Books - Maryada: Searching for Dharma in the Ramayana by Arshia Sattar, HarperCollins Publishers India

Renowned Ramayana scholar Arshia Sattar explores the existential and philosophical conundrums in the concepts of maryada (dignity) and dharma in her latest book.

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Although Rama is identified as the maryada (which carries the dual meanings of ‘boundary’ and ‘propriety of moral conduct) purushottam (epitome), the ideal set by Rama is never touted as absolute. The epic shows that there is no one standard of right action. Nor is dharma posited as something so lofty as to be unattainable by ordinary humans.

In this book, Sattar shows how the epic inspires readers to seek their own dharma, and why, in this quest, we are as likely to be right as wrong.

Maryada: Searching for Dharma in the Ramayana In her thought-provoking new book, renowned Ramayana scholar Arshia Sattar writes with compassion, tenderness and insight about dharma as a multiplicity of appropriate choices, showing us that when we choose one way of being and doing over another, we will be as often wrong as we are right. Shop Now