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!
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