The story of the Ramayana is simple, and we have the Eka sloki Ramayana — the entire Ramayana summed up in one verse. But the significance of Ramayana lies not so much in the story as such, but in the deeper tattvas in the epic, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse.
A sloka that is recited before Ramayana parayana shows us the importance attached to Ramayana tattvas. The sloka says that Vaidehi is beside Rama. He is seated on a throne made of flowers, which is in a huge golden mandapa, which is in the middle of a garden full of trees. Rama’s sitting posture is veerasana. Hanuman recalls the incidents described in the Ramayana. Also present are Rama’s brothers, and rishis. As Hanuman reads each incident, Rama explains the tattva behind each. The tattvas as elaborated by Rama have been handed down by rishis generation after generation, and have come to us through our Acharyas. Because these tattvas are very important, they have to be learnt from a preceptor. Ramanujacharya spent a year studying the Ramayana from his maternal uncle Thirumalai Nambi, because to fully grasp the tattvas in the Ramayana, we need instruction from an Acharya for a long period.
Ramanujacharya was capable of even correcting his teacher Yadavaprakasa’s interpretations of Upanishad vakyas. The Vedas are not easily comprehended. The Ramayana, on the other hand, is written in simple Sanskrit, and can easily be understood. And yet Ramanujacharya studied the Ramayana for a year to grasp its tattvas.