The Ramayana begins with explaining the need for our warrior hero Rama. There is a crisis in the order of the universe. Dr. Vyas relates the background of the crisis, which I will summarize. Sometime in the distant past, the Hindu Gods made a pact with a certain group of creatures called Rakshasas. These Rakshasas maintain order in the universe for these Gods in exchange for immunity from destruction. They are in fact, untouchable, and could only be destroyed by a human. However, as absolute power has a tendency to corrupt; the deal backfires as the Rakshasas begin to misuse power over humanity. They become evil personified. Further, the Rakshasas can change their appearance and they often harass the religious caste of India by interfering with religious rituals and human affairs. With evil run amok, the Gods hatch a plan to incarnate Vishnu as the human Rama and make it Rama’s destiny to wipe out the evil clan of Rakshasas, which we would understand as a type of shape-shifting demon. Their prime target is the demon King Ravana.
LORD RAMA:
LORD VISHNU:
RAKSHASAS DEMON KING RAVANA:
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