Week 2 Reading Diary, cont: Narayan's Ramayana

This is the second part to Narayan's Ramayana.

For Part B, we witness Rama going into exile, moving deep into the forest, and begin his battle with Ravana. Like before, I split the reading into my own parts, and jotted down some of the key points that really hit me while reading:

Encounters in Exile
As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana reach Panchavati, they are approached by Ravana’s sister, Soorpanaka.
First, one their journey through the forest, Rama begins to feel “a great tenderness” for Sita. I like how - just before the crazed Soorpanaka comes - Rama’s feelings for his wife are described. We see how devoted he is to Sita.

Then, Soorpanaka (in the disguise of Kamavalli) comes to seduce Rama, he turns her away. He is disgusted by her cheap advances, and this shows how good his character is. He is a stand-up guy, and isn’t one to be flattered by easy women.

Also, I think it is worth mentioning how he has a pretty good judgement on the character of others as well. He is quick to see the good works of others; he points out how great Lakshmana’s engineering is.

Finally, my favorite part to the section in the book is how protective Lakshmana is over Sita. Upon seeing Soorpanaka try and attack Sita, Lakshmana is quick to the rescue. While Soorpanaka’s punishment seems a little barbaric to me, in a way it did feel like justice was served (her nose, ears, and breasts were cut off). 

This depicts Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in the forest. (Image Library)

Ravana – In Lanka and with his uncle Mareecha
Ravana has gods and gurus as his servants, and is very powerful. He is outraged with his sister’s predicament! He goes to his uncle, Mareecha for help in capturing Sita from Rama.
I am very interested in how these gods seem to be the victim a lot. How is it that they come to be captured? And why are they so awful at thinking before they do something? They grant these boons before they even think of the consequences. No one in this story seems to THINK.

I like the quote from Mareecha: “I am like a fish in a poisoned pond. Sooner or later I am bound to die, whether I stat in it or get out of it.” I think this sums up a lot in this epic. For example, if Rama were to have not accepted exile, his father would have been disgraced (broken promises are very bad). So either way Rama has a difficult path ahead of him. Or with the deer – Sita wanted the deer, Lakshmana felt it was a trap. If Rama says “no, the deer is obviously a trap,” his wife will be upset. However, we see what happens when he goes and tries to capture the deer. This epic is filled with “rocks and hard places”, and I think it would be interesting to explore that a little further.