek heroes are after their own glory and that they pursue war and
continue fighting for everyone to remember their names even after their death. Let us take
Achilles for example. His mother Thetis let him choose between a short life but his name will
live forever and a long life, a peaceful one, but he will not be known. He chose the short life for
he is after the glory. Another example would be Hector of Troy. He chose to fight Achilles not
because it is his duty but it is more glorious to die in Achilles hands. With this, I think Greek

heroes fight for themselves, sometimes for their country, friends and loved ones, to pursue and
earn glory. They also fight to please or show off to their Gods.
On the other hand, the Indian epics Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita show that a hero
becomes a hero because it is his Dharma or his duty. He fights because he needs to not because
he needs to attain something. They also follow a set of rules in fighting and do not fight just for
the sake of it. Also, when they fight, they fight for the right reasons and they fight for their Gods
and offer their actions to them.
The Bhagavad Gita provides an outlook in and a way of life which seem to be
authoritative and practical while the Ramayana somehow pictures the realization of those two
through actions. The two texts do not only provide and suggests ways of looking at the world, as
well as ourselves, but also show that there is so much truth in them. The Iliad and Cassandra
gave me a way to think critically but the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana showed me another angle
of life and the world after reading it.