Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part A

Story source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)

The Birth of Rama

  • Valmiki invents poetry and tells the story of Rama
  • 2 Indian Kingdoms: Kosala and Mithila
    • Kosala - King Dasaratha, Prince Rama (capital is Ayodhya)
    • Mithila - King Janaka, Princess Sita
  • Dasaratha wanted a son
  • He had 3 wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra
  • He decided to perform the Aswamedha (horse sacrifice) to ask for a son
  • Meanwhile, the gods were worried about the demon Ravana, who was oppressing the gods
  • Ravana was invincible to the gods and could only be destroyed by a mortal
  • Vishnu, the Preserver god, decided that he will be reincarnated as the Dasaratha's sons so he can battle Ravana as a mortal
  • Dasaratha has 4 sons, one of whom is Rama born to Kausalya

Vishwatra, Rama's Teacher

  • The boys all grew up together and trained
  • Rama proved to be the most beautiful and accomplished
  • At 16, the sage Vishvamitra visits them and asks Rama to help with demons disrupting their sacrificial offerings
  • The king reluctantly agrees, but says one of his brothers, Lakshmana should go with him
  • They follow the sage back to his home and help defeat many demons, including Taraka - a deformed female demon
  • Rama is given celestial weapons
  • The sages plan to go to a ritual in Mithila and want the brothers to come because King Janaka will show them Shiva's bow - a powerful weapon

Rama and Sita

  • In Mithila, King Janaka presents Shiva's bow and says that whoever can bend the bow can marry his daughter, Sita
  • Rama not only bends it but also breaks it. Everyone is shocked by his strength.
  • He marries Sita and they return to Ayodhya
  • They have romantic evenings wandering the ponds and gardens
  • King Dasaratha was growing old and needed to decide on who would be his successor
  • All his aids suggested Rama and most of the Kingdom rejoiced

Marriage of Rama and Sita (Source: Wikipedia)

Kaikeyi's Plot

  • The slave of the wife Kaikeyi did not rejoice
  • Her name was Manthara and she was super ugly. She hated Rama from a young age
  • She convinces Kaikeyi to feel jealous that her son wasn't chosen to be king
  • Manthara tells her to use the 2 favors that the King granted her long ago when she saved his life
  • Kaikeyi demands that the King make her son Bharata the king and exile Rama for 14yrs
  • The King is shocked and upset, but eventually agrees
  • He says that he will reject her and her son forever
Rama's Exile

  • Everyone is happy and preparing for the new king's coronation
  • Rama is told about his banishment but is unmoved and readily obeys
  • Everyone is upset 
  • His mother and Lakshmana beg him not to leave
  • He tells the situation to Sita and asks her to stay and obey the new king's orders
  • But she resists and forces him to take her with him because she loves him so much
  • Lakshmana also says he will join, so the 3 of them leave

The Death of Dasaratha

  • The 3 say bye to the heart-broken king and people of the city
  • They leave with very little
  • Some citizens even follow them out in hopes of accompanying them in the exile
  • But the 3 continue their journey while the others are sleeping so they can suffer alone
  • The king meanwhile recalls when he was a young hunter
    • He accidentally kills a man
    • The man's parents are blind and old and are devasted when they find out
    • The man's dad tells the king that he will one day feel what he is feeling
  • The king dies within a few days because of the grief

Rama and Bharata

  • Bharata had been away from the kingdom so when he returns, he shocked to hear the news
  • He and his brother are upset that their mother would do such a thing
  • He apologizes to Kausalya and says that he can't take the throne and will look for Rama instead
  • Him and his army find Rama in the jungle and they grieve their dad
  • Bharata insists that Rama return
  • An advisor of the dead king says Rama doesn't need to keep the promise since the dad is dead
  • But Rama is determined to keep his loyalty and discusses good and evil
  • Bharata tries to give him golden sandals but Rama rejects them
  • Bharata says he will live like a devotee in the jungle, conducting his gov affairs there, and place the sandals on the throne as a symbol that he is just waiting for Rama to return


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