Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part A
For starting off in a story of characters I have not heard about, I'll be focusing on characters, writing styles, and major plot points.
King Dasharatha is strong and powerful, but is saddened that none of his three queens have been able to produce a son. His palace is surrounded by thousands of guards, and tehre are eight counselors and two family priests.
A horse sacrifice leads to promising Dasharatha four sons.
Of all the four sons, Rama was the only one with special marks of Vishnu, so he was especially loved.
Early in his life, Rama is asked by a sage, Vishvamitra to go to battle against rakshasas that were disrupting sacrifices. Rama and his brother are reluctantly released by their father to go help.
Rama and his brother, reluctant to kill the rakshasi start by dismembering it (I figured this would be worse than just killing it). Eventually, it becomes invisible, but Rama is able to use sound to find and kill it with his bow and arrow. Upon completion, he is given celestial weapons (with talking spirits!) that he can summon. To top it all off, they are then attacked by a band of rakshasas that Rama quickly slays with his newfound weapons.
King Ayodhya, another king with no sons, is granted one son from one mother, and SIXTY THOUSAND from another. When looking for a stolen sacrificial horse, all 60,000 were turned to ash, leaving just the one from the other mother. Upon generations of trying to get the Gangan waters to flow over the ashes, it finally happens.
Gautama discovers his wife Ahyala was tricked into sex with the god Indra, so he curses them both.
Rama meets the love of his life Sita. They are both avatars of gods, gods that are in love, so their love is extra special love.
Janaka challenges anyone to wield the bow of Shiva shall be able to marry Sita.
Rama not only wields it, but breaks it.
Parashurama, like Rama is an avatar of Vishnu, and challenges him to now wield a bow of Visnu. Rama does so with ease.
Rama marries Sita, and his brother's are also married into the royal family.
Rama is chosen of the sons to carry on Dasharatha's reign.
One of the other's son's house nurse is not happy of Rama's choice. She says Rama will slay his brother out of jealousy.
Kaikeyi asks Dasharatha to banish Rama as repayment for when she saved his life.
With everything set for Rama to take the throne, he leaves on his father's orders into exile with no questions asked.
Though he tried to leave alone to not shame his wife, Sita and his brother, Lakshmana goes with him.
To start their 14 year exile, they cross the Ganges and establish how they will protect each other for these years to come.
Dasharatha is beginning to die, and as he dies, it is made clear to him why he had to exile Rama. A vision from earlier in life now makes sense.
In one version of his death, tension has been building as one promise for one wife causes another promise to everyone else (making Rama king) to be broken.
In the other, he focuses on what caused this curse in the first place.
Overall, this story is full of so many mini stories it'll be hard to pick what I would like to retell. Personally, I'm more of an action fan, so I can narrow it down to those stories. I do really look forward to exploring more about the weaponry from these stories as they hold celestial power and some can even speak!
Source: PDE Ramayana, multiple authors.
King Dasharatha is strong and powerful, but is saddened that none of his three queens have been able to produce a son. His palace is surrounded by thousands of guards, and tehre are eight counselors and two family priests.
A horse sacrifice leads to promising Dasharatha four sons.
Of all the four sons, Rama was the only one with special marks of Vishnu, so he was especially loved.
Early in his life, Rama is asked by a sage, Vishvamitra to go to battle against rakshasas that were disrupting sacrifices. Rama and his brother are reluctantly released by their father to go help.
Rama and his brother, reluctant to kill the rakshasi start by dismembering it (I figured this would be worse than just killing it). Eventually, it becomes invisible, but Rama is able to use sound to find and kill it with his bow and arrow. Upon completion, he is given celestial weapons (with talking spirits!) that he can summon. To top it all off, they are then attacked by a band of rakshasas that Rama quickly slays with his newfound weapons.
King Ayodhya, another king with no sons, is granted one son from one mother, and SIXTY THOUSAND from another. When looking for a stolen sacrificial horse, all 60,000 were turned to ash, leaving just the one from the other mother. Upon generations of trying to get the Gangan waters to flow over the ashes, it finally happens.
Gautama discovers his wife Ahyala was tricked into sex with the god Indra, so he curses them both.
Rama meets the love of his life Sita. They are both avatars of gods, gods that are in love, so their love is extra special love.
Janaka challenges anyone to wield the bow of Shiva shall be able to marry Sita.
Rama not only wields it, but breaks it.
Parashurama, like Rama is an avatar of Vishnu, and challenges him to now wield a bow of Visnu. Rama does so with ease.
Rama marries Sita, and his brother's are also married into the royal family.
Rama is chosen of the sons to carry on Dasharatha's reign.
One of the other's son's house nurse is not happy of Rama's choice. She says Rama will slay his brother out of jealousy.
Kaikeyi asks Dasharatha to banish Rama as repayment for when she saved his life.
With everything set for Rama to take the throne, he leaves on his father's orders into exile with no questions asked.
Though he tried to leave alone to not shame his wife, Sita and his brother, Lakshmana goes with him.
To start their 14 year exile, they cross the Ganges and establish how they will protect each other for these years to come.
Dasharatha is beginning to die, and as he dies, it is made clear to him why he had to exile Rama. A vision from earlier in life now makes sense.
In one version of his death, tension has been building as one promise for one wife causes another promise to everyone else (making Rama king) to be broken.
In the other, he focuses on what caused this curse in the first place.
Overall, this story is full of so many mini stories it'll be hard to pick what I would like to retell. Personally, I'm more of an action fan, so I can narrow it down to those stories. I do really look forward to exploring more about the weaponry from these stories as they hold celestial power and some can even speak!
Source: PDE Ramayana, multiple authors.
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| Rama as depicted in the game Smite |
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