Your parent made a promise to someone else, and that promise affects your whole future. Keeping it means giving up something you have earned and deserve. Breaking it would shame your parent.
Turn and Talk
With the person next to you, take two minutes:
What would you do, and why?
What would it cost you either way?
What is The Ramayana?
One of the two great epics of India, alongside the Mahabharata
First composed by the poet Valmiki more than two thousand years ago
Originally 24,000 verses, sung and recited long before it was written down
Still loved and retold across the world today, in books, films, plays, and comics
We are reading R.K. Narayan's version, which tells the story in clear modern prose
Why Read a Story This Old?
It Asks Questions Like:
What do I owe my family?
How do I handle an unfair situation?
What kind of person do I want to be?
Who can I really count on?
It Shows Us:
Heroes who struggle, not just win
Friendships tested by hard times
Choices that reveal who people truly are
What loyalty and devotion can accomplish
The Story, in Brief
Prince Rama is about to be crowned king when a single broken promise sends him into exile in the forest for fourteen years.
While in exile, his wife Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the powerful demon king.
With loyal allies, above all the devoted Hanuman, Rama goes to war to bring her back.
After a great victory, he returns home to claim the throne that was always his.
But the plot is the least interesting part. What matters is why the characters choose what they choose.
Our Essential Questions
Four big questions will guide everything we read, discuss, and write. None of them has a single right answer.
Essential Question 1
How do we decide what we owe to family, friends, and society when these duties pull in different directions?
Think: a college far from home versus staying close. A friend's secret versus doing what is right. Your own dream versus what others expect.
Essential Question 2
What does it mean to be a hero today?
Is a hero the strongest? The one who sacrifices? The one who stands up when it is hard? The one who serves quietly?
Essential Question 3
How do our choices shape not only who we become, but the world around us?
One decision can ripple outward, for better or worse, touching people we will never meet.
Essential Question 4
How do ancient stories help us understand problems we face right now?
What can people who lived thousands of years ago teach us about pressure, reputation, and the choices that shape a life?
Key Idea: Dharma
Dharma
What it means: your duty, your responsibility, the right thing to do
In plain terms: what you should do, based on who you are and the situation you are in
Dharma is not one rule for everyone. The right action depends on your role, your relationships, and the moment.
You Already Live by Many Duties
As a student: work hard, learn, prepare for what is next
As a family member: respect your parents, look out for siblings
As a friend: be loyal, honest, and there when it counts
As a member of a community: contribute, pull your weight
As yourself: grow your talents and chase your own goals
What happens when two of these collide?
Your Turn
Think, Pair, Share
Think on your own (one minute): Describe a time two of your duties pulled against each other. What did you choose?
Pair with a partner (two minutes): Share if you are comfortable. How did each of you decide which duty came first?
Share with the class (a few minutes): We will collect a few examples on the board.
Key Idea: Bhakti
Bhakti
What it means: loving devotion, giving yourself fully to someone or something
In plain terms: the difference between doing something because you have to and doing it because you love to
If dharma is duty, bhakti is what happens when duty becomes love.
Where Have You Seen Bhakti?
Devotion shows up in everyday life:
The athlete who loves the game, not just the trophy
The friend who shows up every single time, no matter what
The volunteer who helps for the meaning, not the credit
Quick Freewrite (90 seconds):
Who in your life shows this kind of devotion, to a person, a craft, or a cause?
Dharma and Bhakti Together
Dharma tells you what to do.
Bhakti shapes how you do it.
Duty without love can turn cold and resentful.
Love without judgment can lead us astray.
The Ramayana keeps testing how these two fit together.
The People of the Epic
A quick guide to the main characters before we meet them on the page
Rama
Who he is: prince of Ayodhya, eldest son of King Dasaratha. In the story he is also a god, Vishnu, living a human life on earth.
His role: the model of how to live by duty
His test: to keep doing the right thing even when it costs him everything
Watch for: how Rama acts when life treats him unfairly. What does his steadiness tell us about character?
Sita
Who she is: Rama's wife, daughter of King Janaka, found as a baby in a plowed field
Her role: often called the ideal wife and queen, but also a figure of real strength
Her test: to hold onto her dignity and sense of self through capture and suspicion
Watch for: the choices Sita makes even when her options are limited. What does her courage look like?
Lakshmana
Who he is: Rama's younger brother and constant companion
His role: the devoted brother who chooses exile rather than be left behind
His character: fierce loyalty, a quick temper, a protective streak
Watch for: how Lakshmana's loyalty compares to Hanuman's. When is anger the right response to injustice?
Hanuman
Who he is: the monkey hero, son of the wind god
His role: Rama's greatest ally and the clearest example of bhakti, pure devotion
His powers: enormous strength, the ability to fly and change size, but above all, his loyalty
Watch for: how serving Rama brings out the best in Hanuman. Why might devotion matter more than raw power?
Ravana
Who he is: the ten-headed demon king of Lanka
His role: the villain, but not a simple one
His downfall: great power and intelligence wrecked by pride and unchecked desire
Watch for: what makes Ravana more interesting than a cartoon villain. Where do we glimpse his humanity?
Other Key Figures
Dasaratha
Rama's father, the king whose promise sets the whole tragedy in motion
Kaikeyi
A queen who demands Rama's exile. A villain, or a more complicated woman?
Bharata
Rama's brother, who refuses to take the throne his mother won for him
Sugreeva
A monkey king who helps Rama in exchange for help in his own fight
Turn and Talk (1 minute):
Which of these characters are you most curious about, and what do you want to know?
The World of the Story
Ayodhya: the great capital and Rama's home, a city that stands for order and justice
The Forest: the place of exile, but also of testing and growth
Lanka: Ravana's island kingdom, dazzling on the surface but rotten underneath
Where characters are often mirrors who they are becoming.
Why This Story Still Speaks to Us
The Ramayana touches experiences you already know:
Being treated unfairly by someone with power over you
Caught between what your family wants and what you want
Figuring out what you stand for when you are tested
Finding the people who show up when it actually matters
Dealing with someone who has power but no integrity
Today's Versions of the Same Dilemma
Sound Familiar?
What your parents want for your future versus what you want
Speaking up about something wrong versus the social cost of doing so
Staying loyal to a friend who is making harmful choices
Working inside a flawed system versus refusing to take part
Rama faces a version of every one of these. His answers are one option; we will weigh others.
How We Will Read
Actively: marking the text, asking questions, making connections
Critically: not swallowing everything whole, but examining the choices
With empathy: trying to see through each character's eyes
Personally: linking the story to your own life and decisions
The goal is not just to know the story, but to think with it.
One Last Thought
The story of Rama is not only a tale of ancient India. It is a timeless look at what it means to be fully human, to face impossible choices, and to stay true to your best self.
Let the journey begin.
Before You Go
Freewrite Exit Ticket
Take three minutes and respond to one of these:
Which character are you most curious about, and why?
Which essential question feels most alive for you right now?
What is one thing you hope this story will help you think about?