The last chapter ended with one of Dasharatha's son's mother, Kaikeyi, demanding her wish be that Rama is sent into exile for fourteen years, and her son Bharata become the successor. Dasharatha had no choice but to abide by these wishes since he owed them to her. Dasharatha dies when he hears of Rama's departure into the forest. Bharata is so enraged that his mother would exile his own brother, that he refuses to take the crown. Lakshmana and Sita accompany Rama with his exile.
Chapter 4: Encounters in Exile
This chapter begins with Rama, Lakshmana and Sita continuing through the forest. They encounter Jatayu, a bird who was previously a friend of Dasharatha. Once Jatayu was informed of Dasharatha's death, he wanted to end his life then and there, but the boys convinced him to keep his life, as he is the closest thing to a father figure now. He agreed to embark on their journey with them.
-> A quote that I loved from this page was when Jatayu said, "While I fly, follow me in the shadow of my wings"(p.66). To me, this quote represents security for the boys and Sita. They are now being watched over by the bird, and it almost seemingly feels like their father watching over them from above. With all of the uncertainty and danger in their journey, they now have a feeling of comfort and solace when being protected by a friend of their dads.
As they continue to embark on their journey, they finally reach Panchvati. Rama is reminded of the reason he is here in the first place... "he had come here to encounter and destroy the asuras, the fiends who infested this area, causing suffering and hardship to all the good souls who only wanted to be left alone to pursue their spiritual aims in peace"(p.67). Ramas purpose of incarnation was to destroy these asuras and therefore abolish the fear from all men and gods, to establish peace, and to bring justice to the world. While he was in the woods, he meets a woman named Kamavalli, daughter of Sage Visravas and sister of Ravana, and is immediately paralyzed by her beauty.
-> Although he is just mesmerized by her beauty, Rama's reaction to this woman makes me wonder if he finds it somewhat normal to be in love with more than one woman at a time, since his father had many wives. Does polygamy exist in this story?
Kamavalli quickly asks for Rama's hand in marriage, but he politely refuses. As Sita walks out of their cottage toward the two, jealousy overcomes Kamavalli. She then goes on to convince herself that Sita is not Rama's wife.
-> This reminds me of a modern day situation, as every girl feels envious toward that one girl that seems so perfect on the outside, making you feel a bit of insecurity. I also know we have all at some point in time convinced ourselves of something in order to feel better and more in control about a situation.
Kamavalli goes to extremes to break apart Rama and Sita, and plans to capture Sita. She later gets captured by Lakshmana, who punishes her by cutting off her nose, ears, and breasts. She eventually runs off to her brother, Ravana in Lanka.
Chapter 5: The Grand Tormentor
This chapter starts off with Ravana in Lanka, and gods are acting for his every need. Vayu, god of wind, was there to blow away flowers and sweep the halls clean, Yama, the god of death, was there to sound the gong at each hour of the day, and the god of fire was there to keep lamps, incense, and camphor flames lit at all times. Many more were there to serve him. Out of no where, Soorpanka comes running to the scene, falling to the throne, crying, "See what has happened to me!" (p.80). Ravan is furiated, until she begins to talk about Sita and her beauty and falls in love with her just from her description.
Ravana visits his uncle, Maricha to gain advice about Rama, since he had been up against him before. They come up with a sneaky plan, not to fight off Rama, but to distract and trick him, and then snatch Sita. Maricha disguises as a beautiful deer, capturing Sitas attention. Rama attack the deer so that Sita may have it, and while doing so he shoots him, but his cries sound like Rama's. This worries Sita, and she forces Laksmana to go check on him. While doing so, Ravana shows up to capture Sita. Her efforts are not enough to keep him from taking her. Jatayu, their protector, comes back into the picture and tries to fight off Ravana! He exclaims, "Don't seek your own ruin, and the ruin of your whole clan, class, tribe, and all. Rama's arrows will end your career, have no doubt about it"(p.94). His efforts fail, and he gets struck down. Sita is now captured by Ravana, but Jatayu is able to tell Rama what has happened before dying. He can now finally be with his beloved friend, Dasharatha. His last words, "Do not despair. You will succeed in the end"(p.95), showing his faith in Rama. To me, this feels like it is almost coming from his father, and foreshadows his success in getting Sita back safely.
Narayan, R. K. 1972. The Ramayana.
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