Week 4: Reading Diary B || Interesting Notes

At the beginning of this weeks reading, we experience the decision to make Rama King and the arguments that follow. I noticed that King Dasaratha spoke with more logic as he explained his desire to make Rama King. On page 61, he said, “the opinions of disinterested men are different from the beliefs of a father.” I do not recall him speaking with such logic in Narayan’s version.

Another thing I noted from the beginning of this book was how the word “Time” was capitalized. We see never see this word with a lowercase letter. I noted each instance of this word throughout the readings and I became curious as to why time was being characterized as a person. In one instance they said, “Time approaches you” or “looking into the water saw Time cast his shadow over Kaikeyi’s heart”, and my favorite “Time causes change.” The few instances I have named here could hold the same meaning if it were not named. Is this a Hindu literature normality? I remember reading the Odessey and other Greek literature where they would often capitalize such words. I would be interested in learning why they capitalize Time, Truth, and Fire, and many others, I’m sure.

On page 62, Dasaratha tells Rama of his strange dreams saying, “I dreamt of stars falling to the ground in daylight with terror and noise.” Buck uses many analogies, but this phrase really stuck out to me. I wondered if it was symbolic of the final battle between Ravana and Rama when the Yakshas and Rakshasas were falling from the sky. It could be simply that he is fearing that his stars, or his youth, dissipates to the earth too early and the terror and noise could be the fear that Ayodhya would no longer have a ruler.

A few instances I noted that were much different in Bucks version was how desperately Kausalya desired for Rama to stay in Ayodhya. I wondered why or how one writer could visualize a character one way and the other writer to visualize her in a completely different way. I also noted how the conversation between Rama and Sita made so much more sense in Bucks version. Sita counters every argument Rama has for her to stay in Ayodhya and finally he decides that her will is not going to falter and he allows her to join him. Allowing her to join him may not have been the greatest decision on Ramas part, but it sure does lead to a great story!