The Ramayana is an epic poem written about Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, and his adventures while living in exile. Rama enlists the help of many different beings in his quest to save his wife, Sita, from the demon king Ravana. Most of the beings who help him are animals, including Sugreeva and Hanuman, who are monkeys, and Jatayu, an old eagle. Rama also interacted with animals that did not help him in his quest. Overall, Rama's interactions with animals in The Ramayana are a model for how Hindus should treat other beings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay First of all, what is considered normal for Hindus? While they do not have to be vegetarian to practice Hinduism, many Hindus are at least vegetarian to practice the yama of ahimsa. Ahimsa is the ethical observance of non-violence towards all living beings, which extends to animals and insects. There is the concept of a sacred cow, so no cows are harmed for meat consumption. However, milk from cows is used to make ghee, a clarified butter used for cooking and Hindu rituals. Additionally, lower castes are given the task of being butchers since killing animals is not the work of a Brahmin or Kshatriya. The first animal Rama encounters when he begins his fourteen-year exile is the eagle named Jatayu. Jatayu is an old friend of Rama's father, King Dasaratha, who has a duty to protect Lakshmana and Rama during their exile from Ayodhya. In The Ramayana, Jatayu becomes the adoptive parent of Rama and Lakshmana after their exile. Rama reveres and respects Jatayu, as Jatayu tells him that he and Dasaratha were so close that "Dasaratha had remarked, 'You are the soul, I am the body.' We are one.' » Jatayu is also revered for his wisdom and power, as he is a talking eagle, which is rather prominent in literature. Rama holds Jatayu at the same level of affection and respect as his own father and begs him to stay alive because Lakshmana and Rama need a father figure now that Dasaratha is dead. Rama follows Jatayu to Panchvati. The interaction between Rama and Jatayu is seen again after Jatayu fights Ravana in an attempt to save Sita. As Jatayu is dying, Jatayu tells Rama how Sita was kidnapped, but cannot tell where Ravana took Sita before he died. In the text, there is no further mention of Jatayu until Rama and his group (now including Hanuman) meet Sampati and tell him about Jatayu. Rama shows Sampati's grace by restoring his wings and making him a majestic eagle. While Rama was quite kind to the eagles, Rama is not so kind or gracious to the ancient monkey king Vali. At the beginning of the chapter "Vali", Narayan writes that "Yet [Rama] acted, it seems, out of partiality, half-knowledge and haste, and slew and destroyed from his hiding place a creature which had not nothing done. hard, I didn’t even see it.” In this story, Rama takes the side of Vali's brother Sugreeva and is asked to kill Vali while hiding out of sight. Rama goes ahead and asserts that Vali has "enough intelligence to distinguish right from wrong and to make [his] case" and that Vali is no ordinary animal. If he was, then he wouldn't be in the predicament he's in now. Additionally, dharma and obligation to Sugreeva are points that further complicate Rama's situation. While Rama could have easily decided to listen to both sides before making a decision, he hesitates, 2006.