As is with any religious work, art, or history, perspective is key. It is impossible to view anything without biases. As the Ramayana is a religious work, art piece, and history depending on the viewer, it is no surprise that there are many unique interactions with the texts depending on status within the caste. The Valmiki Ramayana is steeped in gendered issues, therefore, it tracks that the upper caste Brahmin women would be given a voice to shift the story through song in an effort to make it more applicable to their state in life. This predominantly involves reclamation of power from all fronts. In a system that praises complete obedience and modesty, the women’s songs present the power in femininity, and their indispensable nature in relation to men (116). Although low-caste women are less dependent and sheltered, their songs still perpetuate empowerment through Sita and even openly detest Rama, which could be a direct rebellion against both the upper echelons of society and gendered oppression as a whole perpetuated by the caste system (132).
This is not a solely female reclamation and challenging of the story. There are men, too, who critiqued the Ramayana and its values such as E.V.R (176). When the caste system manipulated political life, presenting a Brahmin’s versus everyone else superiority in the early 1900s, E.V.R, aware of such disparity, openly challenged the entire nature of religion (177). Consequently, those who are not of the elite, women in general, or all those of lesser status than the top rung, have found reinterpretations, or fault in the dominating political and spiritual Hinduism (179).