English LiteratureICSE Class 8 · Chapter 13

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata (C. Rajagopalachari): ICSE Class 8 Guide

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

C. Rajagopalachari retold India's two great epics in simple English prose: the Mahabharata (1951) and the Ramayana (1957). The Ramayana tells of Rama's exile, Sita's abduction by Ravana and her rescue; the Mahabharata tells of the rivalry between the Pandavas and Kauravas that ends in the Kurukshetra war. Both explore dharma: right action.

What The Ramayana and the Mahabharata is about

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata by C. Rajagopalachari are on the Suggested Reading List for Class VIII in the CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes; they are recommended, not prescribed.

C. Rajagopalachari ('Rajaji', 1878-1972) was a freedom fighter, the last Governor-General of India (1948-1950) and a recipient of the Bharat Ratna (1954). He retold the epics first in Tamil and then in English: his Mahabharata (1951) grew out of the Tamil *Vyasar Virundhu*, and his Ramayana (1957) out of *Chakravarti Thirumagan*, which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His aim was to bring the epics to ordinary readers, especially the young, in clear, shortened prose.

The two epics are among the oldest and longest stories in the world. The Ramayana, traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki, follows the life of Prince Rama of Ayodhya. The Mahabharata, traditionally attributed to Vyasa, tells of the great war between two branches of one royal family and contains the Bhagavad Gita. Both are sacred to many, and both are also great literature about duty, loyalty, ambition and the cost of war.

Rajaji's retellings are in copyright, so this page outlines the epics' well-known stories in our own words and does not quote his text. Many versions of the epics exist across India, and details differ between them; in school, follow the version you have read.

Weightage: Not prescribed: CISCE sets no literature texts for Class VIII and lists Rajagopalachari's retellings only as suggested reading. Your school decides whether to read and test them.Source: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), RDCD 2016, English Literature: Suggested Reading List (Class VIII)

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

The Ramayana. King Dasaratha of Ayodhya has four sons: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Rama wins the hand of Sita by bending (and breaking) the great bow of Shiva. Just as Rama is to be crowned, Queen Kaikeyi, influenced by her maid Manthara, claims two boons Dasaratha once promised her: that her son Bharata be crowned and that Rama be exiled to the forest for fourteen years. Rama obeys his father without complaint; Sita and Lakshmana go with him, and Dasaratha dies of grief. Bharata refuses the throne and rules only as Rama's representative, placing Rama's sandals on the throne. In the forest, the demon king Ravana of Lanka carries Sita away. Searching for her, Rama and Lakshmana make friends with the monkey king Sugriva and his devoted follower Hanuman, who leaps across the sea to Lanka, finds Sita and gives her Rama's ring. An army of monkeys and bears builds a bridge to Lanka; in the great battle Ravana is killed. Rama returns to Ayodhya and is crowned.

The Mahabharata. The blind king Dhritarashtra of Hastinapura has a hundred sons, the Kauravas, led by Duryodhana. His brother Pandu's five sons, the Pandavas (Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva), are brought up with them. Duryodhana is jealous of the Pandavas and plots against them again and again. Arjuna wins Draupadi at a contest of archery, and she becomes the wife of the five brothers. In a rigged game of dice, Yudhishthira loses everything, including his brothers, himself and Draupadi, who is humiliated in the royal court. The Pandavas are exiled for twelve years in the forest and a thirteenth year in disguise. When they return, Duryodhana refuses to give back even five villages. War follows on the field of Kurukshetra. Before the battle, Arjuna is overcome by doubt at having to fight his relatives and teachers; his charioteer Krishna teaches him about duty, the teaching known as the Bhagavad Gita. After eighteen days of terrible fighting, the Kauravas are destroyed, along with their great commanders Bhishma, Drona and Karna, and the Pandavas too lose many of their own, among them Arjuna's son Abhimanyu. Yudhishthira becomes king, but victory brings sorrow at the enormous loss.

Themes and message

Duty and righteousness (dharma)

Characters are judged by how they fulfil their duties as children, rulers, siblings and warriors.

From the text: Rama's exile; Bharata's refusal of the throne; Arjuna's doubts and Krishna's teaching.

Good versus evil

Ravana's pride and Duryodhana's jealousy lead to destruction; patience, loyalty and righteousness win in the end, though at a cost.

From the text: Ravana's defeat; the fall of the Kauravas.

Loyalty and devotion

Lakshmana, Bharata, Sita and Hanuman show unwavering loyalty; the Pandava brothers stand by one another.

From the text: Lakshmana follows Rama into exile; Hanuman's leap to Lanka.

Jealousy and greed

Envy of others' good fortune drives the conflicts: Kaikeyi's ambition for her son, Duryodhana's jealousy of the Pandavas.

From the text: The two boons; the dice game.

The cost of war

The Mahabharata shows that even a just war brings terrible grief; victory at Kurukshetra leaves the victors mourning.

From the text: The deaths of Bhishma, Drona, Karna and countless others; Yudhishthira's sorrow.

Characters

Rama

Hero of the Ramayana; prince of Ayodhya

dutiful
brave
calm
just

Accepts exile to keep his father's word; leads the war against Ravana.

Sita

Rama's wife

loyal
courageous
steadfast

Chooses to share Rama's exile; remains faithful in Ravana's captivity.

Hanuman

Devoted follower of Rama

strong
loyal
humble
resourceful

Leaps across the sea to find Sita and helps win the war.

Ravana

Demon king of Lanka

powerful
learned
proud
lustful for power

Carries Sita away and is killed by Rama.

Yudhishthira

Eldest Pandava

truthful
righteous
weak at gambling

Loses everything in the dice game; becomes king after the war.

Arjuna

Pandava archer

skilled
brave
thoughtful

Wins Draupadi; hesitates at Kurukshetra and receives Krishna's teaching.

Krishna

Arjuna's friend and charioteer

wise
strategic
divine guide

Teaches the Bhagavad Gita and guides the Pandavas.

Duryodhana

Eldest Kaurava

jealous
proud
stubborn

Plots against the Pandavas and refuses them even five villages.

How it is written

Device	Example	Effect
Stories within stories	Both epics include many tales told by sages and characters.	Teach lessons and give the epics their great range.
Contrasting characters	Rama and Ravana; Yudhishthira and Duryodhana.	Sharpen the conflict between dharma and adharma.
Simple prose retelling	Rajagopalachari's short chapters.	Make the vast epics readable for young readers.

Key concepts

Dharma: Dharma means duty, righteousness or the right way to act. Both epics test characters' dharma in hard situations. Rama keeps his father's word even at the cost of his kingdom. Yudhishthira is famous for truthfulness, yet his weakness for gambling nearly destroys his family. Arjuna must decide whether fighting his own relatives can be his duty. The epics show that doing right is not always simple: duties can clash.; Worked example
How does Rama show dharma when he is told to go into exile?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
He could have resisted; the people loved him.
He chooses to honour his father's promise.
Answer: Rama accepts fourteen years of exile calmly, without anger towards Kaikeyi, because keeping his father's word is his duty as a son, even though it costs him the throne.
Retelling an epic: An epic is a long story about heroes and great events, often with gods and wonders, that expresses a people's values. The original Sanskrit epics are enormous (the Mahabharata is among the longest poems ever composed), so Rajagopalachari wrote retellings: shortened prose versions that keep the main story and its spirit. When answering questions, remember that you are discussing his version of a story told in many forms.; Worked example
Why might Rajagopalachari have retold the epics in simple English prose?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
The originals are in Sanskrit verse and very long.
He wanted ordinary and young readers to know them.
Answer: To make the epics' stories and values accessible to modern readers, including the young and those who do not read Sanskrit or Tamil, in a short, clear form.

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Keeping one's word

Suppose you promised to help a friend move house on Saturday, and then you are invited to a fun party the same day.

What would Rama's example suggest?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Rama gave up a throne to keep his father's word.
A promise is a duty, even when inconvenient.

Answer: Keeping your promise, as Rama did, builds trust; breaking it for pleasure weakens it.

Memory hook: A word given is a debt.

Jealousy

Imagine a pupil who cannot bear a cousin's success and spends energy trying to make the cousin fail.

Which epic character does this resemble, and what happened to him?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Duryodhana's jealousy of the Pandavas.
It led to war and his destruction.

Answer: Jealousy harms the jealous person most; Duryodhana lost everything through it.

Memory hook: Envy burns its owner first.

Duty when it is hard

Suppose you must report a close friend for cheating in a test because you are the class monitor.

How is this like Arjuna's dilemma?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Arjuna had to act against people he loved.
Duty and affection clashed.

Answer: Like Arjuna, you face a clash between duty and affection; the Gita's answer is to do what is right without selfish motives, while acting with compassion.

Memory hook: Do right, not easy.

Topics in this chapter

Duty and Dharma: Rama's Exile and Krishna's Teaching

How the school exam asks The Ramayana and the Mahabharata

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Short answers on events	'Why was Rama exiled?', 'What happened at the game of dice?'	Event plus cause or result.
Character sketch	'Write a character sketch of Bharata / Hanuman / Karna.'	Three traits with incidents.
Values and dharma	'How does the Ramayana show the importance of keeping one's word?'	Incidents, explanation, link to dharma.
Comparison	'Compare Ravana and Duryodhana as villains.'	Point-by-point with incidents; conclusion.

Tricks to remember The Ramayana and the Mahabharata

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

14 vs 12 + 1
Rama: 14 years. Pandavas: 12 in the forest + 1 in disguise.
Use it when: Not confusing the exiles.
Five Pandavas
Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva: 'Young Brothers Always Never Separate'.
Use it when: Remembering the brothers in order.

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Rama's exile · 2 marks · Short answerExam level

Why is Rama sent into exile?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Kaikeyi claims two boons from Dasaratha.
Bharata to be crowned; Rama exiled for fourteen years.

Answer: Queen Kaikeyi, persuaded by her maid Manthara, claims two boons King Dasaratha once promised her: that her son Bharata be crowned and that Rama be exiled to the forest for fourteen years. Dasaratha is bound by his word.

Example 2: Bharata · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

How does Bharata show his greatness when he learns what his mother has done?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He refuses the throne.
He goes to the forest to bring Rama back.
He rules as Rama's representative with Rama's sandals on the throne.

Answer: Bharata is horrified, refuses to accept the throne, and goes to the forest to beg Rama to return. When Rama insists on keeping his father's word, Bharata places Rama's sandals on the throne and rules only in his name until he returns, showing loyalty, humility and a sense of dharma equal to Rama's.

Example 3: The dice game · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Describe the game of dice and its consequences.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Rigged game; Yudhishthira's weakness.
He loses wealth, kingdom, brothers, himself, Draupadi.
Draupadi humiliated.
Exile: twelve years plus one year in disguise.

Answer: Duryodhana invites Yudhishthira to a game of dice that is rigged against him. Unable to stop, Yudhishthira stakes and loses his wealth, kingdom, brothers, himself and finally Draupadi, who is humiliated before the court. As a result the Pandavas are exiled for twelve years in the forest and a thirteenth year in disguise, and the insult to Draupadi makes the later war almost certain.

Example 4: Arjuna's doubt · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Why does Arjuna hesitate at Kurukshetra, and what does Krishna teach him?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He sees relatives and teachers in the enemy army.
He does not want to kill them.
Krishna: do your duty without attachment to results (the Gita).

Answer: Seeing his grandfather Bhishma, his teacher Drona and his cousins in the opposing army, Arjuna is overcome with grief and lays down his bow. Krishna, his charioteer, teaches him that as a warrior he must do his duty to fight for justice, acting without selfish attachment to the results. This teaching is the Bhagavad Gita.

Example 5: Compare villains · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Compare Ravana and Duryodhana. (About 120 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Both powerful and proud.
Ravana: desire and arrogance; Duryodhana: jealousy.
Both refuse chances to make peace.
Both destroyed with their families.

Answer: Ravana and Duryodhana are both powerful, proud rulers whose flaws destroy them. Ravana is learned and mighty, but his arrogance and desire lead him to carry away Sita, and he refuses advice to return her and make peace. Duryodhana is driven by jealousy of his cousins; he plots against them, rigs the dice game, and refuses to give them even five villages. Both reject every chance to avoid war, and both bring ruin on their kingdoms and families. The epics use them to show that pride, desire and jealousy, left unchecked, end in destruction.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Character or theme answer (school paper). CISCE sets no Class VIII literature paper; this split is indicative. (5 marks)

Step	Marks
Clear point	1
Relevant incidents from the epic	2
Explanation linked to dharma or the theme	1
Organisation and expression	1

Where students lose marks in The Ramayana and the Mahabharata

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Mixing details from different versions or TV serials
The epics exist in many versions.
Do this: Answer from the version you have read (here, Rajagopalachari's), and avoid scenes added by television.
Usually costs: Accuracy marks.
Mistake: Confusing the two epics
Pupils mix exiles and wars.
Do this: Ramayana: Rama, 14 years, Ravana, Lanka. Mahabharata: Pandavas, 12 + 1 years, Kauravas, Kurukshetra.
Usually costs: Accuracy marks.
Mistake: Retelling instead of answering
The stories are long and familiar.
Do this: Pick the incidents that prove your point.
Usually costs: Relevance marks.
Mistake: One-sided judgements
Pupils call characters wholly good or bad.
Do this: Note complexity: Yudhishthira's gambling, Karna's loyalty to Duryodhana, Ravana's learning.
Usually costs: Analysis marks.

Practice questions on The Ramayana and the Mahabharata

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
For how many years was Rama exiled? (a) twelve (b) thirteen (c) fourteen (d) eighteen
Hint
Kaikeyi's boon.
Answer
(c) fourteen.
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Who wins Draupadi at the archery contest?
Hint
The great Pandava archer.
Answer
Arjuna.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
Who finds Sita in Lanka, and what does he give her?
Hint
He leaps across the sea.
Answer
Hanuman finds her and gives her Rama's ring as a sign that Rama is coming.
Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a character sketch of Hanuman in about 100 words.
Hint
Devotion, strength, humility.
Answer
Value points: devoted follower of Rama; immense strength (leap to Lanka); clever and resourceful in finding Sita; humble despite his powers; brave in battle; a symbol of loyalty and selfless service.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
How do the Pandavas spend their thirteenth year of exile, and why?
Hint
A condition of the game.
Answer
They must live in disguise without being discovered; if found, they would have to begin the exile again.
Q6 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'Even a just war brings sorrow.' Discuss with reference to the Mahabharata.
Hint
Who died; how Yudhishthira feels.
Answer
Value points: the Pandavas fight for justice after every peace offer is refused; eighteen days of slaughter; great warriors killed on both sides (Bhishma, Drona and Karna among the Kauravas; Abhimanyu among the Pandavas); relatives killing relatives; Yudhishthira's grief despite victory; lesson that war is a last resort.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Which character from either epic do you admire most? Give two reasons with incidents.
Hint
Choose one and support with events.
Answer
Open answer, e.g. Bharata: refused a throne that was not rightfully his and ruled humbly in Rama's name; or Hanuman: crossed the sea alone and served without seeking reward. Two reasons, each with an incident.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.In which years were Rajagopalachari's English Mahabharata and Ramayana published?Show answer
1951 and 1957.
2.Who claims two boons from Dasaratha?Show answer
Queen Kaikeyi.
3.Where does Ravana take Sita?Show answer
Lanka.
4.Who are the Kauravas?Show answer
The hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra, led by Duryodhana.
5.On which field is the great war fought?Show answer
Kurukshetra.
6.What is the Bhagavad Gita?Show answer
Krishna's teaching to Arjuna on duty, given before the battle.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you outline the Ramayana in six steps?
Can you outline the Mahabharata from the dice game to Kurukshetra?
Can you explain dharma with two examples?
Can you write sketches of Rama, Bharata, Hanuman, Yudhishthira and Arjuna?
Can you compare Ravana and Duryodhana?

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata: frequently asked questions

Are these books prescribed for ICSE Class 8?

No. CISCE lists Rajagopalachari's retellings as suggested reading for Class VIII; schools choose their own books.

Why are details sometimes different in other versions?

The epics have been retold for centuries across India in many languages; versions differ in details. Follow the version you read.

Who was C. Rajagopalachari?

A freedom fighter and statesman (1878-1972), the last Governor-General of India and a Bharat Ratna recipient, who also wrote widely in Tamil and English.

Are the epics only religious texts?

They are sacred to many people and also great works of literature about human choices, duty, loyalty and conflict.

Based on: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), English Literature: Suggested Reading List (Class VIII); Wikipedia: C. Rajagopalachari; Wikipedia: Ramayana; Wikipedia: Mahabharata