Contents of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
The Ramayana is an epic poem by Valmiki, and it majors on the life of the Kosala Prince, Rama, by exploring how his father, King Dasaratha, kicked him out of the kingdom and his adventures in the Indian forests with the wife and brother, Sita and Laksmana respectively. It also chronicles the kidnapping of Sita, which heralded the war with Ravana before the return of Rama to Ayodhya, where he became a king. The Mahabharata is an epic story by Vyasa detailing the Kurukshetra War and the life of Princes Pandava and Kaurava. The narrative contains works on philosophy and devotion like the four goals of life, which is commonly known as the purusharthas. Mahabharata is “the longest poem ever written as it contains over 200,000 individual verse lines” (Sharma and Gaur 137).
Hindu deities
Deva is a Hindu deity meaning a god of good spirit. This God is masculine, and he is present in people’s souls. Deva is responsible for the good things that a person accomplishes, and in some contexts, he is termed as the God of light or excellence. On the other side, Ishvara is the deity representing the God one oneness. This God is masculine, and in most cases, he is referred to as a king, husband, or ruler. In Hindu mythology, Ishvara is the God that unites all individuals by creating the oneness that exists in everything and everyone (Gupta 73).
Freud, James, Otto, and Jung’s perspectives on why we have religion
According to Freud, religion is needed to constrain people from violent impulses as a way of promoting civilization, which allows people to live together peacefully (Armstrong 357). Therefore, from a Freudian perspective, religion is needed to confine people to certain boundaries that allow coexistence. On his side, James held that people need religion because it gives them positive power, which then causes a change of mind (Allen 114). The changed minds lead to certain behaviors, which are acceptable amongst different people. On the other side, James believed that religion is a product of individual experiences as opposed to being a set of beliefs. On his side, Otto maintained that people needed religion, as it is part of them (Melissa 84). The dreadful side of God allows people to live within certain confines, which control the chaos. The fascinating side is attractive, and it brings out the love within individuals. These different characteristics facilitate coexistence. Finally, Jung held that religion is needed for the spiritual aspects of fear and hunger to force people to pursue purpose, which gives meaning to life.
The four stages of life
The four stages of life according to dharma include “Brahmacharya [student], Grihastha [householder], Vanaprastha [retired], and Sannyasa [renunciation]” (Mittal and Thursby 231). The first stage comes before the age of 24, where one focuses on studying. The second stage, which falls between 24 and 48 years of age, involves marrying coupled with getting children and educating them. This stage is the most important in social circles as it is the productive stage of one’s life. The third stage is between 48 and 72 years, where an individual slides into retirement. The household duties are passed on to another generation before assuming advisory roles in society. Finally, the last stage comes after 72 years old, and an individual stops pursuing material gains to focus on peace and spirituality.
Works Cited
Allen, James. William James on Habit, Will, Truth, and the Meaning of Life, Savannah: Frederic C. Beil, 2014. Print.
Armstrong, Karen. A History of God, New York: Ballantine Books 1993. Print.
Gupta, Bina. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, London: Routledge, 2011. Print.
Melissa, Raphael. Rudolf Otto and the Concept of Holiness, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997. Print.
Mittal, Sushil, and Gene Thursby. Dharma, in the Hindu World, London: Routledge, 2004. Print.
Sharma, Rajiv, and June Gaur. Ancient Indian Literature: An Anthology, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 2000. Print.