The Ramayana is an ancient Hindu sacred text. It is typically attributed to the sage Valmiki who composed the Sanskrit epic that was based on ancient stories and traditions. The oldest portions of the poem date back to the eleventh century CE. There are conflicting opinions about the actual authorship of some portions of the text. Regardless of the original authorship, the stories and themes it contains are fundamental aspects of Indian culture and tourists who are staying Delhi hotels will certainly recognize this in various aspects of their vacation. Also, many of the performances and other entertainment options are certain to contain some of the themes found in this epic text.

Though the main stories in the text date back to oral traditions found as early as 500 BC, the text was not actually composed until much later. Some of the main characters such as Rama, Janaka, Sita, and Vishwamitra are found in early Vedic literature. Rama is the hero of the epic and he is portrayed as the god Vishnu in his seventh incarnation. He is an extremely popular prince, the son of Dasharatha, the King of Ayodhya, and his wife Kousalya. Sita is Rama’s beloved wife, and the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi. She is the essence of purity and female virtue while Rama is the essence of male virtue.

In the story, King Dasharatha is forced into exile and Rama and Sita go with him. The poem is divided into several separate books and each one deals with various phases and circumstances in the life of Rama. Some of the main themes it deals with include heroism, ethics and righteous living. Many of these stories can be interpreted with extreme relevance to life today and continue to be a source of philosophical and spiritual consultation. The epic has had a profound effect on the culture of India, which is evident in many aspects of the city of Delhi. Many performance arts such as drama and dance depict various aspects of this work. Throughout history, the stories have been performed in temples and regal courts.

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The Ramayana

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Hinduism is a major religion in India. The country has many cultural aspects that relate to common Hindu themes. Many of the entertainment fields, architecture and arts also reflect the importance of this in society. This however, does not mean that Indians are not tolerant of other religions, which the majority of the population is. Tourists staying in five star hotels in New Delhi will most likely encounter some aspect of Hinduism during their stay. A familiarity with Hinduism helps to orient Western tourists to the culture and vacation expectations. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are two essential Hindu texts.

The Mahabharata is full of sacred stories and philosophies regarding human spiritual evolution, moral standards and ethical norms. The title of the book may be literally translated as The Great Tale of the Bharata Dynasty. The authorship of this sacred text is most commonly accredited to Vyasa. It is believed to date back to the 8th century BC, though some of its layers date as late as the 4th century CE. The text comprises one of the longest epic poems in the world with its one hundred thousand verses and extended prose passages. It is about four times as long as the Ramayana.

The Ramayana is another sacred Hindu text. This work is commonly attributed to Valmiki. It contains major teachings of the ancient sages and it describes the ideal archetypal characters, such as mother, son, brother, wife, husband and daughter. Relationship ideals are a common theme in this epic. Most of the stories relate to the concept of dharma and its relevance to the human experience. These lessons are told through the main characters of Rama, Bharata, Sita, Hanuman and the villain Ravana. Much like the relevance of the Mahabharata, these themes and stories are fundamental elements in India’s culture and social consciousness.

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Hindu Sacred Texts

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When I was in my twenties and participating in a weekend workshop for actors being held at a Singapore Boutique Hotel, I learned about Script Analysis. In that workshop they taught us about how to dissect a script and find our characters intentions. We had to do this for every line in the script our characters had. This was my first time having to understand what an intention was. Being young and not too worldly, concepts came slow to me, but learning about how not only my character has ‘intentions’, but how I have intentions. This was a powerful moment for me.

Now, twenty years later, I’m seeing all kinds of books and movies being made concerning intentions, like ‘What the Bleep’ which is all about scientific studies on how powerful thoughts and intentions really are in our lives. The power of intentions is based on the principle of ‘like attracts like.’ Whatever we focus our minds on, we will draw to us.  for example, if we have fearful thoughts, we will attract fearful situations and people to us, or if we have thoughts of peace and have inner balance we will attract peaceful situations and peace balanced people. It’s because our thoughts have a powerful effect in the physical world.

All of us have this power, but for some reason as children we were conditioned, educated about our limitations, about the skepticism of us having our own powers. Because of this conditioning we forgot about our innate abilities to manifest what we want; we were taught that all power is outside of us. But, there are now documented studies proving that our thoughts, our intentions do have power.  In one study, half of the participants that actually exercised were able to achieve a 30% increase in strength. The other half who just imagined themselves exercising achieved and astonishing 16% increase. Showing that virtual workouts can give the same effects as actually working out.  There are now journal after journal documenting such experiments. Seeing all this material being produced makes me wonder if when I learned about my character having intentions that I created an intention to be ready for the next phase of the true power behind intentions.

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The Intention of Healing

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