As stated in Three Hundred Ramayanas, "for every such Rama there is a Ramayana" (24). This concept is actually something that is not new to me! It reminds me of the countless translations that the Jewish and Christian texts have undergone, meaning that there are countless versions. There are even discrepancies in the characterization of Jesus within the canonical gospels in the Christian scriptures, so it makes sense that there would be similar phenomenons among other religions and their ancient texts. Retellings of the Ramayana stretch across a number of countries, including India, Tibet, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and more (37). This means that none of the stories or names will ever match completely, yet they are all relevant and worth being part of the same story. In Sita Sings the Blues, the narrators even mentioned that there were other names for Sita that were used (8:30). Despite the varying translations, they are all part of the same story and deserve to be treated with the same reverence.
I really like your comparison to scripture and how every writers depiction of Jesus varies. Like you though, all version, discrepancies aside, are equally important. All need to be studied equally because the value in each one is priceless. We can piece together more of who Jesus is and the more intricate details of the Ramayana by studying them both respectively!
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