Week 3 Reading Diary cont: Narayan's Ramayana

This is the final part of Narayan's Ramayana.

Before the Battle

Hanuman crosses the ocean and becomes very tiny so that he can locate Sita. After finding her, he returns to Rama, but not before burning down Lanka. Vibishana tries to warn Ravana against attacking Rama, but must later retreat from Ravana’s wrath.

I really liked how respectable Sita was described when Hanuman comes to her. She really handles this tough situation with such grace, which is exactly how you would expect her to behave (as opposed to the wedding story).

Next, Vibishana has such courage to speak out against his brother. I love how he starts by saying he is not loud, and does not like to argue. I can relate to this on many levels, and I can only imagine how difficult it was to give that speech. For Ravana to completely ignore his brother’s warning, and be so rude to him, shows that he does not have good character.

The Siege of Lanka

The siege starts a little shaky when Indrajit uses poison darts on Rama and Lakshmana, causing Sita to fear that they were dead. However, soon after Rama gains his strength and begins battling with Ravana. The battle between these two mighty warriors is long, but eventually Rama is able to send his Brahma-astra into the heart of Ravana.

Again, I like how despite Ravana’s rickery, Sita is capable of remainibg strong.

Another thing that interests me is how, even though he might be physically strong, Ravsna is wea in both mind and heart. He was first dealt a major blow to his ego when he had to accept a concession. He was finally defeated by the blow to his heart, which had not been strengthened by the gods.

Finally, one of my favorite passages in this part was when Rama told his chariot driver to move slow and calm, while Ravana raged on. This reminded me of the turtle and hare story, where slow and steady wins the race. I think combining these two stories could be interesting.

The Test and Coronation

Upon winning the battle, Sita returns to Rama only to have him spurn her. She is forced to prove her purity by jumping into a fire. After she passes this test, the group returns to Ayodhya so that Rama may become king.

Oh-Em-Gee. I thought the wedding scene was bad, but this “test” takes the cherry. Sita has been suffering for so long, being ridiculed/harassed, and then her own husband MAKES HER JUMP IN A FIRE! Who does that? NOT some glorious god. This makes me think of certain prophets who take many wives – there is no respect for woman in so many of these stories. End of rant.

Sita's test by fire to prove her purity. (Image Library)