Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part B

Reading Notes over Ramayana, Part B: Bharata comes home to find that Dasharatha, his father, has died and that his mother made his father give him the kingdom. Bharata is furious at his mother for he knows that his older brother, Rama, is the rightful heir to thrown. Bharata finds out that Rama has been exiled and makes up his mind that he will bring Rama back to Ayodhya. However, before Bharata can go to the forest to find his brother, he must bury their father. After the burial, Bharata finds Rama in the jungle and begs him to come home. No matter how much Bharata begs Rama to come back home and reign as king, Rama says he has to obey the commands of their father and stay in exile for fourteen years. Rama tells Bharata to rule the kingdom and Bharata follows his older brother's command. Before going back to Ayodhya, since Rama cannot be in the kingdom in the flesh, Bharata takes a pair of Rama's sandals and sets them at the king's throne that Bharata promises to guard for Rama. Back in the jungle, Lakshmana, Rama, and Sita encounter Atri and his wife Anasuya. Sita is drawn to Anasuya with her tender mother's love and tells Anasuya her life story. As time goes on, one day Rama and Lakshmana finally encounter a woman named Shurpanakha, who is the sister of the evil King Ravana. Shurpanakha falls in love with Rama who does not reciprocate the same love for her. Rama suggests that she can have his brother, Lakshmana; however, he does not have any feelings for her either. With two rejections, Shurpanakha is furious and shows her true colors. She is so upset that she begs her brother, Khara, to destory Rama and Lakshmana. Khara and the two brothers fight a vigorous battle, but in the end Rama and Lakshmana defeat Khara. With the defeat of her brother, Shurpanakha goes to her most powerful brother Ravana and tells him about the death of Khara which was the doing of Rama and Lakshmana. Ravana is furious and devices a plan to fight the brothers. Rama decides to bring a man named Maricha into his plan of abducting Sita. Maricha is the only living son of Thataka, who Rama killed in the past. Maricha and Ravana team up and eventually abducts Sita through Maricha transforming into a beautiful golden deer. Ravana is mesmerized by the beauty and grace of Sita that he takes her to his kingdom. As Ravana and Sita fly away, the helpful and mighty Jatayu tries to save precious Sita. Jatayu is unsuccessful and is left to die. As Rama and Lakshmana returned to their hut and found Sita missing, they grieved and searched high and low for her. They find Jatayu who with his last moments of life helps the brothers in the direction of finding Sita. On their journey to find Sita, Rama and Lakshmana encounter an elderly woman named Shabari. Shabari has waited patiently for the arrival of the powerful Rama.

(503 Words)

Bibliography: Ramayana by M.Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder (link)

Ravana and Sita. Source: Wikimedia Commons