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Community quotations are the opinions of contributing users. These quotations do not represent the opinions of Tulsa City-County Library.
There are said to be 300 versions of the Rama story in more than 20 different Indian languages. In the days of the Raj, the British called the Rama stories and plays "the bible of India". If you didn't know them, they said, you couldn't know the people. Nor would you understand the powerful, driving idea behind the epic tale, that whether king or commoner, you should live in virtue - "dharma". === All the great ancient civilisations meditated on these big questions - how to live life, sharing the planet with other people, how to find happiness. For Indian people, the traditional goal of life is to live with virtue - dharma. To gain wealth and success - artha. To find pleasure - kama. But in the end, to seek enlightenment - moksha. Back in the 5th century BC, a series of kingdoms had grown up in the Ganges plain with cities. And in history, cities are always vehicles for change. India's greatest sacred city, Varanasi, was founded around 500 BC. It's been called the Jerusalem of India.