Week 3 Reading Diary A- A Human and a God

In this portion of the reading, we realize that Rama is as much a human as he is a god. It has been noted throughout the story that he is in possession of super natural strengths and talents that could only come from a higher power. However, in this portion of the reading we realize that those abilities are in a way constrained by his current human form. For example, he does not have the foresight to see that the golden deer is a trap presented for him. He has a hard time forgiving himself for being lured away from his wife. This one moment of human error, although it is the first and only instance mentioned in the story, causes Rama to be temporarily separated from the love of his life.

In this way the character of Rama could be compared to Jesus Christ. Christians often have a hard time wrapping their heads around how Jesus was fully man and God at the same time. However, both pieces of his being are critical to understanding the story of his life. Jesus wept, like a human. He pleaded with God in the garden of Gethsemane, although he himself was God. It is crucial that Jesus was fully human, so that he could set an example for human followers and set himself up to be the ultimate sacrifice. However, this human-God combination is often difficult to fully understand.

Agony in the Garden

between circa 1380 and circa 1390, Author: Master of Wittingau, Source: Wikimedia 

Perhaps, in a similar way, it was crucial for Rama to be human. In Rama’s case, had he not lost Sita temporarily, he may have never had the opportunity to defeat the evil Ravana. Although his earthly human form could not comprehend the reasons for the trials he had to go through, in the end all of the painful events of his life played out so that Rama could be a part of a much greater good.