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Traditions and Encounters Book Cover
Traditions and Encounters, 2/e
Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawai'i
Herbert F. Ziegler, University of Hawai'i

STATE, SOCIETY, AND THE QUEST FOR SALVATION IN INDIA

Internet Activities: The Mahabharata and the Ramayana

http://www.haryana-online.com/History/mahabharat.htm

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/maxpages/special/ramayana/RAMA.html



1

What are the goals of the characters in these excerpts from the two epic poems of Hinduism? What do these excerpts tell us about the principles of Hinduism?
2

Notice that the excerpt from the Ramayana is a "telling" of the ancient epic. These epics come from a tradition based on oral transmission of stories--how does that tradition affect your perception of this tale? What else might this oral tradition teach us about Indian culture?
3

All of these religious texts came from a period of intense spirituality in Indian culture. Based on these documents and your textbook, why do you think this religious excitement occurred in India during this time?