Reading Notes (p. 1-53)
The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan
Ch. 1: Rama's Initiation
Setting: Ayodhya-
capital of Kosala and home to Dasaratha (the king)
Dasarath
- Beloved King- compassionate, courageous, loved, and honored
- 1 big problem: he has no kids
Dasaratha summons his mentor (Sage Vasishtha) who suggested
he pray to the Supreme God Vishnu for his help. A sacrifice was held and
performed by Sage Rishya Sringa. This sacrifice went on for a year before a
supernatural being stepped out of the fire bearing a plate of sacramental rice
on it. This rice was to be given to Dasaratha’s wives so that they would have
children (which they did).
The Royal Family
My image, created on Microsoft Paint (2014)
- Son of Dasaratha, an avatar of Vishnu
- Sent to accompany Sage Viswamithra to Sidhasrama (a holy ground just beyond the Ganges river) where he plans to do a yagna (sacrifice)- Rama is to protect the sage and defeat the evil creatures that inhabit Sidhasrama, preventing any religious ceremonies from being done there.
Lakshmana accompanies Rama and Viswamithra.
Sage Viswamithra
- Used to be a ruthless king and conqueror
- Takes the boys to a forsaken desert inhabited by a demon named Thataka.
Thataka
- Was once a yaksha (demigod) who married a chieftan and had two sons (Mareecha and Subahu- both have supernatural powers and great physical strength). Her husband and sons destroyed the surrounding woods and as a result, Sunda (the husband) was cursed to die by Agasthya (a saint whose hermitage is located in the destroyed forest. When Thataka found out, she and her sons went to avenge their fallen family member but were themselves cursed to become asuras (demons).
- Breathes fire and wishes ill will on all those she meets
- Eats anything that moves & harasses hermits when they pray for fun
- Rama killed her with an arrow to the throat
- Took over heaven and Earth while Vishnu meditated
- Was pushed down into the underworld by Vishnu
The sage and the saints began their sacrifice while the two boys protected them from the many asuras (including the two sons of Thataka) who hovered above, trying to ruin the yagna. The boys successfully defeated the demons and the yagna was performed.
Then, they headed toward Mithila City- King Janaka planned to have a great yagna. They stopped near the Ganges.
Ganga
- The River Ganges is considered holy and was brought down to Earth by Bhagiratha after consulting Brahma (the great creator) and Shiva (who agreed to help tame the destructive and wild Ganga so that she could flow down peacefully to the Earth
"Thus Bhagiratha helped not only his ancestors, but all mankind, as the Ganges bears a countless number of holy shrines on its banks, and nourishes millions of acres of land and people along its course." (Narayan, 19)
The trio arrived at Mithilia City where Rama brushed past an odd piece of stone that turned into a beautiful woman named Ahalya.
Ahalya
- a woman created by Brahma out of absolute beauty
- God Indra wanted her for himself, but Brahma gave her to Sage Gautama to raise and eventually marry
- One day, Indra (a shapeshifter) took the form of the Sage and made love to Ahalya who realized something wasn't right but was too late. The Sage came home, found the two, and punished Indra by covering his entire body in female organs so that everyone would know where his mind really rested. The Sage then turned Ahalya into stone as punishment for her sins, saying that she would be free when Rama crossed her path.
Eventually, the Sage no longer harbored ill will toward Indra and turned the thousand vaginae into a thousand eyes so that he could carry out his duties once more.
"Rama said to Ahalya, 'May you seek and join your revered husband, and live in his service again. Let not your heart be burdened with what is past and gone.'" (Narayan, 21)
Chapter 2: The Wedding
Setting: Mithila City- a city of color, gold, jewels, happiness, love, and activity.
Sita
- an avatar of Lakshmi (Vishnu's wife)
- adopted daughter of King Janaka
- An incredible beauty that many suitors sought after- The king decided that any man who can bend Shiva's great bow (a nearly impossible feat) can have Sita's hand in marriage
- Rama gives it a shot and BREAKS the bow- gods and mortals alike rejoice
Rama and Sita are wed in Mithila with the majority of the kingdom there to watch. Rama's 3 brothers also find wives and are wed at the same time. Viswamithra told King Dasaratha of his sons' achievements before giving his leave and retiring to the Himalayas for the rest of his days.
Chapter 3: Two Promises Revived
King Dasaratha, realizing his age, decides to crown Rama as his successor. He announces this to his subjects and they take the news with great happiness and excitement.
Kaikeyi (favorite wife of Dasaratha) heard the news of Rama's impending coronation and rejoiced until her maid told her of impending doom and reminded her of two promises that were made. She told Kaikeyi to demand that Rama be exiled to the forest for 14 years and that Bharata (her son) be crowned instead. The king knew he had to keep his promise, and allowed his wife to speak for him as he wallowed in silenced grief.
In a moment of despair, the king cries out against the inhuman way his wife has attacked him. The king and his mentor pleaded with her but to no avail. The people of the town cried out in agony and anger at the news of Rama's banishment. When Lakshmana, his brother, found out about his exile he dressed in his battle gear and exclaimed that Rama shall be crowned! He tries to convince Rama to stay and claim his place at the throne. Rama remains calm and continues on. He is joined by his wife who refuses to leave his side.
The mentor and the rest of the town tried to convince Rama to stay, then had to watch as the trio rode off slowly on a chariot.
You family tree three is so cute, Bria! What fun! I love how you used hearts for the wives... and in the Mahabharata, you will get the opposite situation: Draupadi will be a woman with five husbands, all brothers — and they would definitely merit stars as you gave to Dasaratha here, since they are all heroes. I also like the idea of using bullet-points rather than paragraphs to do your write-up. I will add that to the assignment instructions; this is all something new (that is, people used to take notes in the past, but I never saw anybody's notes!), and I am going to learn so much from seeing what people do with this. You have found so many themes in Ahalya's story that are going to come back in Sita's own story too... including shapeshifting! Anyway, this was great, and I hope taking the notes fixed more of the story in your mind, while also giving you something to look back on and consult later! Thanks for working ahead like this - yours is the first diary post for the semester!
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