Reading Diary: Week 14- The Life of Buddha

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The Life of Buddha 

Part A

• Maya's Dream
• Queen Maya dreams that a great white elephant descends from the heavens into her womb where its arrival is celebrated by many gods. She wakes up and has the king summon a group of brahmans to interpret the dream. They are ecstatic to learn the queen's child will be the new buddha!
• Birth of Siddhartha
• The queen wanders through the beautiful gardens and woods near the palace where she gives birth very easily to a baby boy whom they name Siddhartha.
• Asita's Prediction
• Asita visits the king to let him know that he heard from a divine voice that the king would bear a son who would have the true knowledge and save everyone from the torment of rebirth. Asita notices that the child has the marks of omnipotence and states that the child's tiny body barely differs from that of a god. Asita cries because he is old and knows he will die and therefore miss out on Siddhartha's great life.
• Siddhartha at the Temple
• After the child's birth the kingdom flourished and prospered, but Queen Maya died only 7 days after the birth. Maya's sister, Mahaprajapati, is left in charge of the child. She tries to adorn him with jewels, but they do not look right. She is told by a goddess living in he garden to take the jewels off because if the Earth were made of gold, one ray of light from the child, would dull it. 
• Siddhartha is taken to the temple of the Gods where all of the statues of the gods came to life and fell to their knees at the feet of the child before shouting his praises.
• Siddhartha's First Meditation
• Visvamitra takes Siddhartha as his student but soon realized there was nothing he could teach the boy. Siddhartha left, heading into the country towards another village. He stopped to rest and watch some peasants who were working in the field. As he sat, his mind wandered and he became lost in meditation. Then, 5 hermits saw him and exclaimed that he must be a god! They ran to the king to declare how blessed the son was. The son meditated for a long time, and the shadows of the trees around him lengthened and moved. However, the shadow of his tree remained the same. The king wept with joy at the sight of his son in meditation for he was truly a sight to be seen. 
• First Encounter
• Siddhartha has an irresistible urge to leave the palace so he took off on a gold chariot. Soon he came upon a desolate old man with sad eyes. He wondered why the man looked the way he did and the chariot replied that old age ruins beauty and vigor while causing men to lose their memory. The prince is terrified and asks if he too will grow old to which the chariot replies yes and the prince freaks out and returns home with the fear of old age in his heart. 
• Two more Encounters
• Next Siddhartha comes upon a very sick man and asks what is going on with him. The charioteer answers that sickness has made the man weak and ill. The prince trembled in fear and returned to the palace. The charioteer tells the king what happened and the king flips out and punishes the man who was supposed to clear the streets. He ordered that all the cripples, ill people, and old people be driven from the city so Siddhartha wouldn't see them. The gods don't like this so they made a corpse and four men to carry it who were all crying. Only Siddhartha could see them and he asks the charioteer what is happening. Siddhartha learns what death is.
• The Fair Maidens and Gopa's Dream
• Siddhartha's friend Udayin gathers a throng of beautiful women to dance in the garden and captivate the prince but they were all awkward, quiet, and timid because they were intimidated by his majestic splendor. He gives them a pep-talk and hey kick it into gear. They try everything to seduce and excite the prince but to no avail as he was thinking about death. He asks why he should partake in their beauty when he knows that everyone gets old and dies. Everyone retires to bed feeling down, little sleep was achieved that night.
• Gopa (Siddhartha's wife I think) has a dream that all sorts of awful things happen around her naked self and she runs to her husband asking for guidance. He soothes her fears saying that the things she saw were all good signs!
• The Great Truths
• Siddhartha goes out to the country to meditate. He meets a monk who is actually a god and is inspired. He decides to leave the palace and become a monk. He goes to his father the king and asks him to support his wish to leave. The king cries and pleads with him not to make such a huge decision at such a young age. Siddhartha says that if the king can promise him that life will not end in death, sickness will not ruin his health, age will not ruin his youth, and misfortune will not destroy his prosperity then he will stay. The king exclaims that his son is asking too much! In frustration and with tears in his eyes, he returns to his part of the palace. He sees his wife and her companions singing, dancing, and laughing but does not care. They all go to sleep and the prince declares that they are all dead because all of their spark seemed to be gone. With that he leaves and grabs a horse to get outta there. 

Part B

• Siddhartha Leaves
• Siddhartha boards his father's horse Kanthaka and in the quiet of the night they silently slip away.
• Siddhartha the Hermit
• Siddhartha gives his jewels and horse to Chandaka before telling him to take them back to the palace and thanking the horse. Chandaka pleads with him to not leave behind everything. Siddhartha then took his sword and threw it into the sky where the gods caught it. He also switched clothes with Chandaka, giving him his beautiful robe. Then he set off for the hermitage and Chandaka left to take everything back to Kapilavastu. 
• Gopa and Suddhodana Grieve
• Gopa and Suddhodana awake to discover Siddhartha has left. They are struck with grief and can no longer take pleasure in anything. the horse returned to the stables but was so saddened that he died. 
• Arata Kalama
• Siddhartha reaches the hermitage of Arata Kalama and soon the hermit asks him to teach alongside him for Siddhartha knows the law as well as he does. Siddhartha questions if he is on the right path. Surely Arata's doctrine is right and his followers will go to heaven, but when they die humanity will still be subject to old age an death. These men will live a life of suffering, grow old, and die just like any others and the world will continue to fear death and do everything they can to be reborn in a positive life. Siddhartha informs Arata that he will not teach his disciples and that he is going to leave. He then sets out for the country of Magadha where he stayed on the slope of a mountain and meditated. 
• Siddhartha and King Vimbasara
• Siddhartha enters the city of Rajagriha where he is spotted by King Vimbasara who was confused why a god of sorts was begging on the street. He ordered that Siddhartha be followed so he could know where he was dwelling. The next day the king traveled to the hero's retreat. He asks him many questions about his quest and finally proclaimed that when the hero was enlightened he should come teach the king his ways. Then he left and went to visit Rudraka, son of Rama but learned that his teachings knew nothing of the law just as Arata's so he traveled on followed by 5 of Rudraka's disciples. 
• Siddhartha Deserted by his First Disciples
• Siddhartha came to a beautiful area where he became so enthralled in meditating that he stopped breathing and fainted. The gods saw this and freaked out. Was he dead?! Maya saw what had happened and cried before spreading flowers over her son before he spoke to her. He told her not to worry for he would soon attain supreme knowledge. 
• For 6 years he stayed there, but true knowledge did not come to him so he left and came to a village called Uruvilva where he spent many long hours in meditation. Soon the women of the village began bringing him food which he ate happily. He gained weight and became healthy once more. Things were going well, but because he had not attained true knowledge yet his disciples left him and called him a madman and a fool.
• The Tree of Knowledge
• Siddhartha took the clothes off a dead man and washed them with help from the gods. He then fell asleep and had 5 dreams. 
• He was lying in a large bed which was the whole earth with his head on the Himalaya, his right hand on the W. sea, his left on the E. sea, and his feet on the S. sea.
• A reed grew out of his navel and up into the sky
• Worms crawled up his legs, completely covering them
• Birds made of gold were flying toward him from every direction
• He was at the foot of a mountain of filth and excrement which he climbed all the way to the summit before ascending, unaffected. 
• He woke up and knew that today was the day he would learn the true knowledge and become a Buddha. He went into the village to beg and received some delicious milk in a golden bowl. He bathed and ate before throwing the bowl into the river. If the bowl went upstream it meant that today he would become a Buddha, if it went downstream today was not the day. It went upstream.
• As night fell, Siddhartha walked toward the tree of knowledge. As he approached, he saw Svastika, the reaper who gave him 8 handfuls of grass in exchange for being taught true knowledge later. Siddhartha lay the grass down under the tree like a carpet before sitting down, facing the east, and saying that no matter what he would not move until he attained supreme knowledge. He crossed his legs and sat straight, preparing to wait as long as it would take.
• Mara's Defeat
• The light from Siddhartha's body reached everywhere, even the underworld, where Mara the evil one reigned. Mara's army tried to assure him that they would annihilate the soon-to-be Buddha. He called them fools and told them to leave Siddhartha alone. Mara would take care of it himself. He set out to attack, but wanted to scare the hero first. He made rain fall down with great violence but Siddhartha remained unmoved. Then he hurled blazing rocks at the hero but before they could hit him the rocks turned into flowers and fell softly to the ground. Mara then commanded his army to fire arrows at the hero, but they too turned into flowers. The army attacked, but Siddhartha's light acted as a shield and no harm came to him. The soldiers fled in fear. Mara was pissed. Why should he be defeated? He has been kind and generous to his people and they would bear witness to that. Who had Siddhartha been kind and generous to? Who would witness for him? Then, the Earth itself spoke to Mara, bearing witness to Siddhartha's generosity. Mara wept because he had been defeated.
• Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha 
• Siddhartha comes to realize that ignorance lies at the root of death, old age, suffering, and despair. He comes to the conclusion that leading a life of holiness leads to stifled desire, and we cease to endure birth and suffering.
• In the morning he became a Buddha and was revered by all. 

Week 13 Reading Diary: Khasi Folktales

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Khasi Folktales

• Hunting the Stag Lapalang
• There was once a studly stag who was well-known throughout the land. He was beautiful, but one day he was hunted down. When his mom found out she rushed around the countryside looking for her dead son. Her cries were the saddest, loudest cries of all time and they were so full of anguish and misery that the Khasis were impressed. They decided to mourn their dead like she mourned hers. 
• The Goddesses Ka Ngot and Ka Iam
• Twin sisters climb a mountain where they decided to race each other across the woody plains of Sylhet. Ka Ngot was timid, but Ka Iam was fearless. She boasted and teased her sister before the race, then the sisters transformed into two rivers and started their race. 
• Ka Ngot searched for smooth, easy places and moved slowly through long circuits. When she reached the end, she turned to look for her sister and the Khasis living on the hill-tops began calling her a silver necklace (which that part of the river is still called today).
• Ka Iam rushed straight for the end, but found that her chosen path was very difficult to travel. As a result, she lost to her sister which was humiliating because of all the crap-talking she did before ht race. Hoping to conceal her defeat from the rest of the world, she divided herself into 5 streams and entered the plains that way to join her sister. 
• Ever since, Ka Ngot has been seen as the better of the twins and is usually given sacrifices before people cross her. 
• U Biskurom
• U Biskurom was a heavenly being sent to  Earth to teach men how to make and use tools. He taught them the value of metals and how to make tools from smelted iron. They were slow learners but U Biskurom was patient. The men saw that he was much better and faster than they were at finishing his work so they demanded that he do impossible work and when he failed they would become angry and abusive. One day they made a clay person and told U Biskurom to make it come to life, but when he told them he did not know how, they beat him and threatened to throw him in prison if he did not bring it to life. U Biskurom said that if they wanted him to do it, they had to let him go back to heaven to learn how. Mankind let him go and strung him up on a kite to get him to heaven. If the gods wouldn't let him return to earth, he could write his knowledge and send it along the string. The gods did not want him going back to the abusive human A-holes so U Biskurom wrote on the kite and sent it down, but no human could decipher it. The humans were angry so they sent a huge shout to heaven. U Biskurom laughed and made some blood rain down from heaven. The humans thought he was killed by their shout.
• Because of their rudeness, lack of gratitude, and pride mankind has remained very ignorant and it takes a lot of work to gain knowledge. 
• The Stag and the Snail
• A stag is talking about how fast it is and a snail gets pissed.  Speed isn't the only important virtue of an animal! She made fun of them, pointing out how sweaty  they were and how cool and dry her skin was. The other animals were mad and saw themselves as superior so the snail challenged the stag to a long race. He accepted and the snail went home to ask her family to help her. They decided to hide along the path of the race and they dispersed. The next day the animals all gathered and laughed at the idea of the snail winning. The snail took off her shell and got ready to race. As soon as the signal was given, she ran into the grass and was no longer visible while the stag skipped towards the mountains. After a while the stag looked back and stopped, figuring the snail would have given up, and called out for him. From near his feet, he heard, "I am here, I am here" and there was the snail! This set the stag racing again and again he stopped and called for the snail who answered from right under his nose. When he reached the end, he was panting and laid down to rest because he was too weak to continue. The snail won and the stag was so upset that he fell to the ground and spit out his gallbladder. The stag still has no gallbladder as a constant reminder of his failure. 
• The Leap of Ka Likai
• This was the story of a waterfall. There was a woman named Ka Likai who who was married and had a baby, but her husband died. She couldn't support herself and her baby so she married again but the new husband was a selfish and brutal man. He was jealous of ho much attention Ka gave to the child and when he found out she married him to be able to support the child, he grew to hate her. He quit working, forcing Ka to work and while she was gone he would bully and abuse the child. One day while Ka was gone for a long time, the husband killed the child and planned to do worse to his wife when she returned. He chopped up the child and cooked it  before serving her to the mom. After dinner, the mom reached into a basket looking for betel and found one of her murdered daughter's hands. She freaked and asked what happened. The man told her everything and she was so distraught that she threw herself over the edge of the waterfall. Every since, it has been called the Leap of Ka Likai and it is said you can hear her anguished moans  and wives contemplating remarrying are discouraged and told to remember Ka Likai. 
• What caused the Shadows on the Moon
• Family of deities: a mother and her 4 children (3 daughters, 1 son)- Water, Fire, Sun, and Moon
• The youngest, Moon & Sun, were equal to each other but more beautiful and than the elders.
• When the moon grew up he developed wayward tendencies: he came and went as he pleased without talking to his mother and he was falling in with the wrong crowd. Sometimes he'd be gone for days at a time with no one knowing where he is. He gave over to pleasures and "wild pursuits" and one day he and his friends went to the nether regions and spent lots of time with goblins. After a while, he went home and when he got home he was dazzled by his sister Sun because he'd gotten so used to seeing only ugly companions. His sister tried to greet him, but he ran past and demanded that his mom give him his sister's hand in marriage. He was dismissed by his mother and when Sun found out what he'd done she stomped up to him, grabbed a pan of hot ash, and threw it in his face. The ashes scarred him, creating the shadows on the moon. 
• What makes the Lightning
• Long ago, when animals and men mingled: men had great festivals all the time and animals used to attend them. A huge feast was planned by the animals and the thunder god. At the feast, the lynx arrived with a glorious silver sword. The thunder god asked to borrow it and when he did he wielded it wildly and pounded his drum violently. It was so loud and bright that the animals were scared and they fled to the jungle to hide. In the confusion, the thunder god leapt into the sky, taking the sword with him. He is seen today dancing with the sword and hitting his drum. People call these thunder and lightning. 
• How the Tiger got his Strength
• In the beginning, all of the animals were created and sent to live in the jungle. However, they kept getting in each other's way and squabbling. So, the gods came together to decide which animals would get which qualities that way they could live in harmony. After this all of the humans and animals were summoned to receive their gifts. 
• Man was given beauty and wisdom and the tiger received craftiness and the ability to walk silently. 
• When the man returned home his mother sent him back to the gods to ask for physical strength so that man would truly be superior to animals. The man went back but it was late and he was told to return the next day and they would give him strength. 
• When the man was talking to the gods, a tiger happened to stroll upon their gathering and overheard them discussing the gift of strength. He was determined to have it for himself so the next morning before the gods had convened, the tiger went to their home and sent a messenger to receive the gift. The gods bestowed the gift of strength 12X more than what he had before because they thought they were giving it to men. 
• Later that day the man set out to meet with the gods, but on the way the tiger challenged him to a fight and boasted about receiving the "12 strengths." The tiger leapt at the man, but he dodged and ran towards the home of the gods. He told them what happened, and the gods were angry but they did not know how to take back the gift.
• They felt bad for the man so they gave him a bow and arrow and taught him how to shoot and kill the tiger. Thus, the tiger was given strength and the man was given skill. 

Week 12 Reading Diary: Folktales of Bengal

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Folktales of Bengal

Part A: Chapters 1-8
*= Stories I found particularly interesting and wanted to mark for possible use as storytelling for the week

• **The Evil Eye of Sani (Ch. 1-3)
• Sani (aka Saturn), god of bad luck and Lakshmi, the goddess of good luck were arguing over who was ranked higher than whom. They decided to let a human decide, one who was wise and just. The human they chose was a rich man named Sribatsa who knew he could not come out right and choose one over the other for fear of their wrath. Instead, he let the gods infer from his actions who was ranked higher. He had 2 stools: 1 gold, 1 silver and he asked Lakshmi to sit on the gold and Sani to sit on the silver. Sani got pissed b/c obviously Sribatsa thought Lakshmi was higher than him and declared that he would "cast [his] eye on [Sribatsa] for three years." Lakshmi told Sribatsa not to fear, that she would befriend him, and then the gods and goddesses left. 
• Sribatsa went to his wife (Chintamani) and told her that he was leaving so that he could protect her from Sani's evil eye. She refused to let him leave without her and so the pair stashed their valuables in the mattress and left. They invoked Lakshmi and asked that she take care of their home and property while they hid in exile. She agreed. So, Sribatsa and Chintamani took off, carrying the mattress, It was not long before they came to a river where a ferryman sat. They asked to be taken across and he agreed, but would have to take them 1 at a time. First, he took the mattress, but when he got halfway, a huge wind carried the mattress, canoe, and ferryman away. Then, the stream also disappeared, giving way to nothing but firm ground. It had to be the evil eye of Sani. 
• With no money, the couple headed into a nearby wood-cutting town and joined them as two new woodcutters. Sribatsa began cutting wood, but unlike the other woodcutters, he only cut precious wood (ex. Sandalwood) that sold for more at market. His wife went on to spin thread, and like her husband, she spun less thread but higher quality and made more money. This made the other villagers jealous. Then, Sribatsa's wife invited the villagers over for a feast that she cooked. The food was so wonderful that when the men went home they reprimanded their wives for not being able to cook as well as Chintamani. This made the women hate her even more! 
• One day while bathing along the river-side, Chintamani bumped into a boat causing it to row off into the water. This boat had previously been unmovable by anyone in the village and as such, the men thought she had a special power and they kidnapped her! The women of the village saw this happen, but did not stop them as they were too filled with envy and hate. Sribatsa was pissed when he found out what happened and he resolved to follow the river until he found his wife. He searched and searched before climbing into a tree for the night. 
• The next day he saw a Kapila-cow (a cow which doesn't give birth to calves, but produces milk at any time). He milked the cow and drank to his heart's content before noticing that the cow dung was a bright yellow.. in fact.. it' was gold! Pure gold! While the poo was soft, he wrote his name on it and then let it harden into a brick in the sun. Day in and day out the cow came and supplied him with milk and Sribatsa decided to wait there for the boat that took his wife. In the meantime he would collect the golden bricks deposited by the cow. 
• While this was going on, Chintamani was scared that her beauty might insight the worst in her captors so she prayed to Lakshmi to make her ugly so that the men would not touch her. Lakshmi heard her prayer and she was quickly turned into a diseased and vile carcass. She was covered in hideous, stinky sores and when the men found her they threw her into the cargo hold where they would only occasionally give her rice and water. She was miserable, but at least she was chaste. 
• The boatmen came upon Sribatsa and his gold. They seized it all, took him prisoner, and threw him below with his wife. They immediately recognized each other, but decided not to speak for their safety, choosing instead to communicate through signs and gestures. 
• One day Sribatsa beat the boatmen at dice one too many times and they tossed him overboard. Chintamani somehow knew to throw a pillow into the water which Sribatsa used to float down the stream to a garden where he grabbed hold of a tree and spent the night. The garden was owned by an old widow who was amazed when she woke up because with his arrival came the rebirth of her garden into a stunning spectacle. The woman went to find the cause of this change, she went for a walk in the garden and found Sribatsa who she brought into her cottage. While he rested, she ran to the king to tell him that she could once again be his chief flower-supplier. She then recommended Sribatsa to the king who promptly appointed him to toll-gatherer at the river. He then used his position to detain the boat and the boatmen were charged with theft. The king came down to see the gold and Chintamani was rescued. At hearing what had happened the king was astonished. He took them into his palace and entertained them for days. The evil eye of Sani was over and once again the couple could once again prosper. 
• *****The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled (Ch. 4-5)
• Once there was a king with 7 barren queens. 1 day a medicine man tells him of a tree that has 7 magic mangoes on it. If the king himself will go pick those mangoes and give them to his wives then they shall all have children. He did such and sure enough all 7 became pregnant.
• Then, he meets a gorgeous young woman in the forest whom he brings home and marries. This woman turns out to be a Rakshasi (demon) who the king becomes so infatuated with that he obeys her every wish. One day, she tells him that if he truly loves her he will blind his other wives and order them to be killed. He obeys and the wives have their eyes ripped out. However, the man who was supposed to kill them was merciful and instead hid them away. 
• After some time the first wive gave birth to her child. The queens were starving, blind, and scared. They decided to kill and eat the child. Each queen got her portion and ate it except the youngest who set hers aside. The same thing happened as each of the next 5 wives gave birth until the only one left was the youngest. She had her baby, but did not wish to kill it. When the other queens demanded she share, she gave them her portions of the children that had been killed before. However, the pieces were not fresh and the queens caught on. The youngest pleaded with them, explaining that she wanted to nurse the baby and raise it. Surprisingly, the other queens were stoked and they all decided to help suckle the baby. So, the did and they raised the healthiest, strongest, most hardy boy ever! 
• In the meantime, the demon wife was attempting to fill her bottomless pit of a stomach by eating the royal family; all of the servants and attendants at the palace; all of the kings horses, elephants, and cattle; and every other human in the palace until only herself and her royal consort were left. Then, she went into the city and began eating it's citizens. 
• The king was left with no one to attend to him and so the boy who'd been raised by the 7 blind queens offered his services.  He protected the king from the demon wife who would otherwise gobble him up. The queen then had to get crafty. She told the boy she was sick with something only a special melon could cure and sent him to her mother with a letter which instructed her to eat him upon arrival. The boy ran to the other side of the ocean where the Rakshasis lived and shouted "Granny! Granny! Come save your daughter; she is dangerously ill." An old Rakshasi arrived in response and gave the boy the melon. He however said he was tired and asked if he could stay and rest for one day. The old woman obliged and they went together to the woman's home where a bird was hanging in a cage. The boy asked about it and the woman revealed that it held the soul of his mother. If the bird were to die, so would his mother. 
• The next morning he grabbed the melon and the cage and headed home to a surprised demon mother. He gave her the melon, but kept the cage hidden. Soon, peasants from the city and surrounding villages began complaining to the king that a huge evil bird was coming every night from the palace and eating more and more villagers. The king was perplexed, but the boy said that he knew of the bird and would be happy to kill it so long as the queen were to stand by the king when he did it. The king agreed and summoned the queen who fainted when the boy revealed the bird. The boy then told the king that in order to show him who was eating the people, he would tear off the bird's limbs and the limbs of the man-eater would fall off as well. The boy then tore off one of the bird's legs and simultaneously one of the queen's legs fell off. Then, the boy squeezed the bird's throat and as the life left it's body, the queen died. 
• The boy then told his story to the king who was elated to find out his wives were alive. He had them brought to the palace at once and miraculously their sight was restored. The boy became the heir to the throne and the reunited family lived happily ever after. 
• The Origin of Opium (Ch. 6-8)
• There once was a Rishi who spent all day, from sun-up to sun-down performing religious rites/rituals and meditating before retiring to a hut that he made on the side of the Ganges. He was isolated except for a mouse who lived in the hut and ate his dinner crumbs. The 2 got along so one day the Rishi gave the mouse the power of speech. The mouse then asked him to turn him into a cat so he may escape the cat that hunts for him every day. Then, he wants to be a dog because dogs chase him, so the Rishi obliges. Then, he wishes to be turned into an ape because he envies the lives of larger animals. When summer came, the ape asked to be turned into a boar because they seemed happy splashing around in the river all day. The Rishi was so kind and turned him into a boar, but only 3 days later did the boar return, fearing his life after almost being killed by the king who was hunting boar. He wished to be an elephant and his wish was granted. Soon the elephant was captured, taken to the royal stables, and tamed. The king rode the elephant to the Ganges to bathe. The king and queen looked so happy together and the elephant saw how much the king loved the queen and tried to pamper her in every way he could. The elephant then went to the Rishi and asked to be turned into a queen. The Rishi asked how he could possibly do that, instead he turned the elephant into a beautiful maiden who he named Postomani (the poppy-seed lady). They lived together and one day while the Rishi was gone, a stranger came knocking on the door. He asked for something to drink and she obliged before setting out a cot for him. The man turned out to be a king and he asked her which caste she was from. She was unsure, and tried to offer him fruit, but he was relentless. She made up that her father was a king who'd been eaten by a tiger and her mother died just after giving birth to her. The king made love to her and they got married. She was so happy that she danced around, skipping and twirling, but she wasn't paying attention and she fell into a well and died. The Rishi told the king not to grieve because the woman was no princess, she was a mouse who had been changed many times until she became your queen. He was sad however, and decided to use her body to create poppies who would then be used to make opium that could be smoked or eaten to give the person one quality of each of the animals that Postomani had been. 

Part B: Chapters 9- 17

• The Ghost-Brahman
• There was once a poor Brahman who wanted to get married but couldn't afford the bride price so he begged for money until he could and got himself a wife. However, when the Brahman and his wife went home to where the Brahman's mother waited, the man admitted he couldn't support them all so he left. Not long after, a ghost took the form of the Brahman and went into the house and live in the house as if he was the owner. Everyone thought he was the Brahman and when the real one came home, he was said to be a fake and forced from his home. The Brahman went to the king with his plight and the king said he would try the case, but he could not tell them apart. Day in and day out the Brahman would leave crying until a cowboy king saw him and summoned him to see what was wrong. The Brahman explained and the cowboy king said he could solve the scuffle. The case came to the king who said that the real Brahman was the one who could fit into a small container. The ghost fell for it and entered the container which was then thrown into the sea and the Brahman received his home, wife, and mom back. 
• The Ghostly Wife
• There was a Brahman, his wife, and his mom all in a house. One day the wife went for a walk and bumped into a ghost who got pissed and grabbed her by the throat, carried her up into a tree, and shoved her into a hole. The ghost then took the shape of the wife and entered the house. The mother began noticing lots of differences between the wife she saw and the wife she knew. Then, one day she saw the ghost stretch it's arm quite far, something the real wife obviously couldn't do. The mom told the Brahman and they both began watching the ghost much more closely. One day the mom observed the ghost heating a stove using her foot instead of fuel. An exorcist was sent for and he got her to admit she was a ghost before she was sent away and the real wife was rescued almost dead from the hole in the tree. 
• The Story of a Brahmadaitya (Ch. 11-12)
• This story was incredibly boring and as such does not deserve to be written about and will not be used in further writing. 
• The Origins of Rubies (Ch. 13-14)
• An old king died leaving behind his 4 sons and queen. The queen loved her sons.... too long didn't finish reading. Got bored. 
• The Ghost who was Afraid of being Bagged
• Barer and his wife live together unhappily because all she does is complain about being hungry. She shamed her husband for not being able to provide for her began to hate himself and her so he left, vowing to not return until he was rich. He went village to village before stopping to rest for the night under a tree. Under this tree there was a ghost who threatened to destroy the barber. The barber remains brave and says he has captured many ghosts and will do the same to this one. The barber pulled out a bag and the ghost became terrified, begging the man to not bag him up. The barber agreed to leave him be if the ghost were to bring him 1,000 gold mohurs and raise him a granary with a house where he can grow rice to support his family. The ghost agreed and was doing the man's bidding until his uncle told him not to fear the man. Surely the barber couldn't catch the ghost! The uncle ghost and the nephew ghost then went to the barber who put a looking class in the bag and fooled the ghost into thinking he had/could capture(d) him. 
• The Bald Wife 
• A man had 2 wives, the younger of which was his favorite b/c she had 2 tufts of hair on her head whereas the older had only 1. The wives lived together but hated each other because the younger treated the older like crap, making her do all the housework and not giving her much to eat. One day, the older was removing lice from the younger one's hair when one single hair fell out. This set off the younger one who tore out the single tuft of the older one's hair in rage. The now bald wife banished herself to the forest where she met a woman who was just as miserable as she was. The woman instructed the wife to go to a nearby tank and plunge into the water once before returning to her. The woman did and when she got out of the water she had long jet black hair that came down to her ankles. She was filled with joy and gratitude. The woman instructed her to then go into her hut and retrieve a woven basket inside which was filled with gold, pearls, and all other jewels. She told her to take the basket home. Then, a bull gave her shells and if she shakes them anything will be hers.  The younger wife got jealous of the older wife's beauty. The young woman did everything the older one did, but instead of dunking once, she dunked twice and since she was disobedient, she came out bald and ugly. She went back and was reduced to the older queen's maid-servant for the king now loved her more and the two lived happily together. 

Week 11 Reading Diary: Indian Fairy Tales

Reading Unit Homepage
Indian Fairy Tales 

Part A: Chapters 1-8
*s = stories that I found particularly interesting and want to note for possible use in my storytelling assignment 

• The Lion and the Crane
• As a lion is eating, a bone gets stuck in his throat and it's up to Bodhisatta (in the form of a white crane) to retrieve the bone so long as the lion does not try to swallow him up. The lion promises not to eat him and the crane removes the bone. Then, one day the crane asked what the lion would do for him in return for saving his life. the lion replied that him not eating the crane was thanks enough. The crane scolds the lion and leaves. Then, we found out that the lion was Devadatta the traitor and Gautama was the crane. 
• The Broken Pot *
• A Brahman named Svabhavakripana is sitting on his couch musing about how much rice he has collected from begging. Surely he can live on it for quite some time! In fact, he could sell it to buy some goats, then they will multiply and he will sell them to buy cows who will have calves that he will then sell to get buffaloes and mares who will foal and then he will sell them so that he will have plenty of gold. This pleases the Brahman who felt so clever. He continued musing about how much gold he will have, and the huge house he will buy. He daydreams of a Brahman presenting him with a beautiful daughter to wed and a large dowry. She would surely produce a son, but when she does not respond immediately to her husband he gets angry and kicks her. Of course this was all a daydream, but in real life, the Brahman kicked his foot and broke the pot, spilling rice all over himself. 
• The Magic Fiddle
• There were 7 brothers (who were married) and a sister who all lived together. The sister did all the cooking, which made the wives resent her and treat her poorly. They cursed her so that whenever she tried to fetch water, the water would suddenly dry up or not go into her pitcher causing her much distress. She eventually turned into bamboo which a Yogi came to chop down to make a fiddle. She called out to him, begging him to not cut at the root as it will harm her. The Yogi thinks a trick is being pulled and becomes angry, so he cuts the bamboo at the root and takes it away to make a fiddle. The instrument was superior and when the brothers heard it being played, they immediately wished to purchase it, but he Yogi would not sell it. However, while drunk, he sold the fiddle to a village chief. The chief's son took great care of the fiddle and played beautiful music with it. So, the sister would come out and make his meals every day before hiding back in the fiddle. This mystery confused the chief who decided to keep watch to find out who was doing the attending. He caught the sister, and they fell in love. They married and she was happy. Her brothers became poor and when she saw them later, she told them of the torture she suffered at the hands of their wives. She accused them of knowing about it and not saving her. That was her revenge. 
• The Cruel Crane Outwitted *
• A crane tries to outsmart some fish by telling them that if they jump in his beak, he will not eat them but take them to a beautiful, lush pond where they can live happily. To show them he is trustworthy, the crane safely transported many fish to a glorious pond. This pleased them, and they gave him permission to take and old, blind fish to the pond; however, he ate the fish instead. This happened over and over again until the crane saw a tasty looking crab and offered to take him to the pond. The crane tried to eat the crab, but he gripped his throat with his claws and threatened to behead him unless he safely let him go in the pond. The bird agreed and stepped down into the pond to let the crab go, but with one swift slice, the crab cut through the bird's neck. Justice is served. 
• The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal *
• A tiger is caught in a trap. A brahman comes by and is hesitant, but lets the tiger out. He is not thanked, and as he continues to do things for other creatures, he is still not thanked. No one shows him gratitude. A jackal asks him what's wrong and he tells him, but the jackal has trouble understanding so he goes to the scene of the events. When they returned to the cage, the tiger was ready to eat the Brahman, but he gave the Brahman time to explain what was going on to the jackal who simply could not understand the situation. The jackal tells the tiger to go on with his dinner, but the tiger is enraged at how dumb the jackal is and cannot focus on eating until he makes the jackal understand. The jackal asks the tiger to show him how he was when it all happened so the tiger hopped back into the cage and asked if he understood now. The jackal said, "perfectly" and shut the door to the cage. 
• Harisarman
• This story bored me to tears so I chose not to write much about it. It just didn't catch my attention early on and that made it hard to stay interested. 
• The Charmed Ring
• A merchant gave his son 300 rupees. The son spent 100 on a dog that would have been killed otherwise. Then, he spent another 100 rupees on a cat that otherwise might have been killed. This again happened with a snake, and so another 100 rupees gone. He then went home and was scolded by his father and banished to live in the stables. The animals can all talk and they all want to repay the young man for his kind nature and unselfish ways. The Raja (the snake's dad) gave the man his right-hand ring which had special powers. It gave him a house and a beautiful princess to marry as well as plenty of food to eat. An old woman introduces herself to the princess as her long-lost aunt. She convinces the girl to keep the ring with her so her husband wont lose it while hunting, then steals the ring and turns back into an ogress. She gave the ring to the snake prince who was delighted and immediately asked to marry the princess. She told him to wait 1 month. He agreed and the dog & cat tried to calm the merchant's son when he found out by saying that he should give them a month to fix everything. The cat gets the ring, but the dog refuses to help unless he gets to carry it. He drops the ring and a bird swoops down and carries the ring off. The dog cries and whines then the cat sneaks up into the tree where the bird is and kills it, getting the ring. The dog and cat return the ring to the merchant's son who gets his ring, wife, house, etc. back and is happy again.

Part B: Chapters 9-15

• The Talkative Tortoise
• There's a king who never shuts up and a Buddha who wants to fix this problem. In a pond nearby, a talkative tortoise befriends 2 ducks who agree to carry him by a stick to the hills. However, the tortoise couldn't stay quiet and opened his mouth to talk as they passed over the palace. He immediately fell to the courtyard ground and split into two where he was found by the talkative king and the Buddha. The buddha uses this as an example for the king who goes on to learn self-restraint and common decency. 
• The Gold-Giving Serpent**
• One day a farmer sees a snake sneaking through his fields and he comes to the conclusion that the snake must be a deity who's in charge of protecting the fields and producing good yields. He immediately brings a bowl of milk to the snake and worships it. The next morning, he finds gold in the bowl. The farmer assumes there is more gold in the anthill that the snake lives in so he plans to kill the snake and get the gold, but when he tries to kill the snake he gets bitten and dies. The snake gives the farmer's grieving father a pearl and tells him what happened then instructs the father to leave and not come back. 
• Pride Goeth Before a Fall
• `10 cloth merchants get robbed in a forest and are then ordered to dance for the robbers' amusement. The lead merchant sang a song instructing 3 men to take each of the 3 robbers and hold them down so that the 10th man can hog-tie him. The merchants get their crap back and leave. 
• The Prince and the Fakir
• A childless king goes and lays in an intersection. A Fakir asks him what he's doing and the king explains his sadness. The Fakir asks what the king would give in return for children. The king replies, "anything you ask." The Fakir agrees to grant the king 2 sons, but he must give 1 of them to the Fakir. The king agreed and had his sons, but when the Fakir came for his payment, the king tried to trick him by presenting the sons of 2 slave-girls. The Fakir knew they were not his sons and demanded they show themselves. The king's son then goes on to marry his daughter.. I think. I'm not sure, but the story was strange and lost on me. 
• Why the Fish Laughed
• There is a fish that laughs. It drives the queen nuts. The king tried desperately to figure out what the fish was laughing about for 5 months. I quit reading after this because honestly I didn't give a crap. 
• The Demon with the Matted Hair
• A man fearlessly attacks a demon, but his weapons all get stuck in the demon's hair. The demon asks why the man is not afraid and he replies that if the demon eats him, the thunderbolt in the man's stomach would rip the demon apart, and both of them would die. The demon believes him and lets him go. He tells everyone he subdued the demon and becomes king. He rules righteously and dies a hero. 
• How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner  
• Sun, Moon, and Wind went out to dinner with their uncle and aunts, Thunder and Lighting. They left their mother at home waiting all alone. Sun and wind were selfish and the ate all the food without saving any for their mom, but the moon did not forget her. He brought her back a small portion of every dish. His mom then cursed the others which is why the sun is so hot and why the wind in hot weather is so sucky. The moon, however was blessed. This is why the moon's light is soft, stunning, and cool. 

Reading Diary- Week 8: Reading Assessment

Is there information from the instructions that you had not noticed before?

• No, I have been following the instructions.

What are the main strategies you use in writing your Diary posts? 

• My main strategies are to take down important info while also providing details that I need in a simple format.

Do you have specific Diary tips that would be useful for other students?

• Bullet points are really helpful for me. I like having things organized and laid out like a list. It makes it easy to read. 

Do you use the same Diary style/strategy each time?

• Yes, I prefer to use my diaries as a place for reading notes.

Are your Diary posts more or less the same length each time, or do they vary?

• They vary, though they mostly stay about the same length.

Overall, would you say your Diary posts are too long, too short, or just about right? 

• I think for the mot part my diary posts are about right for what I would want if I needed to remember what happened and are laid out along with the book so it makes finding more info/details much easier. 

Is there something you have started doing in your Diary posts that you wish you had done from the beginning?

• Not really, I have pretty much been doing the same thing this whole time.

Is there something you might start doing in your Diary posts now that you have not done so far? 

• I might think about using some of my diary posts as a place to discuss how I felt about that reading, or maybe include that in a small blurb at the bottom. I'm not sure yet. I think my style works well for me though I might want to find a way to do it more efficiently. It seems to take quite a lot of time. 

Do you include images in your Diary posts?

•   Sometimes I do include images in my diary posts when I feel they will help me understand better. The images are supplemental tools that are meant to give a little more explanation to a topic or remind me of something important. 

Do you include favorite quotes or phrases in your Diary posts?

• Usually if I like a quote or phrase I will include it in my diary posts; especially if I feel like it says everything I would want to say, but better. Sometimes I just don't know how to better reword something or even just to do it justice. 

Do you make connections to other stories / books / movies in your posts?

• Typically I do not reference other stories/book/movies in m posts but that might be something I could start adding. I suppose I do not do as much relation and reflection in my diary posts as some other students because I truly take them like notes and use them like notes. I just try to get what's important down. 

Do you take the notes while you are reading or afterwards? 

• I prefer to take notes while I read so I do not forget important things. Plus, it's hard to remember details instead of events and in my posts I like to put down important details as well. 

When you look back at your old Diary posts, are they useful?

• I feel like my diary posts are useful. They give me quick recaps with just enough information that I do not feel as though I am rereading the book. They just help me remember what happened. 

What could you do to make the Diary posts more useful for future reference?

• I think something I should do to help make them more useful is to write out simple bits about who/what each character is and why they are important overall so that their relevance follows them throughout the story. As it is, I tend to write their relevance in relation to just what is currently happening. 

Do you use your Diary posts when you are writing the other blogs posts each week?

• Yes, my diary posts are important when it comes to writing my other blog posts each week. I often reference them to figure out which story I want to retell for my storytelling posts. Then, I look in the book to find more detail and information so I can write the story better. 

Overall, how good a job would say you are doing with the reading assignments?

• Apart from missing a few I think i'm doing pretty good with the reading assignments. 

In general, do you remember a lot of the reading in this class, or not so much? 

• I remember plenty of reading however I feel like it is difficult to motivate myself to read Buck's Ramayana because it is just a longer version of the book we already read. 

In general, do you remember reading in your other classes? Or do you mostly focus on preparing for exams? 

• I take notes similar to my diary post notes for my other classes and I know that works to help me remember my reading which is why I chose to use that style in my diary posts. I still have to prepare for exams, but I feel like I know more when I have notes like my diary posts than when I don't. I seem to recall more information, probably because writing it down helps me learn it. 

What are the reading strategies that are most effective for you for short-term memory? What about strategies for long-term memory?

• For short-term, I prefer to skim through and find the important information instead of reading every word. This makes it so that my memory contains only what is important. 
• For long-term, I usually read slower though I still tend to skim a little and I take meticulous notes. 

Week 6: Reading Diary A- Finally Found Sita

Reading Notes: p. 219-270
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way

Prof's Reading Guide A

Hanuman's Jump

• Sampati, the giant vulture: Jatayu's older brother- tells Hanuman that Sita is in Lanka. As he eats with the group, his feathers grow back. 
• The monkeys decide that Hanuman must make the 100-league jump into Lanka. 
• Mainaka, the mountain- brother of Ganga. As Hanuman is leaping to Lanka, the mountain Mainaka, which had been hiding under the waves, rises up to give Hanuman a chance to rest. The mountain had been hiding from Indra because he took the other mountains' wings. 
• Sinhika, the rakshasa- seizes Hanuman's shadow as he's flying over the sea, dragging him down. Hanuman shrank down and flew into her mouth, down into her chest where he crushed her heart before flying out of her ear. 
• Hanuman arrives in Lanka and transforms into a cat. Then Lanka herself appears to Hanuman in human form. She kicks Hanuman, but he punches her back. Lanka realizes that the coming of the monkey is the fulfillment of a curse. Hanuman enters Lanka and sees the rakshasas there. He reveals that they cannot reason with them and they will have to kill them all. Hanuman creeps into Ravana's bedroom where he finds all of his wives, but no Sita. Hanuman begins to despair, feeling like he will never find Sita, but his father the god of wind (Vayu) leads him toward the Ashoka Grove. 

Here I Am

• In the morning, Ravana visits Sita. He speaks to her sweetly and tries to seduce her/convince her to join his harem, but Sita refuses. Ravana grows angry at her defiance and leaves with his wife Mandodari. The rakshasa guards threaten to kill and eat Sita, but one of them named Trijata stepped in and told them to stop because she had a dream that predicted the fall of Lanka with Sita in it. 
• Hanuman makes his presence known to Sita by saying "Rama, Rama" in the animal language. He introduces himself to Sita who originally does not think he is real. He tells Sita how Rama has been searching for her relentlessly and has made a pact with the monkeys and bears. Then, he gives Sita the ring Rama gave him. Sita gives Hanuman a message for Rama and Hanuman leaves, promising to deliver it. 
• Before Hanuman leaves Lanka, he decides to stir things up a bit. He destroys flowerbeds, pavilions, gardens, benches, and palace windows. Then, he kills the royal guard with a hammer and destroys the temple. Jambumali, the son of Ravana's general Prahasta, finds Hanuman in the ruins of the temple. He goes to attack Hanuman but is killed by a falling rock. Ravana looks to his son Indrajit for help. Indrajit is in meditation, but afterwards he captures Hanuman with a spell called Indra's Noose. However, a group of Rakshasas come in and chain Hanuman up. The noose doesn't work with chains, but they drag Hanuman off toward the palace.

The New Moon

• Ravana is hella pissed at Hanuman and orders his brother Vibhishana to chop off his head, but Vibhishana refuses because you can brand or shave a messenger, but not kill him. Ravana begrudgingly agrees, but orders Hanuman's tail be set on fire. This comes back to bite him when Hanuman escapes and runs through the city, setting all of Lanka on fire. Hanuman revels in the fiery destruction of Lanka, but worries that he might have hurt Sita. She is fine in the Ashoka Grove. Hanuman tells Sita that Rama will soon come for her, and Sita gives Hanuman a jewel to take back to Rama.
• Hanuman returns to Prince Angada who is glad to hear the news of Sita's liveliness. He orders the monkeys and bears to return to Kishkindhya with the news and they head off. On their way, they stopped in the Honey Park where everyone ate the precious honey and got drunk on Sugriva's honey wine. This angers Dadhimukha, the keeper of the park. He goes to tell Sugriva what's happening, but Sugriva isn't upset. Instead, he is happy that they have found Sita.
• Hanuman returns to Rama and reveals his findings and Sita's loyalty. He also gives Rama the jewel that Sita gave him  before urging Rama to go rescue Sita and kill Ravana. 

Week 5: Reading Diary B- Getting Into the Meat of the Story

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way
Reading Notes: p.162-218

Prof's Reading Guide B

Remember: Left off with Ravana deciding to capture Sita, and traveling to Maricha's hermitage

The Golden Deer 

• Maricha meets with Ravana and tries to convince him to give up his quest and leave the trio alone. Ravana refuses and eventually Maricha agrees to go with him to Panchavati (where the trio is located) though he is certain it will bring about his own death. Maricha takes the form of a gorgeous golden deer and Sita insists that Rama capture the deer. Rama chases after the deer, wanting desperately to please Sita, against the wishes of Lakshmana who is convinced it is a trap. Rama runs off and is lured farther and farther away from Sita. Rama shoots the deer who dies and resumes his true demon form. As Maricha was dying, he used his last breath to scream "help me" in Rama's voice which sends Sita into a frenzy. She freaks out and even though Lakshmana tries to reassure her that Rama is okay, she cannot be consoled. So, Lakshmana goes after Rama. Ravana scoops in disguised as an old holy man and approaches Sita. He tries to convince Sita to leave with him, but she refuses so he snatches her up and carries her away on his chariot. Jatayu tries to save Sita, but is defeated when Ravana cuts off his wings. Ravana once again takes off with Sita, but as they are flying away Sita drops pieces of jewelry to help Rama find her. 

Hanuman!

• Ravana holds Sita captive in Lanka. Indra brings her food and tells her Ravana's story of why he cannot just rape her. Ravana raped Rambha (a married Asparasa who refused to love him) and was cursed by her husband Nalakubara (son of Vishwamitra, the Treasure King). If he ever tries to rape another women, his 10 heads will burst.
• Rama and Lakshmana return from chasing the deer to find Sita gone. They also find Jatayu who can barely manage to tell them who took Sita before he dies. Rama and Lakshmana journey south to Matanga's hermitage. Matanga is dead, but his wife Savari remains to inform Rama of Sita's location and tell him to seek out the friendship of Sugriva and Hanuman, 2 monkeys that live in Kishkinhya (capital of the monkey people, ruled by King Vali).
• Savari steps into her own funeral pyre and is taken to heaven by Indra, her duty finished.
• Savari then tells Rama and Lakshmana how Riksharaja, the first monkey, was created. This first monkey lived both as a male monkey and as a female. In female form, she gave birth to two monkeys: Vali, whose father was Indra, and Sugriva, whose father was Surya, the sun god. She then asked Vayu, the wind god, to father a child who would be a friend to Sugriva. Vayu chose Anjana, who gave birth to Hanuman but then abandoned her baby. When Hanuman saw the sun, he reached out for it, thinking it was a mango. In an effort to obtain the mango, he jumps at the sun but is pushed back to Earth by Indra and breaks his jaw. Brahma heals his jaw and gives him the gift of inability to be killed unless he wishes it so. Then, he is taken to Lord Shiva who teaches him how to change form at will as well as poetry. Nandin teaches Hanuman how to speak other languages. 
• Vali: Vali and a demon buffalo named Dundhuvi fight.When Vali won, he tossed Dundhuvi's corpse at Rishyamuka Hill where it fell into Matanga's sacrificial alter. In response, Matanga curses Vali- never again could he approach Rishyamuka Hill. Then the demon buffalo's son Mayavi challenged Vali to a fight to avenge his father. The two end up fighting in a cave with Sugriva left outside to watch. After a long time had passed and neither had shown, Sugriva assumed them both dead and sealed up the cave. When Vali finally got out of the cave he was pissed so he exiled Sugriva (his brother) and kept his wife for himself. Sugriva and his loyal friend Hanuman flee to the hill where they know they will be safe from Vali's wrath. 
• Rama and Lakshmana meet Hanuman who takes them to Sugriva, who shows them the pieces of jewelry Sita left behind. The 4 hit it off and the next morning they travel to Kishkindhya, to the mouth of the cave. Vali attacks Sugriva and Rama kills him with an arrow. Before Vali dies he tells his son to help Rama. Tara, Vali's wife takes the arrow that killed him and plunges it into her heart. Sugriva suggests they spend the night in the city, but Rama refuses because the rains are coming. Sugriva agrees to take his place on the throne and help Rama when the rains cease. 

The Search

• Rama, Lakshmana, and Hanuman hold up in a cave while the rains drench the Earth. When the rains cease, Sugriva is nowhere in sight. Lakshmana goes to have a word with him. Hanuman gets to the king first and finds him in a drunken stupor. He shames the king, but to no avail and Lakshmana is approaching filled with anger. Queen Ruma goes to speak with Lakshmana and hopefully calm him down. Sugriva finally gets it together and pulls millions of animals together to help find Sita. Sugriva sends out search parties then summons Hanuman. He gives him a scroll to memorize for when he comes face-to-face with Ravana. Hanuman plans to go straight to Lanka and find Sita, Rama gives him his ring to give to Sita.
• Angada, Hanuman, and Jambavan head south to find Sita. They fall into and get lost in a cave where they meet Swayamrabha who explains that they are in Maya's Cave of Trees (Maya being a male asura who built them). Indra killed Maya and Hema inherited the caves. Swayamprabha takes care of them for her. Hema's daughter is one of Ravana's wives. Then, she tells the men how to get back out of the cave. 
• When they get out, they realize a month had passed while they were underground. Angada freaks out because he feels he has failed Rama and says he would rather starve than return to Rama a failure. The monkeys and bears agreed, except for Hanuman and Jambavan the bear who sat in silent meditation near the seashore and resolved to die. Jambavan asks Hanuman to tell him the story of Rama and how Sita was captured. The two refuse to give up. 

Week 5: Reading Diary A- Revisiting the Past with More Detail

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way
Reading Notes Pgs 110-161

Prof's Reading Guide A

Remember: Left off with Dasaratha dying

Bharata Returns

• Bharata returns home from his grandfather's to find his father dead and his brother disinherited and banished so that Bharata may take the throne. Anger fills Bharata when he finds out what his mother has done, but accepts the throne reluctantly when Vasishta insists he become king and perform his father's funeral rites. Dasaratha's body is placed on a giant pyre and the kingdom wept, then his bones were thrown into the Sarayu River. 

The Sandals

• Guha's men take the Kosalas down the Ganges and they made camp with Bharadwaja at his hermitage. Bharata and Bharadwaja walk down to the river and summon the architect Viwakarman who created a haven for the Kosalas. The next morning Bharadwaja tells Bharata where to find his brother Rama (in the empty forest on Chitrakuta Hill). Bharata finds Rama and pleads with him to come home and take his place on the throne, but Rama refuses; choosing instead, to keep his word an finish out his 14 years in exile. Bharata finally agrees to wait and takes Rama's sandals back to Ayodhya where he places them out on the throne to hold Rama's place. 
• Rama decides that Chitrakuta is too close to Ayodhya and the trio set out towards the Vindhya Hills to the south. 

PART 2: SITA'S RESCUE

Dandaka Forest

• Agastya's story: Agastya came upon the Vindhya Hills one day while walking from the North. Seeing that they were virtually impassible, Agastya pleaded with Vindhya to let him go by. Vindhya agreed and the mountains shrank. He told the hills not to rise again until he came back, but he never did. Then, he met two demon brothers: Vatapi and Ilwala. Vatapi would take the form of a ram and his brother would cook him up and serve him to guests. Then, when the guests had finished eating, he would call forth his brother who would rip his way out of the guest, killing them. They did this to 9,000 men before Agastya ate Vitapi and killed him. This angered Ilwala who attempted to attack Agastya but with one look was burned to death. 
• Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita travelled to meet with Agastya  who gave Rama Indra's Bow of Rain. Agastya also gives Rama important information about the Rakshasa kingdom at the edge of the forest (Lanka). He tells them the size of their army (14,000 strong), the location of their army stations, the location of their sentinels, and a little about their tricks and techniques. 
• Garuda's story: Garuda is Narayana's mount. Kashyapa (a sage) had 2 wives and wanted sons so Indra and the Valakilya saints (Valas) helped him by performing a sacrifice and receiving two seeds. He gave one to each wife (Kadru and Vinata). Vinata gave birth to 2 eggs, Kadru gave birth to 1,000 eggs. Kadru's eggs became baby Nagas after 500 years, but Vinata's 2 eggs still had not hatched and when she opened one up she found her son Aruna alive, but not ready to hatch. He told Vinata not to disturb the other egg for 500 more years, then he flew up into the sky and came the charioteer of Surya the sun. Kadru thought she was better than Vinata because she had more children so she made a bet and cheated to win, making Vinata her slave. Soon, Garuda was born from Vinata's second egg. He was a huge eagle with the head, wings, and talons of an eagle, but also the arms, hands, and torso of a man (though covered in feathers). Garuda asked his mom why she did all the work and learned about the bet. He then asked to ransom Vinata at any price. Vinata and her 1,000 grown Nagas went into counsel and agreed to free Vinata if Garuda could brink them a cup of amrita (the nectar of immortality) from Indra's Heaven. Garuda visits his father Kashyapa who tells him to kill the elephant and tortoise who are reincarnated brothers fighting over some sort of inheritance, likely money. Garuda is a little confused but agrees and leaves with his father's warning: never eat a man. Garuda then flew up to Indra's Heaven and asked for some amrita, but Indra refuses and summons his fighters. Garuda changes form and grew 8,100 mouths which he used to drink up 8,100 rivers which he used to put out the fires blowing behind the guards. Then, he shrank to a tiny form, went into Indra's house, and took some amrita so fast that he couldn't be seen. Then he flew back to Earth, not drinking any immortality elixir for himself. Narayana met him as he went and granted him the gift of immortality. As repayment, Garuda offers to be Naryana's mount. Indra waited for Garuda on Earth and shot a lightning bolt at him, but instead of hurting him, it gave Garuda knowledge of all that ever had been, was, or would be. Indra's anger flared, but Garuda explained why he needed the amrita. Garuda returned home to Kadru and showed her what he had brought. Kadru freed Vinata forever and left to wash up before drinking the amrita, but while she was gone Indra grabbed the cup and left. 
• A rakshasa named Viradha tries to abduct Sita and kill the brothers but is defeated and buried in a deep hole where he dies. 
• Surpanakha propositions Rama for marriage and is shut down by him as well as Lakshmana 
• Ravana's army of 14,000 attacks Rama and he kills them all. 
• Surpanakha returns to her brother Ravana and reports the death of his army as well as enticing Ravana to attack the trio by describing Sita's beauty (Ravana becomes obsessed with having her)

Week 4: Reading Diary A- Beginning Buck's Ramayana

Ramayana by William Buck

Part 1: The Prince of Ayodhya 

Born as a Man

• Valmiki, the poet
• searched all over the world, looking for open friendship, happiness, and hope but found none so he went alone in the forest where he sat, not moving- so still that white ants built an anthill over him
• sat inside the anthill for thousands of years 
• Narada, the inventor of music
• asks Valmiki for help and he says, "Just name me one honest man and I'll move" (Buck, 5)
• Narada says, "Rama!" and explains that he is the king of Ayodhya & by his command, his Queen Sita was being brought into the forest to be abandoned 
• Unless Valmiki comforts her, she plans to drown herself in the Ganges- killing not only her, but her unborn sons
• What did she do to be banished? Nothing. Sita is innocent but Rama has to do this because his people talk against her
• Valmiki breaks free of the anthill
• Valmiki hasn't regained his faith in humanity because the first real thing he sees after all this time is a bird being killed senselessly by a hunter
• Brahma visits Valmiki (4 days later)
• Brahma's appearance= old man w/ red skin, white hair, 4 arms, & 4 faces on 1 head. He is holding a ladle and rosary, a waterpot, and a holy book 
• Brahma tells the poet to use his ability to create poetry to tell Rama's story- Rama's life would be revealed to him and none of his words would be untrue 
• Valmiki's writing process = pg. 8
• Valmiki makes Ramayana and Sita's 2 sons were born (Kusa & Lava)
• Valmiki teaches them the Ramayana and when they were 12 they knew all of it by heart and would sing it to a lute and drum 
• they sang it at Rama's festival- then every day for a year 
• Dasaratha, Rama's father
• he was Lord of the Earth, Lord of Men, a Solar King
• Former king of Ayodhya 
• Ayodhya, capital of Kosala 
• people wore elegant clothes, life was joyful, mansions lined the streets, flowers grew all over, there were rows of shops, pale white palaces, lordly trees, music, rattling chariots
• a "matchlessly brilliant city with lots of food and wood and water" (Buck, 10)
• filled with warriors; unconquerable 
• Dasaratha wanted sons, so he summoned Sumantra (his charioteer) and Vasishtha (the royal astronomer) to make a sacrifice of fire to the gods (specifically Indra) to gain their favor and bless him with sons
• Indra, Rain God/King of Heaven
• furious and covered in blood, he hisses upon hearing their summons and surveys his kingdom
• "It was a hopeless ruin." (Buck 11)
• The garden was uprooted, crushed, & buried under soot & cinders, the palaces were now just broken stones and tiles, the Ganga ran red with blood, fires & smoke lingered all around
• Indra had just fought the Battle of Heaven against Ravana, the demon king
• Indra storms up to Brahma's palace and blames him for the destruction of his home 
• Brahma reassures him that all will be well & tells him to visit Narayana
• Narayana, Soul of the Universe/ Lord Vishnu 
• Narayana pledges to kill Ravana and will take the form of a man on Earth
• The ceremony performed by Vasishtha for Dasaratha is on pg. 15 
• Dasaratha receives a bowl of sweetened rice with milk that has been blessed by the gods- he is to feed it to his wives so they will bear sons
• Dasaratha's wives and sons:
• Kausalya gave birth to Rama (who quickly became the kings favorite)
• Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata
• Sumitra gave birth to Lakshmana and Satrughna 
• When the 4 princes were 16 years old, Visanitra (a recluse) came to Kosala because the forest where he lives is riddled with evil Rakshasas making it unsafe and keeping him from performing holy rites/rituals

The Thorn in the World's Side 

• Rakshasa Creation story (starts on pg. 20):
• Brahma was reborn from a lotus that grew out of Narayana's navel in his sleep
• Brahma saw lots of water and feared it would be stolen so he created 4 guardians; 2 mated pairs- he told them to watch the water and not let any of it get lost
• these 2 couples were the first Rakshasas and Yakshas
• Narayana then rescued Earth from underwater and Brahma made the 5 elements, the worlds, food, and other races
• The rakshasa couple lived on Earth and the female bore a son who she abandoned on a deserted hillside 
• Lord Shiva found the baby demon and grew him to be as old as his mother as well as the gift of flight (2 gifts that stayed with the Rakshasa race)
• That baby Rakshasa was Sukesa who married Gandharva and had 3 sons: Mali, Sumali, and Malyavan\
• The 3 Rakshasas went to Viswakarman (the heavenly architect) and asked him to build them a glorious, beautiful home- he built Lanka City for them 
• Under these 3, the Rakshasa race thrived, but soon there were too many to fit in Lanka and they began going across the sea to eat human flesh 
• Narada, heavenly sage 
• was hanging out in the Dandaka forest trying to play a song, when he was interrupted by a Rakshasa 
• he told the demon to be quiet and the demon swallowed him whole, but Narada burned up the belly of the demon who spat him out 
• Narada began to sing his song of a not so peaceful life/end to the the Rakshasas
• Panchajanya, Garuda, and Narayana attacked Lanka
• Narayana beheaded Mali before Sumali and Malyavan fled wounded and burning to the underworlds beneath the ocean
• Narada set down his flute, his song was over and there were no more living Rakshasa on Earth- Lanka City was empty.
• The demons lay in wait underground in the Naga kingdoms, gathering resources and waiting for a chance to return 
• Pulastya, one of Brahma's Mind-Born sons
• lived alone in the Himalayas on a hill where he could relax and watch the world go by
• little girls liked to play there too, but after they had disturbed him 108 times, he put a curse on them: If any girl plays there again and he catches them, they will become pregnant!
• the daughter of Trinavindu (a hermit) had not heard the curse and came to the hilltop looking for her friends, but with a simple look from Pulastya she turned pale and ran home to her father 
• He could tell she was pregnant and wondered why. She didn't know, she had not done anything, but Trinavindu thought on it and knew what to do: he offered his daughter to Pulastya as alms for Pulastya's happiness. 
• Pulastya accepted her and they had a son named Vishrava
• Vishrava then married a brahmana's daughter and they had a son named Vaishravana 
• Brahma made him the Lord of Treasures and Riches  and Wealth (because he told Brahma he wanted to always be generous) took the Yakshas and befriended their king Manibhadra who he gave a mind-driven chariot named Pushpaka 
• Brahma also gave him immortality and all of the wealth of 3 worlds and kingdoms over kings 
• Brahma did not, however, give him a place to live so Vaishravana made the empty Lanka his home 
• Malyavan and Sumali watched from the Nagas as Vaishravana flourished in their home of Lanka and brought all of his riches there
• Sumali tells his daughter Kaikasi to go to Vishrava and get sons like Vaishravana 
• Vishrava took her for his 2nd wife she gave birth to 4 Rakshasas: 3 sons and a daughter
• Ravana was born first
• he had 10 heads, 20 arms, black skin, fangs that curved up from his lips, and 20 red eyes
• Next was Kumbhakarna
• a giant with ears shaped like big earthen waterjars and a height taller than a house
• After him came Surpanakha (the daughter)
• Last to be born was Vibhishana 
• the 3 brothers sat in a mountain forest contemplating the absolute immensity of life- they entered eternity 
• At the end of every 1000 years, Ravana cut off one of his heads and threw it into a fire as a sacrifice. When 9 of his heads were gone and there was only 1 day before he would cut off the last one, Brahma appeared. He showed up, stopping Ravana from cutting his own throat 
• Brahma tells him to ask for a boon because his pain and will are strong and terrible- he feels awful for him
• Ravana wishes to be unslayable and never defeated by the gods/anyone from heaven, Hell's devils/Asuras/demon spirits, underworld serpents, Rakshasas, or Yakshas.
• Brahma grants this boon and gives Ravana back his 9 heads 
• Brahma then tells Vibishana to ask for a boon. She wishes to never forget Dharma in peril, pleasure, comfort, or distraction.
• Brahma grants her this as well as immortality 
• Brahma was going to then ask Kumbhakarna to ask, but was interrupted by the wind which told him not to give him anything because he'd eaten 7 Apsarasas and 10 Gandharvas as well as many saints
• Brahma called on Saraswati, the Goddess of Speech to capture the giant's words before telling him to ask for his boon. Kumbhakarna asked to sleep for half a year. He immediately fell into a deep sleep
• Sumali then came up from underground and embraced Ravana who sent him to Lanka 
• Sumali told Vaishravana to leave Lanka because they wished to rule it once more. Vaishravana asked his father what to do. H was told to leave Lanka as it was, take his treasure and move to the Kailasa Hill north of the Himalayas on Silver Mountain 
• Ravana moves into Lanka and the millions of Rakshasas who had multiplied underground followed him
• Maya, an Asura (former god of old)
• her daughter = Mandodari (daughter of illusion)
• Mandodari's mother (Hema) left soon after her birth
• Ravana declares himself her servant
• Maya tells Ravana that she must give her daughter away and that she wishes to give her to him
• Ravana and Mandodari are wed and a few days later, their son Meghanada was born and matured into an adult- he could change his form & appearance at will
• Then, Ravana and Vibishana carried their brother Kumbhakarna to Lanka where they built a palace over him 
• Ravana chose the demon Prahasta as his general and an army was gathered- then the Demon King, his General, and his son flew off to "rape the worlds for days at a time" (Buck, 32).
• Ravana attacks his brother Manibhadra, the Yaksha King, who surrenders
• Indra curses Ravana and vows that he will be stopped.
• Nandin, Shiva's white bull is grazing in a golden reed forest when Ravana and Prahasta approach.
• Nandin turns into a gnome and tells them to leave, but instead Ravana picks up the Wood of Reeds and shook it
• Shiva trapped Ravana who began to sing such beautiful songs that Shiva let him go- Ravana returns to Lanka to rest before heading back out to take over the kingdoms of men 
• Ravana reaches the city of King Arjuna of the Thousand Arms 
• In the city are 4 gods who took on the forms of animals upon hearing of his arrival:
• Indra = peacock, Yama (the death lord) =  crow, Vaishravana = lizard, & Varuna (king under waves) = swan
• Story of how those animals came to be how they are on p. 36
• Ravana decides to worship Shiva before fighting, he approaches the king whose guards ask that the two wait until the morning to fight because the king is drunk and playing with his women
• Pulastya heard Arjuna's roar and came to Ravana's aid, asking Pulastya to let him go . Arjuna complied and Ravana returned to his chariot in shame 
• Narada comes in and tells Ravana to attack someone worthy of his efforts: Yama, the Death Lord for example- he goes to Death's kingdom and tells him to surrender, so Yama does 
• Ravana's Further Conquests:
• Naga Kingdom
• Defeated Surya, the sun and Chandra, the moon
• Attacked Indra's heaven (Amaravati)- Indra's elephant (Airavata) wounds Ravana, Ravana's son Meghanada captures Indra and is given the new name Indrajit (conqueror of Indra) by Brahma as well as the gift of a fire chariot drawn by 4 tigers that moves at will and gives him better luck in battle. It also makes him invisible to anyone except other demons.

Taste This Water

• Vishwamitra wants help killing the Asuras, so Rama and Lakshmana become his students. He taught them 2 mantras for strength, how to use heavenly weapons, 
• Then, they travelled to Vishwamitra's hut and he instructed the brothers to protect him for 6 days and nights, then on the 7th day, be more alert as the day goes on and the sacrifice draws to an end (sacrifice to Agni the Fire Lord)
• On the 7th evening 2 Rakshasas, Maricha and Subahu, swept in attempting to ruin the rite
• Rama shot 3 arrows into Maricha's heart, knocking him unconscious 
• Lakshmana killed Subahu with one shot 
• At full dark, the sacrifice was completed- the three travel to Janaka's country where they came upon an ancient ruin covered in vines- it was the empty retreat of Gautama that had been cursed
• Ahalya's story is retold 
• Sita and Rama are married

Prof's Reading Guide A
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way

Week 3: Reading Diary B- The Climactic Finish

Reading Notes (p. 131-171)
The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan 

Chapter 10: Across the Ocean

•  Vibishana cries out to Rama, seeking his grace and protection
• Jambavan & Sugreeva council Rama not to trust Vibishana because he is an asura and the brother of Ravana- it could be a trick 
• Hanuman doesn't believe Vibishana to be evil. He points out that Vibishana tried to save his brother but failed, he saved Hanuman, and his house is that of a man of piety and purity 
• Hanuman believes Rama should accept Vibishana
• Rama agreees- "One who seeks asylum must be protected." (Narayan, 132)
• Rama accepts Vibishana & declares that he should be treated like an exiled king, with all the comforts he needs and honors he deserves 
• Vibishana gives information on Ravana's position, weapons, and strength- helping Rama plan his attack
• Rama's army crosses the sea to Lanka

Chapter 11: The Siege of Lanka

• The battle begins & Rama wipes out Ravana's army before sending a messenger to once more ask Ravana to let Sita go & end the battle peacefully
• Ravana orders the messenger killed, but it was Angada and he beats the 2 Rakshasas who come to seize him and leaves to report to Rama
• With Angada's news, Rama orders and assault on Lanka
• Indrajit attacks Rama and Lakshmana, knocking them out and reports to Ravana that he has defeated the two
• Ravana sends him and Sita in a chariot to see the dead bodies of Rama and Lakshmana
• on sight, Sita breaks down, but Trijata (one of Ravana's women) tells Sita in a whisper that they are not actually dead, just unconscious. 
• Rama recovers and kills Ravana's commander-in-chief
• Ravana is badly beaten and forced to accept Rama's concession (Ravana may leave and return the next day with weapons) because otherwise he will die in an unfair fight
• Ravana awakens his brother Kumbakarna from his deep slumber to face Rama- Kumbakarna destroys and swallows thousands of monkey warriors, and almost Sugreeva
• Rama kills Kumbakarna
• Lakshmana kills Indrajit
• as a result, Ravana decides he must kill Sita, but is advised not to

Chapter 12: Rama and Ravana in Battle

• Ravana prepares for battle, calling upon Shiva for favor
• the gods send Indra's chariot to Rama to aid him in battle- its name is Matali
• Ravana and Rama come together
• Ravana is rushing ahead while Rama waits patiently
• Mahodara (Ravana's assistant) tries to attack Lakshmana and is killed by Rama
• Ravana decides to attack, but hesitates briefly when he notices many omens presenting themselves and hinting at his doom
• his bow-strings snapped, mountains shook, horses cried, and elephants with decorated foreheads moved along dejectedly (p. 141)
• Rama destroys all of Ravana's armies 
• Ravana plunges forward, coming closer and closer to Rama
• conches are blown to signal the beginning of the battle 
• Ravana sees Indra's chariot and is enraged that the gods chose to help Rama over him
• Ravana fires thousands of arrows from the 10 bows his 20 hands operate, but to no avail
• Ravana kills Matali, sending Rama's chariot down  
• Ravana invokes "maya"- a weapon that confuses the enemy by creating realistic illusions
• it shows all of the enemy army coming back to life, confusing Rama
• Rama uses "Gnana" or wisdom/perception- effectively breaking the illusion
• Ravana uses "Thama"- a weapon that creates total darkness
• this is countered by Rama using "Shivasthra"
• Ravana uses his deadliest weapon- a trident w/ amazing destructive powers
• Rama collapses the trident with an incantation
• Ravana sends a weapon of huge snakes vomiting fire and venom, but Rama uses "Garuda" (eagle) and thousands of eagles came in and destroyed the snakes
• Rama causes Ravana to faint, but lets him recover out of fairness 
• To end it all Rama uses "Brahmasthra" - a weapon made by Brahma to only be used as a last stitch effort- he hurls it at Ravana and it strikes him in the heart, killing him

Pushpakh Lanka Poster

From the popular movie "Sita Sings the Blues" by Nina Paley 

See the movie HERE

Photo by: Fred Miller

Found on Flickr

Chapter 13: Interlude

In order to establish her integrity, Sita assembles a large pyre and throws herself into it- she is then returned to Rama in the hands of Agni, the god of fire

Chapter 14: The Coronation

Dasaratha comes down from the heavens to see Rama who asks him to forgive Kaikeyi and Bharata.

Vibishana gives Rama the Pushpak Vimana which takes him back to Ayodhya where he takes his rightful place as king with his queen Sita at his side. 

Week 3: Reading Diary A- Oh Snap! Things are Getting Intense

Reading Notes p. 89-130
The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Chapter 6: Vali
*This chapter is considered to be very controversial
*Shape-shifting

-Ravana has just abducted Sita-
Setting: in the mountain/forest area of Kiskinda- the kingdom of monkeys

Sugreeva= monkey clan ruler
Hanuman= Sugreeva's companion and helper

Hanuman sees Lakshmana and Rama enter on a mountain path. He shifts into the shape of a young scholar and approaches the two to greet them and see why they have come- Rama sees through his disguise. He is actually a giant monkey.

Sugreeva's Story

• Sugreeva has a brother with ultimate strength named Vali
• Vali churned the ocean to create nectar for the gods so that they can live forever- this is how he got his strength, speed, energy, and luck (the ability to steal half of an opponent's energy
• a demon named Mayavi showed up and challenged Vali, but did not get a good look at Vali and when he stood up Mayavi fled to a cave
• Vali followed him to the cave and was gone within the cave for 28 months after which time Sugreeva was told by his advisers to block up the cave entrance and become the ruler of Kiskinda
• When Vali finally tried to emerge, he was blocked and FREAKED OUT on Sugreeva. He tried to injure/kill Sugreeva, but Sugreeva had reached Mount Matanga. Vali could not step foot on the mountain; if he were to do so, he would die. So, Vali returned to his position as ruler and stole Sugreeva's wife, exiling him to the mountain

Rama feels bad for Sugreeva. hanuman notices that Rama is Vishnu incarnate and realizes that he could help them defeat Vali...

Dundubi's Story

• Buffalo-shaped demon who wanted to wage war with Vishnu- told by Indra to seek out Vali to fulfill his wish of being able to fight forever 
• Vali Vs. Dundubi- fight lasts 1 full year before Vali rips off Dundubi's horn and uses it to eviscerate the demon before throwing his carcass to the side... right at the feet of Sage Matanga who was performing sacred rights 
• This is how Vali got his curse 

As Ravana was abducting Sita, he flew over Kiskinda. Sita saw the monkeys and threw her jewelry down to them..possibly as a sort of bread crumb for Rama- Sugreeva gives the jewelry to Rama and swears to help find Sita.

It is decided that the first step is to eliminate Vali. Sugreeva goes ahead of Rama and calls out Vali for a fight; Rama plans to shoot Vali when he isn't prepared. Vali excitedly agrees, but before he can leave his wife warns that she has heard Rama will help Sugreeva. Vali does not believe this, after all, why would a just and fair man like Rama get involved in a brotherly quarrel?

As they wait, Lakshmana warns Rama that he does not think they should get involved in this battle. Sugreeva and Vali fight and Sugreeva gets beaten very badly, but before Vali can deliver the last blow Rama pulls out an arrow and shoots him, killing him. Vali is shocked and tells Rama that he has broken his own code and killed someone who has done him no wrong. This causes Rama to doubt himself, but then Lakshmana jumps in and explains that Rama had a promise to fulfill to Sugreeva for giving him refuge. Vali understands, and agrees that Rama was not in the wrong before dying. Sugreeva goes on to become king and take Vali's son Angada as his second in command.

Chapter 7: When the Rains Cease 

Rama declines an invitation to be a guest a the royal palace in Kiskinda, as well as the offer of aid from Sugreeva and Hanuman telling them he vowed to live in the forest for 14 years and they need to focus on ruling, but that he will appreciate their help in 4 months once the rainy season is over.

Rama became depressed during the rainy season, but Lakshmana helped keep his mind straight. When the rainy season ends, Rama and Lakshmana are left wondering where Sugreeva is with his army to aid them. Rama sends Lakshmana to find out why Sugreeva never showed. Angada tells Sugreeva of Lakshmana's imminent arrival, but in his drunken stupor, Sugreeva does not reply. Kiskinda shut down, people locked their doors and windows, and Lakshmana watched all of this happen before kicking down the gate to the city. Everything calms down eventually and Sugreeva realizes his mistakes before vowing to never drink again. He sends out his messengers to assemble the army then goes to visit Rama and apologize for his actions. Rama accepts and tells him to go home until the army is ready.

The army is collected and search parties are sent out by Rama with specific instructions for how to search for Sita and to return in 30 days with a report. He told them that if they should find her, to give her his ring and bring her home to him.

Sampathi- Jatayu's brother who was burned and charred by the sun god- is restored to former bird glory by the mention of Rama's name

• saw where Ravana took Sita- South, across the sea

Hanuman is selected to journey across the sea because he can shape-shift. He grows giant and with one step, crosses the ocean to Lanka

Chapter 8: Memento From Rama

*Mandodari = Ravana's wife- beautiful, lives in luxury

Hanuman wanders through Lanka before arriving at Asoka Vana where he finds Sita surrounded by evil Rakshasa women.

• Ravana comes and tries to get Sita to be his main mistress, but she vehemently refuses
• Hanuman reveals his location to Sita because she has given up hope and wishes to end her life. He tells her his story and gives her Rama's ring
• Sita is renewed and gives him a piece of her jewelry that she'd hidden in her scrap of sari to deliver to Rama as a memento

Hanuman grows giant again and destroys Asoka Vana, then allows himself to be captured- he implores Ravana to change his ways or face destruction at Rama's hands

• Ravana orders him to be killed but his brother (Vibishana) reminds him that it is improper to kill a messenger, saving Hanuman 
• Hanuman sets Ravana's capital on fire, then leaves to return to Rama

Chapter 9: Ravana in Council

• Ravana's men council him to wait for Rama and his brood to come to them, then destroy them
• Kumbakarna (Ravana's brother) offers to fight- Ravana is touched by this and orders for the armies to be gathered and march on to Rama
• Indrajit (Ravana's son) tells him to stay, and that he will take care of it
• Vibishana (Ravana's youngest brother) tells Ravana to let Sita go and warns of danger if he continues on the path he's on
• Ravana's had 3 curses put on him: Nandi said his end would come through a monkey, Janaki cursed him, and Vedavathi said she would be reborn to end his life
• Vibishana uses these as evidence that Ravana is making a big mistake
• Ravana's response... "Nobody's curse can ever touch me." (Narayan, 127)
• Accuses Vibishana of being Rama's admirer 
• Vibishana tries oncemore to convince Ravana not to fight Rama, but this angers Ravana who orders Vibishana to leave or he will kill him
• Vibishana leaves and heads to Rama's camp