Reading Notes 3.1 Ramayana, Part A

The Ramayana is a very well written text, in which many interpretations can come about depending upon the version you are reading. These notes I am focusing on key characters, locations, and important events in the first part of the reading.

The book starts off with the description of Ayodhya, which is located in the beautiful country of Kosala. Back then there were kings and queens who ruled over countries, presiding over country was King Dasaratha, who lived in a palace in Ayodhya.

King Dasharatha

• Ruler of the kingdom of Koshala
• strong and powerful, loved by his people 
• life of sorrow, no sons from any of the three wives
• King of Solar dynasty

Sage Vasishtha

• The guru of King Dasharatha 
• offers insight to Dasharatha on his question to what to do to bless his family with children
• tells king to perform a yagna, Rishya Sringa will provide the blessings

The birth of the 4 sons: Rama, Bharatha, Lakshmana, and Sathrugna

• birth from the sacred rice that came out of the flame from the yagna

Arrival of Viswamithra

• Once a king turned sage
• Wants to take Rama to fight in his battle with the demons who are disrupting holy sacrifices
• initially father refuses
• no chariot to take the prince to the final destination
• Lakshmana to accompany 
• bewilderment and distress on the faces of the two princes, their leader gave them a mantra "Bala" and "Adi-Bala" (this transformed the arid atmosphere to a cool breeze. 

Thataka's Story

• daughter of Suketha, a yaksha, a demigod
• husband got cursed by Agasthya, because he was ultimately causing destruction
• wife and kids furious at Agasthya, they also get cursed by him...said they will become asuras 
• sons leave to seek out other superdemons, mom left alone
• V tells Ram to kill Thatka

Mahabali's Story

• another one of V's story
• Mahabali seizes earth and heaven, gods beg Vishnu during his meditation time
• Vishnu is born in a brahmin fam 
• Vishnu's third step presses Mahabali down to the netherworld

- Sons of Thataka arrive at the yagna site to avenge mother's death, both unsuccessful

- now to Mithila City, home of King Janaka

Ganga's Story

• comes from the Himalayas
• Sakara, one of Ram's ancestors, wanted to do a horse sacrifice, in order to expand his kingdom, causing the gods to worry, thus when Sakara's horse was abducted by Indra to the deepest world underground behind a meditating Sage Kapila
• Sons dig and find the horse, tormented sage, but sage burns them with his eyes
• 1 grandson survives, Bhagiratha, prayed for thousands of years for salvation of his ancestors and with the help of Shiva he brought the Ganga down to earth and Shiva took the impact on his head and now the stream flows from his head

Ahalya's Story

• Brahma's creation 
• grown under the watchful eye of Gautama, later her husband, but that did not end Indra's infatuation with her beauty. 
• Indra = rooster, sleeps with Ahalya, she realizes 1/2 way that he's an impostor, but too late, G is back and he curses Indra with female parts all over his body (later they become eyes) and Ahalya to become stone until Ram comes by

The Wedding 

• Sita and Ram, it's literally love at first sight!
• The city is decorated ornately
• They are the reincarnations of Vishnu and Lakshmi
• The swayamvar competition begins...whoever could lift, bend, and string the bow of Vishnu shall have Sita's hand in marriage
• Sita = gift of Mother Earth, found in furrow of field
• the city is overjoyed, wedding bells are ringing in the near future
• The groom's family has arrived and in style with the whole entourage
• the other 3 bros find brides in Mithila

Promises, the day and age where they actually meant something

• King realizes he's getting old, very fast announcements to be sent out stating Ram's coronation
• Bharat and Shatrughn are at Kaikeyi's parents's home
• Kooni = Manthra = evil maid of Kaikeyi fills bad thoughts into Kaikeyi's head about Ram shouldn't be king, it's stealing what Bharat could have
• Kaikeyi had a mind with very good thoughts, but in comes Manthra to throws poison in
• 2 promises that D promised to Kaikeyi are back, she now asks for the boons
• banish Ram to the forests for 14 years
• Crown Bharat
• everybody is distraught by Ram leaving, Lakshmana and Sita accompany him even when Ram insisted not to 
• D is completely devastated by Kaikeyi's request
• D tells Kausalya why this is happening... one day when D was in the forest he shot a human thinking it was an elephant and the blind parents died upon learning their son died, but not before they cursed the killer
• mass chaos ensued around the kingdoms 

Bibliography. Ramayana by N.K. Narayan, online pdf. 

The bow breaks under Ram's strength