Narrating the Ideal State: A Stylistic and Discourse Analysis of Ramarajya in the Ramayana and Classical Greek Political Language

This study examines the linguistic and stylistic elaboration of the ideal state by comparing Ramarajya (the rules of the kingdom) in the Ramayana and the ideal polis in classical Greek political theory, namely, Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics. The ideal state is not only a philosophical or political abstraction or an ideology, but a discursive and stylistic formation that has been formed by language, narration, symbolism, and argumentation. The study is based on the theoretical framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday), Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough), and stylistic theory (Leech and Short) to examine the expression and justification of political ideals in different cultural contexts. The results show that Ramarajya is built through mythic narration, moral symbolism, poetic imagery, and ethical discourse, thus making governance as an extension of dharma and universal well being. Greek political philosophy, by contrast, is analytical, conceptual, precisely definitional, and dialectical, aiming to establish an ideal political order based on justice, citizenship and human flourishing. The comparative analysis reveals that both traditions contribute to the conceptions of good governance in distinct linguistic and epistemological ways: one is a narrative-mythic and affective, the other an analytical-rational and conceptual. The study suggests that political ideals are not simply theoretical and abstract, but that they are culturally infused and expressed in terms of discourse and stylistic choices. The study focuses on the relationship between language, ideology, and political imagination, with applications to comparative literature, discourse studies, stylistics, and political philosophy, to gain a better understanding of how civilizations have told and thought about ideal governance.