Rama - Beyond Maryada Purushottama

Part One

Disclaimer: I might've taken some liberty here. The disclaimer is being written even before the content can be, so there's no guarantee about if there'll really be anything inauthentic to a great extent. But if you're not comfortable with slight inauthenticities too, I'd say that you might not want to go ahead with this.

Rama had always been someone selfless, never caring about himself for anything. He cared for everybody else. Not just for his family or his friends. He cared for virtually everybody. Even his enemies, at times.

"Why are you so kind, in a sense that you care more for others than for yourself?" asked Bharata innocently, as a young child.

"Well, you're just the same!" Rama shot back playfully, shrugging.

"But that's only for those who deserve it. You're kind to nearly everyone, unconditionally." argued Bharata. "It could go wrong some day, Bhaiya. Sometimes, you should think of yourself too."

That day, Rama simply shrugged it off, hoping to forget his brother's "innocent" words. Rama wanted to be that kind, selfless and compassionate. And he didn't want anybody to change him.

Over the years, Rama did just that. He was so compassionate, that he eventually started earning so much respect from the people that he was considered God. They worshipped him, they trusted him - all of it when he was just a little boy.

And while it didn't look like it made Rama feel burdened by the expectations of people, it subconsciously did change him. It changed him, slowly but surely.

As Prince, he really wasn't different. He was the bubbly boy who was often showered with so much affection by everybody. He was everybody's favourite. And even after all of it, he remained just as modest, not accepting any undue compliments for things he hadn't even done.

For instance, someone once told him that he would be able to defeat the most daunting demon in the world, that he would kill him to prove to the world that he was the best warrior in existence. Rama denied, of course, not believing in any of it. But everybody else believed he could do it indeed.

That was exactly Rama. While he tried to reiterate that he was just like them, that he was one of them, he would be told otherwise. He would be told that he was great, and subconsciously, somewhere, he had to uphold it.

–––

Things only got worse as time passed. People started treating him a little too much like he was some godly being, and he didn't like for people to think of him as superior to them. While most others would've taken advantage of being revered by the masses, he tried to convince them that he wasn't as great as they thought.

He loved everybody just the same and didn't discriminate, no matter what. He would support only what was right and nothing else. And this mentality of his made him the most perfect candidate for an ideal King. He would be crowned King not only because he was the firstborn of Dasharatha, but also because he was perfect for the job. A King was almost like a representation of a non-discriminatory God for his subjects, and Rama could certainly fulfil that, and other, criteria.

–––

Years passed, and Rama did everything to prove he was the most ideal man on earth. He didn't knowingly want to prove it, he just happened to do so while going about with his daily jobs.

One of them was the slaying of Tadaka and Subahu, and of course, liberating Ahalya from her curse. People started worshipping him and there was really nothing that could stop them from doing so. They wanted him to be their King.

Dasharatha was always extremely happy about the fact that his son was so revered, so doted upon by the people. His mind was at peace. After him, his son would be a great King, wouldn't he?