By Murad Ali Baig
The old Buddhist Jataka tales, however, have a completely different story of Ram who they believe to have been an earlier incarnation of Buddha. The story of Ram is also a part of the equally ancient Jain tradition where they believe that a noble Jaina like Ravana could not have been an eater of human flesh or a drinker of blood. Theirs is a tragic tale of a great and noble person undone by his unrequited love for Ram’s wife Sita. There is also a tradition that Sita was actually Ravana’s daughter who he was forced to abandon. According to Jain tradition, Ram, as an evolved soul, was not capable of taking anyone’s life, even that of Ravana and it was his brother Lakshman who killed his enemies. As a result Lakshman goes to hell while Ram finds release ( Kaivalya ).
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