Storytelling for Week 7 - Should I Tell Him, or Should I Not?

To bide by my brother's side or to do what is right? This is the question that I am dealing with at the moment, and it is weighing heavy on my heart. I know that one should never turn their back on their family, but I also know that my brother is in the wrong here. My brother, Ravana, has taken Lord Rama's wife, Sita, and has held her hostage with the hopes that she will fall for him and give in to be his wife. Poor Rama has been searching for his loved one for what seems like eternity, and Ravana is trying every way to lure those around him into killing him. I must now stand my ground. I need to demand Ravana to return Sita to her husband, Lord Rama. If he does not do so, I will have to take matters into my own hands.

"Ravana, I must have a word with you."

"Yes, my brother, what is it that you want?"

"Ravana, you must return Sita. Her poor husband has been searching for her ruthlessly. It is not right of a man to take another man's wife."

"I will not. She will learn to love me and Rama no longer!"

Well, I guess there is no reasoning with my stubborn brother. I must go make things right on my own. I will seek out Lord Rama and go from there. As I make my way through the forest, I start pondering on whether or not I am doing to right thing. What information should I give to Rama, should I tell him all of our secrets and treasure or should I turn back around and head back to Lanka. This is a true test to my character, and I do not not if I should stay loyal to my own brother or stay loyal to what I know to be the right thing to do. Stealing another man's wife has always been the ultimate crime, so I must do something about it. I finally find Rama and his entourage and could tell they were skeptical of me at first. I want to assure them that I mean to harm, and am only here to help.

"Lord Rama, I am here to help you. I know what my brother, Ravana, has done is wrong, and I want to make it right."

"Come, I believe your sincerity. If you help us, I will assure you will become king."

"I am willing to tell you of the secret treasures of Lanka, but I will not assist in attacking my own brother. With that being said, I am rooting for your success."

Image Information: Vibhishana as King. Wikipedia

Author's Note: I choose to tell a story of the inner thoughts and struggles that Vibhishana may have had when he decided to tell Rama of the secret treasures of Lanka. I wanted to retell this story in a way that would be the thoughts that someone today might have with the struggle between not wanting to betray a loved one but knowing what the right thing to do is.

Buck, William. (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 7: Reading Diary B - The Exile Comes to an End

Reading Diary Pg. 374-432
The Ramayana by William Buck

• Vibhishana offers Rama to use a Pushpaka for his journey to return back home. A pushpaka is a flying chariot. Vibhishana offered this to Rama in order to help him return home in time for Bharata to see that he has come back, and does not kill himself as he had vowed to if Rama had not come back at the end of his exile. 
• On their way back home on the pushpaka, Rama stops to show where they buried Jatayu. Rama sends Hanuman home to Ayodhya ahead of them to tell his brother, Bharata, the news that they are on their way to returning from exile. Bharata cries tears of joy!!
• The time has come where Rama finally returns home to Ayodhya. Presents and gifts are being thrown at Rama, as the town is so excited to have him and to have him serve as their king.
• As time goes by, thousands and thousands of years actually. Sita becomes pregnant. 
• This creates gossip among the people that Rama serves. They are appalled that he has allowed Sita back into his home after being with another man, Ravana, even though she has proven her innocence.
• Thinking of this, I feel like it represents the thoughts and actions of a much earlier time period than today's modern views. Even though she had proven her innocence, just the fact that she was in the presence of another man is enough to send her into exile. 
• Rama demands that his brother, Lakshmana, take Sita down the Ganges river and abandon her, leaving her in alone and in exile. She is still pregnant.
• Vibhishana is aware that Sita is in danger and is in need of help, so he ensures that Valmiki will rescue her in her time of need.
• This goes back to the beginning of the book, where it first started telling the story of Sita being dropped off along the river and wandering herself. Valmiki comes to her rescue (causing him to finally come out from under his anthill) and invites her into his hermitage with welcome arms. 
• Not too long after, she gives birth to two sons, Kusha and Lava.
• Kush and Lava grow up being told of the story of Rama, their dad, from Valmiki, without knowing that Rama is in fact their dad. They learn the story backwards and forwards, and grow up really looking up to Rama as a role model figure. 
• I find this ironic because they almost look up to Rama in place of a father figure, when he is in fact their father.
• Kush and Lava eventually are told that Rama is their dad. Sita feared that they would resent him, but they actually took it really well and continue to look up to him.
• Rama held a big festival in the forest that lasts for a year. Kusha and Lava sing each day, and Rama eventually realizes they are his sons.
• Kala, Time, comes to Ayodhya in disguise as a hermit and demands a meeting with Rama. He announces that anyone who disturbs their meeting will have to die. In the midst of the meeting, Lakshmana walks in, and therefore must die. 
• The book ends with Lakshmana going to the Saraya River to die.

Week 7: Reading Diary A - Sita's Return

Reading Diary pg. 325-373
The Ramayana by William Buck

• The fight to get Sita back still continues at this point in the book
• Hanuman and Sugriva kill Ravana's magicians, Lightning Tongue and Thunder Tooth. They were fighting with Jambavan in order to keep him from killing other demons, but they ended up being killed by Hanuman and Sugriva. 
• There is a feeling of despair among Lanka. I feel like this may be so because of the many losses this town has recently experienced. Shuka makes the feelings throughout the town known to Ravana.
• In the midst of all of this drama, Mandori exclaims her love to Ravana. 
• Ravana gets into a bit of a scuffle with the time god, Kala, but brushes it off his shoulder, because he feels as if he is invincible
• This stands out to me because it seems as if Ravana is quickly losing more and more of his troops and that he should be feelings pretty insecure and worried at this point. 
• Rama and Ravana finally go into battle. I feel like there was a lot of suspense coming up to this point, and now they are finally able to meet face to face and determine who is the better god
• The battle is a tough one. Rama repeatedly cuts off Ravana's heads, but they grow back every time. Ravana disguises as Indra, which catches Rama off god, but Matali is able to see right through it and keep Rama on the right track 
• Ravana may be in a state of weakness at this point because he is thinking Rama will fall for this trick, and might not be quite as on guard.
• Rama is finally able to kill Ravana for good
• Once Ravana is dead, Shuka delivers a note from Ravana to Rama. This does not happen in the other version of the Ramayana, so I like reading something that was unique to Buck's version.  
• Vibhishana becomes the new king of Lanka. 
• Hanuman is sent to tell Sita of the news of the victory
• Rama and Sita are able to reunite for the first time. The fire god, Agni, is able to prove Sita's loyalty to Rama.
• The time has come where Rama's exile is nearing its end. He is rushed for time to make it back to Ayodhya in time, so that his brother, Bharata, doesn't kill himself as he previously vowed he would do if Rama had not returned by the time his exile had ended.

Storytelling for Week 6 - Hanuman the Great!

"Oh my dear friend Rama, we must somehow make it across this ocean in order to get to Lanka and save your true love, Sita!", Hanuman exclaims to Rama. Rama, with a look of concern of his face, replies, "I am aware, Hanuman. We must find a way to send one of us over to Lanka to solidify that she is there and alive. Lets have a vote." As Rama's entourage gathers together, Rama explains that there needs to be a vote to determine who, that are capable, to cross the ocean and make it to Lanka to find Sita. Unanimously, Hanuman was voted to take on this challenge because of his monkey-like jumping skills. Afterall, he was in the form of a monkey. Hanuman was flattered, yet nervous. He had never made a jump like this in all of his life. He thought to himself, "This will be the ultimate challenge for me. I must use all of my strength and might to get over this ocean". Everyone had faith in him, and knew that if anyone could do it, it was Hanuman. Rama, especially, was encouraging towards Hanuma, and had little doubt that he could pull this off. After some training time, the day finally came, where Hanuman would make the great jump. He took a magnificent running start, starting from miles back, and jumped with all of his might! So many thoughts were running through his mind as he began this jump, "I don't know if I can do this. I'm not sure if I can live up to my requests.", "I shouldn't be doubting myself, I am Hanuman the great, and I can do anything I set my mind to!". The adrenaline kicked into full gear and Hanuman took off with unrelentless speed and strength. Rama and the rest of the team stood under to watch the attempted jump in awe, it was unlike anything they had ever seen before. As Hanuman made it across the ocean, it was smooth sailing for the most part, but there were some rough spots as well. He became tired and fatigued at one point. He thought he might not make it, and started to have doubts about himself. As he was going down, down, down, something magical happened. A mountain grew up from under the deep ocean waters, giving him a peak to land on. These mountains were named the Mainaka, and ultimately saved Hanuman's life. He was able to catch a good rest before setting off to finish his quest. He took another massive leap and began to make his way across the ocean. He was nearing Lanka, as he could see the lights of the town, when all of a sudden things went black immediately. He had a quick moment of panic. Hanuman had no idea where he was or what had happened. He ultimately realized that he had been swallowed by a sea demon. This makes Hanuman angry, so he retaliates by destroying the demon's heart and smoothly escaping through his ear! He had never been so happy to see daylight in his life. He was becoming closer and closer to shore, and before he knew it his feet were on the ground. Hanuman felt so accomplished and proud of himself. He had completed his task, and knew that Rama and the others would be so proud. After his quick moment of glory, he made the decision to turn into the form of a cat in order to more easily prowl the city. Hanuman does this successfully, and makes his way towards Sita.

Image Information: Hanuman Leaps to Lanka Updownload

Author's Note: I decided to tell the story of Hanuman leaping over the ocean to Lanka, because I wanted to show some of the thoughts that he might have had before, during, and after he made the jump. I wanted to add an emphasis of heroism to his character, and add a little bit different background. I thought this made the story light and simple. 

Buck, William. (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 6: Reading Diary B - The Quest to Rescue Sita Continues

Reading Diary Pg. 270-324
The Ramayana by William Buck

Once Hanuman reports the news to Rama, he knows he has to get to Lanka to save her. He struggles with figuring out a plan to cross the sea in order to reach the city. In the midst of this, the Water King, Samudra, rises up and explains that a bridge can be made out of floating rocks across the sea by the monkey, Nala. With this, they get everyone together and one by one help in the making of the bridge to Lanka, until it is finally finished.

Vibhishana seeks to convince Ravana to give Sita back to Rama, and he is quite frankly offended by this. He does not take this lightly. Vibhishana is upset that Ravana has refused to do the right thing and give Sita back, so he sort of takes matters in his own hands by going to Rama and telling him for himself. Rama was skeptical at first, but ultimately decides to trust him. Vibhishana tells Rama all of the information that he knows and agrees to help him, but refuses to fight against his own people. This is understandable and relatable. No matter how angry you get at your loved ones or family members, you ultimately would not want to fight against them. This says a lot about his character.

Rama and his search team head over the bridge to Lanka and begin to make a plan to get Sita. In the meantime, Ravana has his minister, Shuka, a hawk, watching over Rama and his team. They eventually figure this out so Rama sends demon spies in the form of a monkey, which Vibhishana is able to detect.

Ravana uses his magicians to make it look like Rama has had his head chopped off. Ravana shows the head to Sita, and she immediately weeps when she recognizes his exact features. While this is happening, Phrahasta bursts in, not realizing what is going on, and exclaims that Rama has arrived in Lanka. Sita then realizes that this has been a sick prank.

Ravana wants war with Rama. He attacks Rama's forces, but Rama and his team are able to overpower him. when they are defeated, Rama awakens his brother, Kumbhakarna, who actually urges Ravana to give Sita back to Rama, as he believes it is wrong to take another man's wife. He eventually agrees to attack Rama though. This ended up being a bad choice, because Rama chops his head off, killing him. Ravana's son, Indrajit, get killed in battle by Rama's forces, leaving only himself left to fight Rama.

Week 6: Reading Diary A - The Search for Sita

Reading Diary Pg. 219-270
The Ramayana by William Buck

This reading begins with Hanuman telling the story of Sita's abduction to Jambavan. During this time, a new character is introduced. Jatayu's brother, Sampati, overhears the part of the story where Jatayu was involved, and unfortunately killed. Sampati is still grieving his brother, but remarks that he had actually seen Ravana flying over to Lanka. Lanka is a town that is across the ocean, and therefore hard to reach. Sita's search team decides that Hanuman should be the one to jump across the ocean to reach Lanka, since he is a monkey.

As Hanuman leaps across the ocean, he encounters some obstacles. He becomes tired and lands on the mountain Mainaka, which has been hiding under the ocean from Indra for years, and rises to give Hanuman a rest. As he almost finished his leap, the female rakshasa Sinhika rose up and swallowed Hanuman, but he was able to escape by crushing her heart and escaping through her ear.

When Hanuman finally makes it to Lanka, he realizes that he needs to find a way to navigate through the city without being seen so he disguises as a cat. That way he could walk throughout Lanka without being questioned. He makes his way to Ravana's bedroom, where he finds all of his wives. He did not find Sita there. Vayu, the god of wind, directs him towards the ashoka grove, where he would then find Sita.

While Sita is in the ashoka grove, Ravana comes to see her, trying to seduce her and get her to voluntarily admit to want him. Ravana is no longer allowed to rape women, so in order for him to love Sita, she needs to initiate it. Sita ignores Ravana, so he gets angry and walks away. When Sita is alone, Hanuman calls to her and speaks of Rama. She immediately weeps. She gives Hanuman a message to send back to Rama.

As Hanuman leaves Lanka, he decides to make some trouble in the town. Ravana is furious and orders for his head to be chopped off by his brother, Vibhishana. He refuses to chop his head off so Ravana ordered for him to set his tail on fire. He does but Hanuman breaks free and sets the entire town of Lanka on fire. Hanuman checks on Sita, and tells her that Rama will be back for her.

Storytelling for Week 5 - Inheriting the Crown

Bharata receives the most dreadful kind of news that exists. News that everyone fears, and this case is not different. He was told that his father has died. On top of that, he learns of the news that his brother, Rama, has been sent into exile by his own mother. Her hopes were for Bharata, her son, to become the king of Ayodhya one day. Bharata does not take this news lightly, as he knows his father wanted his beloved Rama to be his successor. Out of envy, disappointment, and fear Bharata takes off into the forest in search of his brother, Rama, to convince him to come back to Ayodhya and serve as king. Bharata gets everyone in the town of Ayodhya together and sends everyone out in a search for Rama. Bharata tells the townspeople, "My dear and beloved father would have wanted Rama to serve as his successor, and we need to fulfill that wish of his in his honor", and everyone cheers and chants and then runs off into the dark forest. Days, weeks, months go by and there is no sign of Rama. The search team almost gives up until they have a lead. Bharata finds a footprint in the exact shape and size as Rama's, which gave them a hint of direction to where he could be. Once they went in the direction of the footprint, they started finding more and more. The entourage followed footprint after footprint until they were led into the town of Chitrakuta, where they eventually found Rama! They all jumped up and down with joy, as they were all so thrilled to see their beloved Rama again. However, the excitement didn't last long since Bharata had come to deliver the news of their father's death. Bharata had expressed this news to Rama by saying, "My brother, our beloved father has deceased and I know he would have wanted you, his most beloved son, to be his successor". Rama replied by saying, "My dear brother, I must finish out my exile and endere with my father's promise to his wife". Bharata's reaction was that of disappointment and sadness, but he ultimately understood. Rama was known for his loyalty and commitment, so the people of Ayodhya respected his decision to remain in exile. Bharata and his entourage made their way back to Ayodhya with sunken hearts. Bharata knows it is not his place to be king, but he has agreed to serve as his father's successor until Rama's exile has ended.

Image Information: Bharata Searches for Rama

Authors Notes: I choose to retell the story of Bharata finding out of his father's death and seeking out to find his brother, Rama. I retold this story in a somewhat more relatable and practical way, while relatively sticking to the same storyline. In William Buck's version of this story, Bharat finds out of his father's death and of Rama's exile. He gets together an entourage and sets out into the forest to search for Rama. The forest king, Guhu, directs them to the hermitage of Sage Bharadwaja, who later directs them to Chitrakuta, where Rama resides.

Buck, William. (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 5: Reading Diary B - Sita's Abduction

Reading Diary Pg. 162-218
The Ramayana by William Buck

The story of the Golden Deer, and Sita's abduction is one of my favorites throughout The Ramayana. I choose to retell this story for one of my posts in Narayan's version of the book, and I truly feel it can be interpreted in many different ways. William Buck's version is very similar to Narayan's. Maricha disguises as a beautiful golden deer, catching Sita's attention. At Sita's request, Rama chases after it, where it then turns into its true form. Maricha yells for help with Rama's voice, tricking Sita into thinking he is in need. She tells Lakshmana to go save him, and in the meantime Ravana comes up to Sita disguised as an old man, which she welcomes, and then he snatches her up and takes her away. Jatayu, the bird who has been their protector, comes to the scene to help save Sita, but Ravana takes his wing, causing him to die. This was a really emotional scene, as Jatayu was a heroic character. Sita runs to him, sobbing, and holds him as he dies, but Ravana snatches her back up. Jatayu is able to stay alive just long enough to inform Rama on what had happened.

• Ravana holds Sita captive in Lanka
• Indra informs Sita of why Ravana will not rape her
• Ravana decided he wanted to have many wives. He saw Rambha, who was in love with Nalakubara, son of Vaishravana, and raped her. When Nalakubara heard of this news, he cursed Ravana, saying if he had ever raped a woman again, his head would explode. Because of this curse, Ravana cannot rape Sita, rather he will persuade her to give it to him. Ravana is not used to be rejected, as he always convinced women to give it to him, except for Rambha. 
• Rama and Lakshmana are not able to get to Sita in time, so they head to the hermitage of Sage Matanga, where they find out he is dead. Savari is still living there though, and tells them that she saw Ravana take Sita away. She tells them of the monkey brothers, Vali and Sugriva, and about Sugriva's friend, Hanuman
• Hanuman brings Rama and Lakshmana to Sita's jewelry, giving them some sort of direction to where Sita might be
• Sugriva and Vali fight, and Rama is loyal to Sugriva, so he shoots Vali causing him to die. Sugriva becomes king and promises to begin a search for Sita once the rainy season is over, in return for helping him in his battle. 
• When the rainy season comes to an end, there is no sign of help from Sugriva, so Lakshmana personally goes to confront him. Sugriva sticks to his promise and send out masses of monkey in all directions in search of Sita. 

Week 5: Reading Diary A - The Exile Continues

Reading Diary Pg. 110-161
The Ramayana by William Buck

• Dasaratha is dead; Bharata searches to find Rama with the hopes that he will return to Ayodhya
• Rama hears the news of his fathers and still refuses to come back until his exile is over
• Rama, Lakshama, and Sita visit the hermitage of Atri; Atri tells them the story of Mandakarni and the 5 Apsarases who live in the lake
• 14th summer of Rama's exile. Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita enter into the home of Agastya
• Agastya is the brahmana who lowered the Vindhya Hills, destroyed two demons, and then settled - he is described as a small man, but can easily do what is impossible to even the gods
• Possibly want to use the Vindhya Hills in my storybook

The Story of Agastya - Vindhya Hills were jealous of the Himalaya, and in envy, began to grow higher and higher until his peaks blocked the skies; the stars and the moon were blocked. Agastya arrived, but was blocked by Vindhya - all of the trails had been blocked, so Agastya had to ask permission to go south and come back again, and he was allowed to pass. Vindhya bowed low to Agasta, and the hills immediately decreased to their present height, well below the skies. He told Vindhya to to remain that height until he returns, and he has yet to return, and he has obeyed since.  Agastya burned and killed Ilwala.

• Agastya invited Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana into his home up in the hills. He seems like he has been waiting for him. I sense a little bit of fear within Rama. Agastya granted Rama and Lakshmana each a new bow that had "fallen from heaven" and never needed sharpening, in exchange for Rama's old one. I feel like this may be a trick?
• The Valakhilaya's tell Rama of the demons in the forest and request his help in war against them. Sita is unhappy with this and tried to get Rama to deny. 
• with the aid of the Valakhilaya's, the wives of Sage Kashyapa were able to conceive children; Kadru gave birth to a thousand eggs and Vinata gave birth to two eggs
• They each put their eggs in a jar of warm butter and set them outside; 500 years later, all one thousand of Kadru's eggs hatched into Nagas, and Vinata's two sons remained in their shells.
• I can quickly tell that this poses some competition between the two wives
• One of Kadru's sons finally hatched, and is described as a giant eagle with golden feathers and brilliant red wings. He had a head and wings like an eagle, but the arms and hands of a man.
• As Rama is telling this story to Sita, the demon abducts her with a long arm, so at the time Rama does not know where the demon has come from
• Rama and Lakshmana take off to fight and kill the demon - and they are successful 
• Sita was abducted by Viradha, who later reveals himself to be the gandharva names Tumburu, who had been cursed as a demon and was only freed once Rama brought his demon life to an end. The then flies up to heaven to find the gandharva king, Chitaratha

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Image Information: Personal photo 2014

Storytelling for Week 4: The Wandering Woman

One day King Rama was forced to put his wife, Sita, into exile. She was sent deep into the forest and left to fend for herself. She had been dropped off from a boat on the side of a river, without knowing of her whereabouts. Sita is internally panicked and thinks to herself, "What am I possibly going to do now? I have no one to protect me, I have to find food and water, and somehow need to make shelter". This was also a hard time emotionally for Sita, considering her beloved husband had just kicked her to the curb like dust. As she rummages through the woods in fury and fear, she happens to run into a man to seemed to have quickly popped out of the bushes. This scared Sita half to death as she exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Who goes there?". The man whom she happens to run into goes by the name of Valmiki, and responds to her gasp with a sincere apology, "I am so sorry ma'am, I had no intent on scaring you.". Sita, who isn't quite sure what to make of the situation says, "Who are you and why have you come to me?", and Valmiki responds by saying, "I happen to have seen you wandering through the forest, looking a little lost, so I thought I would come offer you some help". Not quite convinced, Sita says, "I am not lost, I am simply going for a walk, I do not need any help. I am an independent woman, capable of taking care of herself". Valmiki could see right through her facade, but understood that she was just scared. He said, "Okay, I will leave you be. I was only offering some help", as he walks away. As soon as he turns around to walk away, Sita knew she had made a mistake by turning down his help, so she calls out to him, "Wait! Don't leave! Please, I really do need your help. I have been sent into exile, and left to fend for myself". Valmiki was quick to turn around and offer her his condolences. "If you follow me, I will take you to our town. You can reside there for as long as you wish, we will make sure you have food, water, shelter and lots of laughs!" Sita was immediately relieved, and knew she made the right decision by accepting Valmiki's help. She then followed his steps to the town, hoping for a fresh start.

Image Information: Valmiki finds Sita. Wikipedia

Author's Note: I choose to retell the story of when Valmiki finds Sita abandoned in the forest. I chose to add in some dialogue and to change it up a little bit in order to make it my own. Although I changed it up, I wanted to keep it along the same story line and for it to have the same backstory.

Buck, William. (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 4: Reading Diary B - The Journey Continues

Reading Diary Pg. 60-109
The Ramayana by William Buck

• Dasaratha decides to make Rama his successor and have him carry out his legacy as king. He king of does this behind his other son's backs, and in the end it comes around to get him. This is a similarity to what happened in Narayana's version of the Ramayana. One of Dasaratha's wives, Kaikeyi is convinced that this is a terrible mistake, and uses her two wishes that the king owes her to make her son, Bharata his successor, and to put Rama in exile. He has no choice but to fulfill her wishes. Rama is told about his exile, and does not resist. This is a true show of his character, and how the author is wanting him to be betrayed as. 
• Sita and Lakshmana plan to go into exile together with Rama, and as they try to leave, the people of Ayodhya are determined to keep them from leaving. They make the river rise, blocking them in and forcing them to stay through the night. 
• When they begin their journey into exile and enter the forest they run into Guha, the Hunter King. He immediately runs to Rama with open arms and big huge saying, "Oh Rama, Rama! Now you are an outcast like me! You look more outlandish than I remembered you!" (p. 72). He whistled and men came out from behind trees bearing all sorts of hot, steaming food! Later that night he goes on to tell them all the story of how he rejected Shiva's priests, and kicked her statue every single day. When he later died, Shiva rescued him because Shive considered him his most devoted follower. 
• Guha then goes on to tell them another story of when Kaikeyi had used her power to get Dasharatha to teach her the language of animals, even though he was to guard that knowledge with him own life. One Dasaratha had figured out what was going on, he knew he had made a mistake and did not have to do what she had demanded of him. 
• As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana continue their journey, they meet sage Bharadwaja who convinces them to stay Chitratuka, where they choose to reside and Lakshmana builds them a beautiful house.  
• As the reading comes to an end, Dasharatha is told of Rama's departure. He dies the next day. His last thoughts were of a time he had accidentally killed a young boy in the forest, and he sees a connection between the death of that boy and the loss of his son.
• I really enjoy picking out the similarities and differences between the two versions of the Ramayana. For me, this version is easier to follow since I already have knowledge of the story and can focus more on what is happening, instead of just getting the characters distinguished. Although, very similar, I can point out differences here and there.

Week 4: Reading Diary A - The Story of the Ramayana

Reading Diary pg. 1-59
The Ramayana by William Buck

Characters

Valmiki - lived inside of an anthill because of unsuccessful attempts to find friendship, happiness and hope. Was convinced by Narada to save Sita, who was exiled by Rama because of gossip, and welcomed her into their town. Valmiki became a poet, and tells the story of Rama to Rama and Sita's twin boys, Kusha and Lava.

Kusha and Lava - Sons of Rama and Sita. Memorized the poem that Valmiki has to them by heart and sing it at a festival in the forest, in which Rama attends, not knowing that the two boys are his own.

King Dasaratha - King of Ayodhya. Had no son, but greatly longed for one to inherit his kingdom. He says, "Brahmana, I always long for a son. I can find no happiness without him, therefore make a sacrifice with fire, to please the gods" (p. 8). Calls Vasistha, who grants him sons.

Vasistha - Dasaratha's priest who performs a sacrifice so that Dasaratha can obtain sons.

Indra - King of Heaven

Ravana - Demon King

Vishnu - Soul of the Universe

Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, Shatrughna - Dasaratha's four sons

Vishwamitra - Tells the story of Ravana to Dasaratha

Notes

• Ayodhya is described as being "filled with warriors, like a mountain cave filled with lions; her warriors were impatient and deadly to foes" (p. 8). They kept the city safe. The city was also known for its abundance of food, wood, and water. 
• Vasistha performs a sacrifice, and calls down Indra, the King of Heaven, who is not happy to be called, because he is unable to beat Ravana in battle.
• No amount of power by the gods can defeat Ravana. Indra goes to Lord Vishnu, trying to convince him to become incarnate as a human in order to defeat Ravana. He already has become in human form. 
• 16 years later, Vishwamitra arrives at the palace looking for help with his battles with the rakshasas. The baby Sukesha had three sons: Mali, Sumaili, and Malyavan
• They went to Vishwakarma, the architect gods, and asked for a home to be built. Lanka was made. Vishnu attacked and killed Mali. 
• Ravana married Mandodari, and had a son Meghanada (Indrajit)
• Ravana challenges Yama, the god of death, who surrendered to him. Surya and Chandra surrendered to him as well. 
• Ravana then attacked Amaravati, Indra's heaven, who slammed the gates of heaven to keep Ravana from coming in.
• In Mithila, Rama's strength allows him to break the bow of Shiva and he is able to wed Sita, Janaka's daughter. They marry and are brought back to Ayodhya. 
• Vishwamirta, ultimately wants Rama's help in defeating Ravana. Dasaratha agrees to allow Rama and Lakshmama to go with him. He becomes a mentor to the boys.
• On their journey, they travel to Mithilia, where Rama restores Ahalya.
• Rama's strength allows him to break the bow of Shiva, which gives him permission to marry Janaka's daughter, Sita. They travel back to Ayodhya. 

Storytelling for Week 3: The Great Abduction

Once upon a time in a far away forest, there was a poor old man. This man had been living in rags and had not had a stable home, a woman, or even a friend in years. He became so discouraged with himself and his ability to accomplish anything that he turned into a vein hermit. This hermit went by the name of Ravana. Many, many years had passed and not much had changed in Ravana's life. He lived a life full of emptiness, sadness, and quite frankly had not a single loved one. One day, Ravana had reached an all time low. He had never been so lonely before, and longed a woman more than anything. He gave himself two options: to continue his life full of loneliness or to get up and change something. With great debate, he chose the second option. It may seem easy to others to make a change like this, but Ravana was so severely out of the loop, he had not talked to a single being in hundreds of years. Instead of easing into things and taking small steps toward finding a wife and a life full of love and happiness, Ravana dives into this task with full fury. He was going to do whatever it takes, and I mean whatever it takes, to find the perfect woman to spend the rest of his life with. He begins his journey with a search. He searches all throughout the woods, backwards and forwards, looking for any sign of a living woman. He has no luck. Ravana becomes extremely anxious and begins to go mad. His search becomes frantic and he begins to loose hope. Days, weeks, months go by with no sight of a woman. Ravana is hopeless and decides to give up on his search. As turns around and endlessly walks back toward the way he came, he spots something shining out of the corner of his eye. He turns toward the shining figure and he sees shiny blonde hair on the most beautiful he has ever seen or imagined in his lifetime. Her name is Sita. He becomes so flustered because he has not had contact with anyone, yet alone a woman, in years so he has no idea to react. He follows his first instinct, which is to catch her before he looses her. He approaches her in his ragged state, anxious beyond belief. She was startled at first, saying "Who goes there? Turn back now or I will have you sought after!". Ravana responds by saying, "I want no harm, I am just a poor old man, coming for something I need." This eases Sita, as she plans to just fetch him some food and a new pair of clothes and send him on his way. He comes closer and closer until he stands on the ground right in front of her and says, "I need you, I will take you with me now", clearly not knowing how to properly interact with another human being. This takes Sita off guard, "I am a married woman, you cannot have me. I demand you to leave!". Out of fury, Ravana shakes the ground below her feet causing her to fall and then lifts the ground as a whole. In her helpless state, Ravana grabs onto her arm and ties his arm to hers. She exclaims, "You cannot take me like this, I have a husband who will find me!", and without caring Ravana responds by saying, "You are the woman I need and the woman I want, for the rest of our immortal lives you will be bound by my side.", and heads deep into the forest with his newly found woman.

Ravana Capturing Sita. Wikipedia

Author's Note: This week, I decided to retell the story of Ravana abducting Sita.  I decided to tell this story, because I thought there were so many different twists and spins you could add to it, and I wanted to bring simplicity and background to the story. In the actual story, Ravana had a thought out plan to abduct Sita, by approaching her as an old hermit while she is unguarded and then taking her. In my story, I decided to come up with a back story for Ravana, as if he hadn't planned her abduction, and simply was actually an old hermit, whom she thought was approaching her. The abduction was meant to be similar to the actual abduction, but reasons for doing it and the way it ends were meant to be dramatically different.

Narayan, R.K. (1972) The Ramayana. 

Week 3: Reading Diary B - The Final Quest

Reading Diary pg. 131-171
The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

Since this reading consists of many short chapters, I decided to format my notes by chapter, and introducing any new characters that stands out to me as I go.

Chapter 8 - Memento from Rama
This reading starts out with Hanuman arriving in Lanka in further search for Sita. He shrank himself so that he could not be seen while searching. He finds several streets with houses of women that belong to Ravana, who he used to be enchanted by but have since been neglected upon the arrival of Sita. Hanuman enters a mansion, where he finds a beautiful women, whom he may think is Sita. She seemed very happy, with attendants fanning her left and right. Hanuman thought, it can't be Sita, and later realized it must be Ravana's wife, Mandodari. He continues his search, when he spots Sita in the Ashoka Vana pleasure garden, where she is being heavily guarded by demons. Ravana comes up to her to convince her to be his main mistress, where she refuses and Ravana orders the demons to break her will. Hanuman cant help but have have respect for Sita for staying so loyal to Rama. She becomes desperate, wanting to kill her life, until Hanuman comes before her and explains everything. They exchange jewelry. Indrajit, Ravana's son, takes Hanuman to Ravana, where he tells him about Rama and demands him to surrender. In furry, Ravana wants to kill him, but Ravana's brother, Vibhishana, persuades him not to. He puts Hanuman's tail on fire, burning Lanka to the ground. It is later rebuilt by the architect of the gods, Maya.

Chapter 9 - Ravana in Council
This chapter begins with Ravana admiring the new architecture of his city. He was so enchanted that he almost forgot he was attacked by a monkey, who then burned down his city. This chapter takes place in a council meeting setting, where Ravana and his people express their thoughts on what happened and what the next step should be. Mahodara, a giant to giants, wants to defeat all of the monkeys. Ravana's son, Indrajit, wants to kill Rama. Vibhishana speaks of the dangers of humans and reminds Ravana that he is not protected against humans and that he should release Sita. Ravana demands him to leave or be killed.

Chapter 10 - Across the Ocean
Vibhishana seeks out Rama in order to make peace. At first, they question him and especially Sugreeva and Jambavan are suspicious of him. They think if he is that quick to turn against his brother Ravana, then he is not loyal and cannot be trusted. Rama demands they take him in by saying, "One who speaks for himself must be accepted at his face value. One who seeks asylum must be protected"(p. 143). He was an asset to help plan out how to attack Lanka. Rama's first challenge was to get all of his armies across the ocean to get to Lanka. He prayed and fasted for 7 days and demanded the sea gods to help his armies cross, or else he will evaporate all of the ocean's water. The sea gods allowed a bridge to be built, and with the efforts of all of the troops, they were able to march across the ocean and arrive in Lanka.

Chapter 11 - The Siege of Lanka
Ravana's troops were dropping one by one. No one who went out had returned. Ravana tried many things to keep Rama from attacking. He sent his people out disguised as monkeys, he tried to fool Sita into thinking Rama had been decapitated, and tried to corrupt Rama's supporters, such as Sugreeva. Rama demanded his troops to attack Lanka. Sita is tricked into thinking Rama and Lakshmana are dead, but later finds out they were just injected with poison to make them faint. Garudu, a bird who is the vehicle of Vishnu, is able to reverse the power of the poison. Rama is later brought to Ravana for confrontation, where he sees how badly shattered Ravana is and allows him to return tomorrow with fresh weapons to fight.

Chapter 12 - Rama and Ravana in Battle
Rama and Ravana embark into an intense battle, where many armies on both sides have been destroyed. Ravana becomes so weak that he faints, but Rama refuses to kill him while he is in that state. When he rises again, Rama gets him in the heart and kills him. He orders for a funeral to be arranged as he exclaimed, "Honour him and cherish his memory so that his spirit may go to heaven, where he has his place. And now I will leave you to attend to his funeral arrangements, befitting his grandeur."(p.160) This really shows Rama's true character. He is a loving person, and wants the best for all, and for everyone to be remembered for their good, not their bad.

Chapter 13 - Interlude 
This chapter begins with Rama sending Hanuman to get Sita. Sita was overjoyed to finally be freed of Ravana. She is going to see Rama for the first time, while they are surrounded by a large crowd, which makes Sita feel a bit uncomfortable and awkward, but of course accepted it. Sita senese a barrier between her and Rama, and it rather confused. Rama then claims that his task is done and that he has freed her. He claims they could not longer live together again, since she had resided alone in a stranger's house. Sita broke down as she hears this, and Lakshmana demands that a fire be lit, and Sita jumps into it demanded that she had been untouched by Ravana. Rama was now satisfied, since he had established his wife's loyalty in front of the public. He welcomed her back into his arms, and they were together again at last!

Chapter 14 - The Coronation
14 years have gone by, and thus Rama's exile is over. He will now return to Ayodhya, where Bharata will be awaiting him. If Rama does not return, he is prepared to kill himself. Rama, Sita, and many others make their way back home to Ayodhya, where a happy reunion was awaiting them!

Week 3: Reading Diary A - Buckle Up For the Ride!

Reading Diary pg. 89-130

The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

This reading starts off with Sita being abducted by Ravana. Jatayu, the bird and their protector, tries to fight off Ravana, but dies and uses his last breaths to tell Rama what happened to Sita. Rama and Lackshmana head to Kishkinda in desperate search of Sita.

Chapter 6, The Vali, is known as the most controversial chapter in the Ramayana. This chapter takes place in the mountainous forest regions of Kishkinda, a kingdom ruled by extremely intelligent monkeys. Sugreeva is ruler of the monkey clan, and Hanuman was his helper. 

One statement by Narayan that stood out to me right away as I started this reading was, "In the Ramayana, the participants are not only human beings but many others from God's creation, intelligent, cultured, and with their own achievements of spirit as well as physique" (p. 98). I thought this was really cool, because as we have seen already in the previous readings, Jatayu was an eagle, and I really became attached to him as a character. I may be writing about the animal characters for my storybook, so I had done a little research about them this past weekend, and found it so interesting. 

Sugreeva's Story 

Vali, the brother of Sugreeva, possesses unlimited strength because he was the only one who was able to turn the churner until nectar was obtained from the ocean. "He was rewarded with immeasurable strength. He held more energy than the five elements in nature and at one stride could cross the seven oceans and reach the mountain Charuvala, beyond all the seas" (p. 100). The demon, Mayavi, with odious features, challenged Vali. As soon as Vali rose to fight, Mayavi backed down, knowing that he had acted before thinking, and fled into a subterranean passage. Vali chased after him into the passage where he then disappeared. Right before he dissapeared he told Sugreeva to "Stay here and watch until I return" (p. 100), but there was no sign of him for many many months. Sugreeva was instructed to block the passage by his advisors so Mayavi could not re-emerge. Eventually, Vali destroyed Mayavi and returned from the passage, and was enraged to find out that Sugreeva had blocked the passage, thinking his own brother was trying to lock him in there. Once he found Sugreeva, he attacked him in vein, and Sugreeva fled to Mount Mantanga to hide from Vali. He also takes Sugreeva's wife making her his own, leaving Sugreeva without a home and without a wife. 

Rama was touched by this story, and felt pity for Sugreeva. Hanuman believes that Rama can help to defeat Vali. Rama agrees by saying, "I will help you. Tell me what you want." (p. 101). Sugreeva also agrees to help Rama find Sita. 

Dundubi's Story

The bones on top of the mountain are the bones of the monster, Dundubi, who was a powerful demon in the shape of a buffalo. He wanted to engage in war with Vishnu, who directed him to Shiva, where he expressed the wish to have the power to fight forever. Shiva then directed Dundubi to Indra, the chief of all gods, who then told him to go meet Vali, the only one who can fufill his wish. Vali attacked Dundubi as he descended from the mountain, and their fight continued for a full year. Vali takes Dundubi's horn off, killing him with it and whirling him into the air. His body flew to the spot where Sage Matanga was performing sacred rituals, who then went after Vali for ruining his prayer ground. 

• Sugreeva calls Vali to a fight, feeling confident with the help of Rama. They go into battle, and Rama strikes him with an arrow that later kills him. Sugreeva becomes the king. 
• He later helps Rama with his search for Sita by sending out search parties. 
• Hanuman and Andgada go south in search for Sita, but have no luck. They eventually run into the ocean, where they meet Sampathi, Jatayu's brother. 
• Sampathi was burned and charred by the sun god, and restored by the sound of Rama's name. Sampathi had seen Ravana take Sita to Lanka. 
• The bear, Jambavan points them in the right direction to Lanka, which is across the ocean. 

I really enjoyed this reading, because I loved the involvement with animal characters towards the end. I think it is really cool to see all the different characters in this book and how they interact with each other. There was constant action and surprises in this reading, making it really fun to read. My favorite part of this book so far is all of the character development and the stories explaining each character's past.