Thursday, February 4, 2016

Week Three Reading Diary Continued: The Ramayana, R.K. Narayan

The story comes to an end in the epic novel "The Ramayana" I see this story in a completely different light.  It is not what I expected, but I enjoyed reading it from the very beginning to the very end.  I saw Rama go through immense trials trying to defeat Ravana, and those on Ravana's side.  With the constant reminder of Sita on his mind he shows that while in battle, his everlasting love for Sita remains unchanged.

Rama and Sugreeva finally meet after Lakshamana travels to Kishkinda and confronts Sugreeva on the behalf of his brother.  Feeling guilty, Sugreeva acknowledges his negligence towards Rama and apologizes for his foolish behavior.  He soon tells Lakshamana that it is not that he “completely forgot” about Rama, nor the severity of the situation, but his allies have not given him word as to whether or not they will be able to help.

After offering Lakshamana a bath and a place to lay his head, Lakshamana reminds Sugreeva that his brother Rama is still in the forest waiting.  Rama is unable to experience such luxury, and he too will not experience it either.  What must take place is a meeting between him and Rama explaining the circumstances of the situation.

Sugreeva (and I too), admire Lakshamana’s loyalty to his brother and agrees to go to the forest where Rama is residing. After Sugreeva apologizes for his actions, and mentions that the rainy season had lasted longer than what was expected.  He would not give up on his mission, nor betray his trust.  Soon, the soldiers of Kishkanda are sent out to look for Sita.  Much time passes by, but then Hanuman and the soldiers receive information as to where Sita is being held in captivity.  When Hanuman travels to Lanka in hopes of finding Sita, he lands a visit with Ravana.

This part of the story stood out the most to me because of the actions Hanuman had taken after his meeting with Ravana.  His tail was lit on fire, and while leaving Ravana’s haven, Hanuman set everything on fire while he was leaving the city.  The description of the cities appearance and smell is to familiar to me, and surely I thought that Ravana would have disregarded his advisement to not kill Hanuman because he was a messenger.  



Bibliography: "The Ramayana" written by R.K. Narayan

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