Similarities between Ramayana and Mahabharata
There are lot of similarities between the Ramayana and Mahabharata, also resemblance of events and of the protagonists of the epics. Both the epics were related to succession of thrones and the story revolved around the brothers.
1)Rama and Karna[1]
There are a lot of similarities between the protagonist of the two epics- Rama and Karna.the symbols are alike this:Rama and Karna
| Rama | Karna |
|---|---|
| Rama was the portion of Surya and was born in the solar race also called Suryavanshi. | Karna was the portion of Surya and born through the blessings of Surya himself and belonged to the solar race |
| Rama was the ever-favourite of all ladies and was the most handsome being of his era | Karna was called Priyadarshana by Krishna himself (who was himself handsome). Karna was the ever-favourite of the ladies and was the most handsome person of his era. |
| Rama was the eldest brother of the Raghus and hence the rightful heir to Ayodhya | Karna was the eldest brother of the Kurus and the rightful heir to Hastinapur |
| Rama was taught by Vishwamitra, the greatest of all teachers of the era | Karna was taught by Parashurama, the greatest of all teachers of the era and also renowned as the avatar of Vishnu. |
| Despite being the eldest brother, Rama did not get the kingdom because of Kaikeyi but at the end of the epic, he was crowned the king of Ayodhya. | Despite being the eldest brother, Karna did not get the kingdom because of Kunti's negligence but at the end of the epic, Karna united with his brothers in Aditya Lok and was crowned the king of Aditya Lok |
| Rama possessed the bow of Shiva named Pinaka which was the most powerful bow of that era | Karna possessed the bow of Shiva named Vijaya which was the most powerful bow of that era |
| Rama was the greatest warrior of his era | Karna was regarded as the greatest warrior of his era and had the most achievements than any other warrior in that era |
| Rama destroyed Kumbhkarna and his demon army using Vayvaya Astra in an instant | Karna killed Ghatotakacha and his demon army using his Sambhav Astra |
| Rama is the son of Surya who took birth in Treta Yuga | Karna is the son of Surya who took birth in Dwapara Yuga |
| Rama was also called Vaikartana(the hero of the solar race) | Karna was also called Vaikartana(the hero of the solar race) |
| Rama in Ramayana is shown as the embodiment of truth and Dharma. For that reason, he was called Maryada Purushottam. | Karna in Mahabharata is ever truthful and upholder of Dharma. For that reason he was called Vrisha. |
| Rama was a dream boy for many ladies and was the most handsome of all but had only one wife. | Karna had so many female friends such as Bhanumati, Asawari etc. Bhanumati despite being the wife of Duryodhana loved to spend time with Karna but still Karna married only one wife. |
| Rama was accepted as the sole king and the greatest of all by everybody(excluding Ravana) including Dashratha, Lakshmana, Hanumana, Kumbhkaran. | Karna was accepted as the sole king and both Yudhisthira and Duryodhana liked him. He was accepted as the greatest warrior by everyone(excluding Arjuna) including Krishna, Duryodhana, Yudhisthira and at last even Shalya and Bhishma praised Karna. Karna was the person who could turn his haters to lovers. |
| Hanuman wanted Rama to become the king and follow Rama, be like an ideal servant of Rama | Krishna also wanted Karna to become the king of earth and follow him like an ideal servant |
| Rama conquered the world and performed the Vaishnava Yagya | Karna conquered the entire earth and peformed the Vaishnava Yagya |
2)Shatrughana/Ravana and Arjuna[2]
There are quite similarities between Shatrughana and Arjuna. Both defeated Indra, both were the sons of Indra. Arjuna killed Jaydratha whereas Shatrughana killed Lavanasura. There are also similarities between Ravana and Arjuna. Both abducted women and could not control their lust for women. Arjuna abducted Subhadra whereas Ravana abducted Sita for his pleasure. Both were the rivals of Karna and Rama. Arjuna's character is a mix of Ravana and Shatrughana. Arjuna used to run away from the battlefield while fighting with Karna and Ravana used to run away from Rama.
3)Kaikeyi as Kunti
Because of Kaikeyi and Kunti, both Lord Rama and Karna had to suffer their lives and despite being the eldest son, they did not get the kingdom. They are regarded as one of the worst mothers in Hindu Mythology.
4)Bharat as Yudhisthira They both were the second eldest brother and got the kingdom of Hastinapur and Ayodhya. When they got to know about the reality of Kaikeyi and Kunti, they both cursed the entire woman race. Yudhisthira's love was greatest for his brother Rama, Bharat's love was greatest for Rama. Finally Yudhisthira in the swarga gave away his crown to Karna and Bharat gave away his crown to Rama in Ayodhya.
5)Hanuman as Krishna They both wanted Lord Rama and Karna to become the king of Hastinapur and Ayodhya. They both wanted to follow behind Rama and Karna as an ideal servant. Both were sent as Shanti-doot and were tried to captured. Both were mischievous and performed godly feats which Rama and Karna never performed.
6)Lakshman as Bhima/Duryodhana They both were quite arrogant about their skills and powers but received heaven. Lakshmana was the eternal companion of Rama whereas Duryodhana was the companion of Karna.
7)Kumbhkaran as Ghatotkacha File:Karna and Ashwathamma.jpg
Both came for one day in the war and were specially called to fight Karna and Rama but died fighting them. Ravana and Arjuna had specially called them to face Karna for their protection. Kumbhkaran was the brother of Ravana. Ghatotakacha was the son of Arjuna's brother Bhima.
8)Indrajeet as Abhimanyu Indrajeet and Abhimanyu were the sons of Ravana and Arjuna. They both are glorified as heroes because they died. Both were fighting for their father's name when their father was not there in the battle.
This article "Similarities between Ramayana and Mahabharata" is from Simple English Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Similarities between Ramayana and Mahabharata.
