Across the vast landscape of Indian and Asian spirituality, Rama appears in many narrative mirrors, each reflecting a different facet of his being. The classical Sanskrit tradition, especially the Valmiki Ramayana, portrays him as the ideal man and king, a model of dharma whose life becomes a touchstone for ethical conduct. Later Sanskrit works such as the Adhyatma Ramayana read the same story through a more explicitly spiritual lens, presenting Rama as the Supreme Reality and interpreting events in a devotional and contemplative way. These early strands already show a spectrum: from Rama as exemplary human to Rama as fully divine. As the story moves into regional languages, Rama’s presence becomes even more richly textured. In North India, Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas offers a deeply devotional vision, where Rama is worshipped as a compassionate, omniscient Lord and the narrative becomes a vehicle for bhakti accessible to ordinary devotees. In the Tamil Ramavataram of Kamban, the tale is suffused with poetic intensity and emotional depth, with strong emphasis on devotion and the inner lives of the characters. Other vernacular Ramayanas in languages such as Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam similarly weave local customs, aesthetics, and theological emphases into the shared narrative, while keeping Rama at the center as an ideal ruler and spiritual exemplar. Beyond the Hindu fold, alternative religious perspectives recast Rama in striking ways. Jain Ramayanas, for example, present him not as an incarnation of Vishnu but as a supremely virtuous, non-violent hero, often shifting the burden of killing Ravana to Lakshmana and aligning the story with Jain ideals of karma and renunciation. Buddhist tellings, such as the Dasaratha Jataka, depict Rama as a Bodhisattva whose life illustrates compassion, ethical governance, and detachment more than divine intervention. These versions preserve the broad narrative arc while quietly reorienting its spiritual center of gravity. The story’s journey into Southeast Asia and into folk traditions further multiplies its meanings. Texts and performances such as the Thai Ramakien, the Cambodian Reamker, the Javanese Kakawin Ramayana and shadow-puppet traditions, and Malay narratives like Hikayat Seri Rama all integrate local cultural forms, royal ideologies, and religious sensibilities, yet still uphold Rama as an emblem of righteous kingship and moral order. Folk and tribal Ramayanas, along with modern feminist, Dalit, and psychological reinterpretations, sometimes question or re-evaluate Rama’s actions, especially in relation to Sita and marginalized figures, using the familiar story to probe social and ethical tensions. Across