Reading Notes: Ramayana Part D
List of Characters/Places:
Ayodhya - the kingdom that Rama is fated to rule
Narayana/Vishnu - the god form of Rama
Lakshmi - the goddess form of Sita
Kumbhakarna - the brother of Ravana, has an enormous appetite, only allowed 1 day awake every 6 months
Valmiki - the hermit that Sita stays with when she is banished
Mandodari - Ravana's chief wife
Vibhishan - brother of Ravana, takes over rule of Lanka
Lanka - formerly Ravana's kingdom
Kusha and Lava - twin sons of Rama and Sita
The passage of time is not very clear in these stories - it almost seems as though all these events happen back to back, and then suddenly, bam! 14 years have passed and Rama's exile is over. I was not exactly prepared for that.
Additionally, I was intrigued by how the storyline went back to reflecting Rama's true purpose in being reincarnated as a human - defeating Ravana. In the beginning, it almost seemed as though the plot line would be centered around Rama being king of Ayodhya, but then when he was exiled, the rest of the story (and the defeat of Ravana) centered around Sita's kidnapping and Rama's attempts to get her back. It kind of unexpectedly turned into a love story.
I think the passage that I'm inspired to write about is Rama's reaction to Sita after he recovers her. It almost reminds of me modern day stories of women who are raped/sexually assaulted, and then are almost cast aside/blamed by their previous partners for "allowing this to happen to them." Rama's reaction definitely made me so angry, especially considering how he had already humiliated her once and she was found faithful before he exiled her! I don't even feel like this fits in with his character - how come he was oh so perfect during every other part of the story but then he turns into this *bad word* in this regard?
Additionally, it would be interesting to continue on with my story of Bharata, and create a story about his forced time reigning the kingdom.
Bibliography - PDE Ramayana Part D. Multiple Authors. Link.
Ayodhya - the kingdom that Rama is fated to rule
Narayana/Vishnu - the god form of Rama
Lakshmi - the goddess form of Sita
Kumbhakarna - the brother of Ravana, has an enormous appetite, only allowed 1 day awake every 6 months
Valmiki - the hermit that Sita stays with when she is banished
Mandodari - Ravana's chief wife
Vibhishan - brother of Ravana, takes over rule of Lanka
Lanka - formerly Ravana's kingdom
Kusha and Lava - twin sons of Rama and Sita
The passage of time is not very clear in these stories - it almost seems as though all these events happen back to back, and then suddenly, bam! 14 years have passed and Rama's exile is over. I was not exactly prepared for that.
Additionally, I was intrigued by how the storyline went back to reflecting Rama's true purpose in being reincarnated as a human - defeating Ravana. In the beginning, it almost seemed as though the plot line would be centered around Rama being king of Ayodhya, but then when he was exiled, the rest of the story (and the defeat of Ravana) centered around Sita's kidnapping and Rama's attempts to get her back. It kind of unexpectedly turned into a love story.
I think the passage that I'm inspired to write about is Rama's reaction to Sita after he recovers her. It almost reminds of me modern day stories of women who are raped/sexually assaulted, and then are almost cast aside/blamed by their previous partners for "allowing this to happen to them." Rama's reaction definitely made me so angry, especially considering how he had already humiliated her once and she was found faithful before he exiled her! I don't even feel like this fits in with his character - how come he was oh so perfect during every other part of the story but then he turns into this *bad word* in this regard?
Sita is tested by fire [source]
Additionally, it would be interesting to continue on with my story of Bharata, and create a story about his forced time reigning the kingdom.
Bibliography - PDE Ramayana Part D. Multiple Authors. Link.
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