Reading Diary A:

This week I chose to continue reading Buck's Ramayana. We left off last week after Sita had been abducted by Ravana and taken by him to Lanka. Then all of the monkeys get together and decide that they need to send Hanuman to Lanka to rescue Sita. Hanuman then makes his way to Lanka, along the way, he encounters the sea demon Sinhika. Sinhika is a female rakshasa or rakshasi who swallows Hanuman. Hanuman manages to escape by crushing Sinhika's heart and then escaping out of her ear. Hanuman then finally arrives at Lanka and changes into a cat so that he is able to roam freely. Hanuman tries to roam everywhere in search of Sita, but is not able to find her anywhere. He even looks in Ravana's bedroom but realizes that it is just Ravana's wives and there is no Sita. He decides to give up on his search until his father, the god of wind, forces Hanuman to the ashoka grove. Ravana then visits Sita at the ashoka grove and attempts to seduce her, however, she knows not to give into Ravana. The guards begin to have conversations about killing Sita and eating her. Hanuman finally reaches out to Sita, and although she does not believe him at first she finally becomes convinced and sends Hanuman off with a message for Rama. Hanuman decides that when he is leaving he needs to cause a destruction in Lanka. He terrorizes the land and causes mass chaos. Hanuman is captured and almost killed, however, he is able to escape and set fire to all of Lanka. He does so without harming Sita and tells her that Rama will soon be coming for her.

Hanuman finding Sita

Source: Wikipedia