Reading Diary B: Search for Sita

Part B of this week’s reading starts back with where it left us regarding Sita and Rama’s journey through the forest. Sita and Rama are busy dealing with Ravana. Ravana now has Maricha working with him as he sends him to Rama as a golden deer. Sita then encourages Rama to chase the deer, however, when he kills the deer it cries out in Rama’s voice, which startles Sita. Lakshmana goes in search of Rama, but during this time Ravana appears in front of Sita in his elderly disguise. As soon as Ravana ditches his disguise he grasps Sita and takes her away against her will, obviously. Luckily, Sita lets her jewelry fall off to where the two monkeys are in hope of their realization of the situation. We then learn that Ravana cannot rape Sita because his heads would explode if he committed rape due to the curse that had been placed upon him. Therefore, Ravana captured Sita and must convince her to give into him willfully. Rama and Lakshmana return to find that Sita is gone. Luckily, they get sent in the right direction as they start to discover clues ultimately leading to the monkeys. Hanuman then is the one who takes Rama and Lakshmana to Sugriva, who reveals Sita’s discovered jewelry. All of the monkeys go out in massive search parties looking for Sita to lead her back to Rama and Lakshmana. They leave us with the squad who went to the south that has encountered Swayamprabha, she is in charge of the underground world. They are down there for about a month, but they refuse to quit and emerge from the cave ready to continue their search.

Sugriva

Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: The adventure into the forest

The second section of Buck’s Ramayana opens with Kausalya awaking to find Dasharatha is now dead. Instantly they must have people go seek Bharata since Rama has been exiled and Dasharatha is now dead. Although Bharata does not approve of the decision his mother has made he is shocked to find out that he is now king. Bharata decides that he must immediately go and find Rama and convince him to come back to inherit the throne. Rama informs Bharata that he cannot return because he has to finish the fourteen-year sentence of the exile. Bharata does not want to take the throne but eventually agrees as long as he can take Rama’s sandals back to place on the throne as a reminder that he is ruling only until Rama is able to return and claim his throne back. The story skips ahead into the last summer of Rama’s exile as he is headed for the Dandaka forest where Ravana rules. Agastya stops them before they head into the forest to prepare them and give Rama a better bow as they prepare to enter into the forest. As they enter the forest Shurpanakha, Ravana’s sister, attacks Sita and proposes to Rama. She then storms off and informs the demons what has happened, they then launch an entire attack on Rama, however, Rama and Lakshmana defeat the entire demon army and Ravana is beginning to take notice of Rama and Sita. Ravana decides that he must take Sita for himself instead of Rama having her. We are then introduced to Maricha, Ravana’s uncle, and learn that Ravana and his uncle are planning to capture Sita.  

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana

Source: Wikipedia