King Dasharatha performed a sacrifice to obtain sons and he was blessed with four: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna.

Sage Vishwamitra asks the king to have Rama and Bharata help him fight the demons who disrupt his rituals. The king reluctantly acquiesced given that his sons were just in their teens. Rama and Lakshmana show valor by defeating the demons. They accompanied the sage to the kingdom of Mithila (present-day Janakpur, Nepal) where King Janaka was hosting a contest on who could win his daughter Sita (incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi) for a wife by stringing the mighty bow of Shiva. Rama did and won Sita's hand.

Rama proved to be the most fit to be the successor to the kingdom. When King Dasharatha chose Rama to be heir to the throne, the people and the palace were delighted. But Queen Kaikeyi, influenced by her servant, Manthara, succeeded in giving the throne to Bharata, Queen Kaykeyi's son. She invoked a promise the king made in the past to grant her any 2 wishes. Kaykeyi then exacted that promise that 1) King Dasharatha grant the crown to her son Lakshmana and 2) exile Rama for 14 years.

Rama upheld the king's promise instead of forcibly taking over the kingdom. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana voluntarily went into a 14-year exile. Sita and Lakshmana didn't have to go with Rama - they could have stayed in the palace and enjoyed royal comforts. But Sita wanted to be with Rama regardless of the circumstances, and Lakshmana was too angry at what was done to Rama.

Upon learning what happened, Bharatha searched for Rama in the forest to give him back the throne. But Rama refused and gave Baratha his sandals as symbol of authority. Baratha rules making it public that he was just there until Rama's return.

In the Dandaka forest, the trio encountered sages and demons. They visited hermitages of sages where they received blessings and guidance. They also helped the sages fight the Rakshasas (demons) who were disrupting their pujas. Rama defeats the demons including Surpanakha, Ravana's sister and her other demon allies, Khara and Dushana. In retaliation, Ravana abducts Sita with the help of another demon, Maricha who took the form of a golden dear. Ravana takes Sita to his kingdom in Lanka, across the waters. Rama and Lakshmana searched for Sita. A noble vulture friend, Jatayu, tried to help in the search but lost his life. The rescue for Sita was now the compelling mandate.

While searching for Sita, Rama and Lakshmana met Hanuman, a devoted Varana from the monkey kingdom, and Sugriva, the exiled monkey king of Kishkindha. Rama helps Sugriva regain his kingdom from his brother, Vali. In the ensuing fierce battle, Rama kills Vali. Sugriva vows to help Rama search for Sita with the help of the Vanaras (monkey people). Hanuman and the rest of the search party headed south, following clues about Ravana's kingdom.

Hanuman leaps across the ocean to Lanka where Sita is held captive by Ravana. He made himself small to avoid being conspicuous. Hanuman met Sita, showed her Rama's ring to assure her it was no trick, and passed along Rama's message that she will be rescued.

Ravana has been pressuring Sita to marry him (or else), but she remained devoted to Rama. Hanuman wreaks havoc in Lanka, destroying parts of the city and killing Ravana's warriors. He was captured and his tail burned. Hanuman burned the city instead before escaping and returning back to Rama with news about Sita's location.

Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva lead an army of monkeys and bears to Lanka. They first built a stone bridge (Rama Setu) connecting the mainland to Lanka (others regard Ramayana as mythology, but in 2012, NASA was able to photograph from space, a submerged 48 km stone bridge from India to Sri Lanka, giving credence that Ramayana perhaps actually happened) and crossed it until they reached Lanka. A great battle ensued marked by valor and divine intervention. Rama kills Ravana's 2 brothers and slays Ravana with a divine arrow, killing the demon god. Sita is freed but had to prove her purity through fire. Rama is praised by the gods for restoring cosmic order. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana return to Ayodhya where Rama is crowned king and ushered an era of peace and prosperity.

NASA satellite imagery in 2012 May of a stone bridge to Sri Lanka, as described in Ramayana. The bridge is 48 km long and 1-10 m deep. In the 1500s, you can walk the bridge but a cyclone has since destroyed it making parts of it underwater now.

Rama reigned with prosperity and happiness in the kingdom. But public doubt persisted about Sita's purity despite her trial by fire in Lanka. To uphold his duty as king, Rama banished a pregnant Sita to the forest (fans call this a virtue of Rama for upholding dharma. I call it cruel and stupid. Sita chose to stay with Rama in the forest when she could have stayed in the kingdom. She already proved her purity by fire. And even if she's not pure, was that her fault? She was abducted against her will. Rama should be shamed for banishing a very devoted wife). Sita took refuge in the hermitage of Valmiki (the sage who wrote about Ramayana...this book). Sita gave birth to twins, Lava and Kusha who grew up unaware of their royal lineage. They were both trained by the wise and adept Valmiki.

Years later, Rama hosts a horse sacrifice where the twins captured the sacrificial horse and defeated Rama's army. Rama learns of their true identity. Valmiki brings Sita back to Rama. Sita, weary of proving her virtue again, calls upon her mother, the earth to take her back. The ground opens up and swallows Sita. Rama was grief-stricken. Rama ascends to the divine to resume his identity as Vishnu.

Ramayana can be appreciated on many levels. It can be an enjoyable read about a hero's journey, or it can be a cheat sheet for hacking life - it all depends on how deep you want to go down the rabbit hole with it.

This epic has been a foundational cornerstone of Hindu culture and spirituality that to critique it is blasphemous. As virtuous as it is, I cannot say I agree with everything in it. Perhaps it was the right action during its time - Treta Yuga where virtue and dharma were the staple of society. But so many logical things were abandoned for the sake of virtue - walking away from ruling a kingdom because of a king's folly. This could put the entire empire at a balance and disrupt the lives of many. Which is more important? Virtue (over a folly) or the greater good of an empire? Banishing your devoted wife who has proven herself time and time again, over the wild speculation of the public? I question Rama's decision on that. That doesn't even make sense to me.

Overall, I will simply regard Ramayana as an excellent story about a hero's journey. I also applaud the lesson of loyalty which is rare nowadays - loyalty of Bharata to Rama, loyalty of Hanuman to Rama and loyalty and devotion of Sita to Rama. I think they are the true heroes of this epic. I'll stop at that.