Page 6 - Jul - Sep 2021

DID YOU KNOW?
EXPLORING EPICS One can fi nd the Ramayana at home,
but not the Mahabharata. This
The two Sanskrit epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are known as is because it is believed that the
‘Itihasa’, i.e., ‘an account of life as it was, is, and always will be’. Written Mahabharata disturbs the peace of
the home and causes quarrels!
over several centuries, these powerful stories and literary sources have
captured the imagination of millions of people over the centuries!

Parchuri Adarsh Sai, Class 5 A, Gitanjali Primary School, Hyderabad
RAMA STORY During Akbar’s reign,
Ramayana was translated
The story of Lord Rama
into Persian. Another
speaks of a model king
and his model reign. It is famous version is the 18th
century Mewar Ramayana!
traditionally believed to be Illustration by V Esther Tirzah,
a part of a vast cyclical tale, Class 9 E, Centre Point School, Aashna Verma, Class 6 D, Cambridge
School, Noida; Nishtha Seth, Class
which was transmitted orally Katol Road, Nagpur 8, Maharana Mewar Public School,
for centuries before being fi nally written down in Sanskrit Udaipur
around 200 BCE by Valmiki. The poetry has traditionally y ACTIVITY : RAMAYANA TRADITIONS
been regarded as adi kavya, the fi rst poem!
Match the following Ramayana cultural traditions with
RAMAYANA RETELLINGS their place of origin:
 Dasam Granth A. Maharashtra
According to a Kannada belief, the cosmic serpent, ,  Theyyam dance B. Assam
Adi Sesha, is groaning under the weight of the many y 
Ramayana retellings! Regional Ramayanas were put t Lanka Chadai C. Punjab
down in writing after 1000 CE. The numerous tellings s  Ram Vijaya Ankia-Naat D. Kerala
include the Jain, Buddhist and Tamil versions, as well as s  Chitrakathi paintings E. Rajasthan
the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas. Answers: 1 – C, 2 – D, 3 – E, 4 – B, 5 – A

MAHABHARATA-THE FIFTH VEDA LIFE LESSONS:

The Mahabharata is known as the fi fth Veda! It is BHAGAVAD GITA
about a great war fought between two sets of
The Bhagavad Gita includes
cousins – the Kauravas and the Pandavas. It is
the teachings given by Lord
believed that the Mahabharata was written by
Krishna to Arjuna on the eve of
Veda Vyasa.
the war. It is the most popular
With its 1,00,000 verses and 18 sections, the
Hindu scripture!
Mahabharata is longer than the Greek epics, Iliad
and Odyssey, put together and four times the size Write about any three life
of the Ramayana! lessons from the Bhagavad
Garima Saini, Class 8 A, Balvantray Mehta Vidya Bhawan, New Gita.
Delhi; Sidhi Sareen, Class 9 B, Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala
Cantt
ACTIVITY – READING RETELLINGS
MANY MAHABHARATAS
Read the following retellings of the Mahabharata and
The Mahabharata was composed between c. 400 BCE Ramayana!
and c. 400 CE. Its regional variations include unique
stories.
 In the Bhil Bharata of Gujarat, Kunti and Gandhari
are associated with goddess Shakti.
 In a story from the Tamil version, Bhima prepared
the famous Tamil dish ‘aviyal’.

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