Week 3: Narayan's Ramayana (pp. 89-171)Assignments - Reading Guide A - Reading Guide B - Ramayana Resources |
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Your Reading A for this week is Narayan's Ramayana, pp.
89-130. You might want to read over the previous
reading guide to remind yourself of what has happened so far.
p.
89. Ravana abducts Sita. Sita is
terrified when she hears Rama's call
for help and makes Lakshmana go
help him. When Sita is alone, Ravana comes
to her disguised as a poor old hermit and Sita receives him kindly, but when
his true identity is revealed, Sita tells him to go away before Rama returns.
Ravana picks up the ground Sita is standing on and flies away with her.
p. 94. Jatayu and Ravana. Jatayu tries to rescue Sita from Ravana, but Ravana defeats and kills him. Rama and Lakshmana return and find Jatayu dying. Jatayu speaks to them but dies before he can say which way Ravana had gone.
p.
97. Rama and Lakshmana meet Hanuman. Rama and Lakshmana
head south to the monkey kingdom of Kishkinda.
The monkey Hanuman sees
Rama and Lakshmana when they arrive. He presents himself to them disguised
as a scholar but Rama sees through his disguise. Hanuman is loyal to Sugriva,
the younger brother of Vali,
who is the king of Kishkinda.
p.
99. The story of Vali and Sugriva. Vali had helped churn
nectar from the ocean and so earned the gratitude of the gods, who gave him
awesome fighting powers. The demon Mayavi challenged
Vali, and Vali chased Mayavi into a cave. When Vali did not emerge from the
cave, Sugriva's advisors persuaded him to block up the cave to trap Mayavi
inside. Vali finally emerged from the cave, however, and was enraged at Sugriva.
He beat Sugriva, who fled to Mount Matanga to escape Vali. Vali took Sugriva's
wife.
p.
101. Rama's sympathy for Sugriva. Rama feels
sorry for Sugriva, who has lost his wife and is in exile. Hanuman thinks
Rama could help them to defeat Vali. Hanuman recognizes that Rama is Vishnu incarnate.
p.
103. Matanga and Vali. The reason Vali could not come
to Mount Matanga is because he has been cursed by the sage Matanga.
This happened when Vali fought the demon Dundubhi who
had taken the shape of a buffalo. Vali had killed Dundubhi and hurled its carcass
so that it fell near the sage Matanga and angered him. Matanga cursed Vali
so that he would die if he came to Mount Matanga.
p. 104. Sita's jewelry. Sita had thrown down her jewelry when she was being carried off by Ravana, and it had been found by the monkeys. Sugriva gives Sita's jewelry to Rama and agrees to help find her.
p.
104. Sugriva battles Vali. Assured of Rama's help, Sugriva
challenges Vali. Vali laughs at this challenge, but his wife Tara urges
him to not fight. Rama hides and shoots an arrow at Vali during his fight with
Sugriva. Vali sees Rama's mark on the arrow. He argues with Rama about whether
Rama acted rightly or not. In the end, Vali agrees that Rama had not acted
wrongly. He dies, and is mourned by Tara and his son Angada.
p. 115. Sugriva made king. Sugriva is made king after Vali's death, with Angada as his second-in-command. Rama gives Sugriva advice about how to rule.
p.
116. The rainy season.
Rama and Lakshmana spend the rainy season in the forest. After the rainy
season, Sugriva is supposed to gather an army to help them, but Sugriva is
lost in debauchery and forgets his promise. Rama sends Lakshmana to remind
Sugriva of his promise.
p. 119. Lakshmana visits Sugriva. Angada tells Sugriva that Lakshmana is coming, but in his drunken state Sugriva does not react. Lakshmana kicks down the gates of the city. Tara greets Lakshmana and placates him. Hanuman invites Lakshmana to go see Sugriva. Sugriva vows he will not get drunk again and goes to see Rama. Rama greets Sugriva gladly.
p. 124. Search parties are sent out. Sugriva amasses
a huge army to help Rama. Hanuman and Angada lead the search party that heads
south. Rama tells Hanuman how to recognize Sita and gives him his ring as a
sign to show to Sita.
p.
127. Hanuman and Angada head south. As they head south,
Hanuman and Angada are trapped in a tunnel and find themselves in a deserted
underground kingdom. The only person they find there is a woman who had once
been a goddess. They break out of the underground kingdom and the woman returns
to heaven. Hanuman and Angada reach the ocean's edge without having found
Sita.
p. 128. Sampathi. At the ocean's edge, they meet Sampathi,
the brother of Jatayu, who had fallen to earth there when his wings had been
burned. When Sampathi hears the name Rama, his wings grow back. Sampathi had
seen Ravana bearing Sita away to Lanka. The bear Jambavan tells
Hanuman he needs to cross the ocean. Hanuman grows to a gigantic size so that
he can step across the ocean to Lanka.
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