The story which took up the majority of this section of reading was the story of Rama's slaying of Vali. This story is accompanied throughout by an examination of ethics. I found the story and the ethical reasoning it contains a bit troubling at times, and I am not sure that I totally agree that Rama acted in the best way. But, mostly I was impressed with the depth, complexity, and nuanced discussion of ethics found in this ancient text. The ethical discussion is wise as well as logically intelligent, and displays an appreciation for an ethics which is not black-and-white or based on sticking to the letter of certain axioms, but has room for considering the complexities of real-life situations and looking at the bigger picture. It seemed wise ahead of its time, and could easily be discussed alongside modern philosophers in an ethical discussion today.
These passages stood out in particular:
"The perfect man takes a false step, apparently commits a moral slip, and we ordinary mortals stand puzzled... measured in Eternity, such an event might stand out differently. But until we attain that breadth of view, we are likely to feel disturbed and question the action" (Narayan 97).
This appeals to a more nuanced ethics, and gives an early "utilitarian" theory of ethics - put simply, the ends may justify the means, a moral choice is one where the good effects outweigh the bad, and thus a large-scale perspective is sometimes needed to see the morality of actions. However, this does rest on Rama's divine moral compass - he is able to discern what the best action will be in the long run - so, where does that leave us 'mere mortals' as far as being a guiding ethical theory (of course this is a problem with modern utilitarian views as well)?
Another passage I marked is when Vali first rebukes Rama for his seeming misdeed. He says,
"Is the foretaste of the yuga of Kali to be had only by us, the creatures who crawl and are called monkeys? So, Kind One, are virtues intended to be practiced only on weaker creatures? When strong men commit crimes, they become heroic deeds?" (109).
This passage struck me as being very poignant and relevant to ethics today. It seems to be incredibly applicable to racism (and all other "isms"), as well as more subtle institutionalized oppression and marginalization of the weak by the rich and powerful few in our capitalist society. All kinds of unethical acts, of varying degrees of horribleness, are carried out against marginalized or hated groups in the name of Christian morals, good business, patriotism... and often, with enough power and the right spin, these acts can be presented as heroic, or at least moral.
This consideration of how the passage reflects on today's society made me think more deeply about its use in the Ramayana. Personally, I felt like Rama got off pretty easy and Vali was persuaded to change his mind quite quickly, especially considering he was dying and all. Of course. Rama's divine-ness makes the situation considerably different than if he was merely a regular human. Still, the ethics of the story of Vali are incredibly well developed, and it is a testament to the Ramayana that they are still wise and valuable for ethical debate today.
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