Week 4: Buck's Ramayana (pp. 1-109)Assignments - Reading Guide A - Reading Guide B - Ramayana Resources |
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Your Reading B for this week is Buck's Ramayana, pp. 60-109.
You might want to read over the previous
reading guide to remind yourself of what has happened so far.
p.
60. Daśaratha and Kaikeyi . While Bharata is
away visiting his grandfather, Daśaratha designates Rama as
his successor and begins to make plans for the coronation ceremony. Kaikeyi is
at first delighted by this news, but the hunchbacked servant Manthara convinces
her that it would be a disaster for them both if Rama became king. At Manthara's
prompting, Kaikeyi decides to use two promises owed to her by Daśaratha: she
demands that Bharata be made king and that Rama be sent into the forest in
exile for fourteen years. Daśaratha has no choice but to agree to Kaikeyi's
wishes. Rama obeys without objection. The priest Vasishtha urges Sumantra the
charioteer to accept the situation.
p.
71. Rama's departure. Before leaving, Rama and Sita give
away their possessions. Sumantra still refuses to accept the situation and
tries to persuade Daśaratha to relent, but fails. Rama asks his father not
to be angry at Kaikeyi. As Rama prepares to leave, the citizens of the kingdom
of Kosala are determined to follow him. The elders of the royal city Ayodhya cause
the river to rise up and block Rama's path so he has to stop for the night.
p. 87. Guha. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana are received by Guha in the forest.
p. 91. Guha and Śiva. Guha tells the story of how he rejected
Śiva's priests and kicked the statue of Śiva every day without fail. Then when
Guha died and was being led to Yama's realm, he was rescued by Śiva, who considered
Guha to be his most devoted follower.
p. 95. The language of animals. Guha tells the story of how Kaikeyi had once tried to use her power to get Daśaratha to teach her the language of animals, even though Daśaratha was forbidden to share this knowledge, at the cost of his own life. When Daśaratha heard the animals talking about his situation amongst themselves, he realized he did not need to do what Kaikeyi had asked.
p.
99.
Bharadwaja. Sumantra returns to Ayodhya, while Rama, Sita,
and Lakshmana go south. They are received by the sage Bharadwaja,
who urges them to take up residence at Chitrakuta.
Lakshmana builds a house for them there.
p. 104. The death of Daśaratha. Sumantra tells the grief-stricken
Daśaratha about Rama's departure. Daśaratha remembers how as a young man he
had accidentally killed a boy in the forest, and how the boy's parents had
asked to be placed on the pyre with their son. Daśaratha sees a connection
between the death of that boy and the loss of his son. When Kausalya awakes
the next morning, she finds that Daśaratha is dead. His soul has been taken
by Yama.
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