Righteous Rāma
Visions of Virtue in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa
Is Rama really the ideal man, king, husband, son?
What vision of virtue is being advanced in the story of Rāma?
Is it applicable today?
Few works of world literature have been as monumentally influential as the story of Rāma. The first Sanskrit iteration of the intriguing career of Rāma (Rāmāyaṇa) is told by the primordial poet Vālmīki. It commences with the poet’s seminal question “Who in the world is truly virtuous? Who is mighty and yet also knows the ways of righteousness?” The answer to this, according to the ancient epic, is the hero-prince Rāma, an incarnation of Viṣṇu himself. Yet many of the actions of Rāma vex and perplex us to this very day. For example, what about him slaying the monkey-king Vālin from hiding? How about his ordering the disfigurement of the she-demon Śūrparṇakhā? Or his execution of an ascetic youth for being low-caste? And how about his abandonment his beloved wife Sītā?
What are we to make of these complex episodes?
What vision of virtue – or perhaps even vice – is Vālmīki advancing in the personage of Rāma?
And to what extent is that vision applicable to life today?
Episodes Highlighted
- Courting Cranes and the First Verse in Sanskrit
- Court Intrigue and the Ready Acceptance of Exile
- Deer-hunting, Destiny, and the Abduction of Sītā
- Political Alliance and the Slaughter of Vālin
- Hanuman’s Heroics and the Leap to Laṅkā
- Waging War against the Demon-King
- Pollution, Purity and Sītā’s Trial by Fire
- The Execution of Śambūka, a Low-Caste Ascetic
- Citizen Unrest and the Banishment of Sītā
- Lava, Kuśa and Recognizing Rāma
Course Text (Purchase Optional)
The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: The Complete English Translation
Princeton Library of Asian Translation Series, 2022 (Paperback)
Edited by Robert Goldman
This 4-part on-demand online course is taught by renowned scholar, storyteller and traditional wisdom lineage holder Dr. Raj Balkaran. He shares the fruit of hundreds of hours of living wisdom training and scholarship on Sanskrit narrative texts such as the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, which he has been studying for 20 years. The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa was actually the subject of his Masters work.
Learning Outcomes
- The epic story of Rāma (Rāmāyaṇa)
- The cultural impact of the Rāmāyaṇa
- Key philosophical, theological ideas innate to the epic
- Ethics of violence
- Social ethics of kingship, righteous rule
- Spiritual ethics of asceticism, detachment, dharma
- Character sketches of Rāma, Sītā, Hanumān, Rāvaṇa
- Solar Symbolism and the Story of Rāma
- The Spiritual Significance of the Rāmāyaṇa
Course Structure
Module 1: The Birth of Verse - Visions of Virtue
Module 2: The Exiled King - Ascetic Ethics
Module 3: Battling Rāvaṇa - War Ethics
Module 4: Sacrificing Sītā - Royal Ethics
6+ Hours of Video Lessons
Valuable for the simply curious, longtime yogis, expert practitioners and everyone in between
Downloadable Notes
Easily follow along with and refer back to the class slides
Access Anytime, Anywhere
Whether day or night, wherever you are, you have forever access to this on-demand course
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Applications
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Yoga Alliance Credit
This course counts as 12 hours of YA Continuing Education Credit
"I first came across Dr. Balkaran through his work with the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and have since taken a number of courses with him, all of which have been fabulous. Dr. Balkaran has a gift for synthesizing complex information and teaches with a storytelling style that supports comprehension."
Natalie Rousseau
Yoga Educator
"Dr. Balkaran is a teacher who understands the needs and quests of today’s spiritual seekers and practitioners and his School is a unique and a much-awaited opportunity for any interested-minded students to access the complex realm of the Indian philosophy and mythology explained in an approachable and engaging manner."
Aijan Kenenbaeva
Yoga Practitioner and Hinduism Student
"As a graduate student in the blossoming field of Yoga Studies, I cannot express the proper gratitude for Dr. Raj and his method of mystical swagger. He has tremendously assisted my personal understanding of inherently foreign concepts embedded within Indian wisdom and myth."
Dustin Nicholas Holmes
Naropa University, Wisdom Traditions
M.A. Yoga Studies
"I have greatly enjoyed taking Dr. Balkaran’s online classes! His style of presenting content is a rich synthesis of rigorous academic scholarship and his own experiential insights which add depth, humor and clarity to the often misconstrued concepts of Indian mythology."
Srinalini Sankar
French Teacher and Lifelong Student
Meet Your Instructor
Dr. Raj Balkaran is the founder of The Indian Wisdom School, scholar, and author of the popular book The Stories Behind the Poses. He teaches a number of courses through the Indian Wisdom School, the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, Yogic Studies, and Embodied Philosophy. He also hosts the New Books in Indian Religions podcast.
Before becoming a scholar, Dr. Balkaran was initiated into Indian Wisdom Traditions by multiple lineal teachers and apprenticed with a renowned Indian spiritual master for twelve years. For the past two decades, he has been immersed in daily spiritual practice and study, cultivating a deep understanding of these traditions.
