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Week 4: Storytelling || Diary Entries of Dasaratha and his wives

Dasaratha’s Diary Entry the day before the sacrifice was given:

I long dearly for a son. If the gods would have it, I would sacrifice myself for the sake of the continuance of my legacy. I fear that when I die, which is approaching faster and faster as I write, I will have no one to carry on my Kingdom of Ayodhya. This world will fall to ruin with a ruler who is not educated on the importance of always paying your debts. Who will I leave this Kingdom to?

His wives entries after they became pregnant:

Kausalya:

My love, the King of the greatest of the worlds, the most loyal and honorable man to ever exist, gave me, ME, of all of his wives, the honor of having the first bite of the sacrificial rice! I can already feel the greatness growing within me. I have compared the kicks of my child with the kicks of Sumitra and Kaikeyi’s and mine is so much stronger! I just know that he will be the strongest being to ever exist. With this also comes pressure though.. What if he is deformed or a GIRL! Oh, I mustn't think those negative thoughts!

Sumitra:

My King has given me the greatest gift one could ever receive. I am having two sons! I have heard of identical sons but I desperately hope that they are different. I want to give Dasaratha all that he desires and I would not want to disappoint him with a replicate! I sing songs each night to them, one at a time. I am so pressured by the subject of having Dasaratha’s first born son! Will he favor one of his sons over the others? What if he does not like my children? What if they foresake him? Will he name me as a traitor as well? What if I lose my home because of these children? I love them more and more as Time goes on, but what if he does not!?

           Kaikeyi:

           Although I love my King with the energy of all of the stars in the sky, why would he only feed me one-eighth of the sacrificial rice? Does he believe me to be barren? Is it because I am the youngest that he did not want me to carry his first born son? Was his desire to only supply Kausalya with the most rice in hopes to create the strongest child in her? Why does my Dasaratha favor the others? Are we not all the same? I fear that my King will not love the child inside of me. I fear that he will not be great enough for my King. 

The birth of Dasarathas sons

Dasaratha’s Diary Entry after having his sons:

          At last I have an heir to the throne! Rama is my first born son from my most lovely Kausalya. I knew that feeding her the most rice would produce the strongest son and first born! His eyes are bright green and carry with them the brightest future. I can tell by his stature that he will be the tallest of my sons. There are no words for how much peace I carry in this moment as I watch him rest. Lakshmana, born from Sumitra, is so funny in how he will not rest unless he knows that Rama is with him. Although they did not share a womb, they know they are brothers and will forever be together. Sumitra also gave me Satrughna, who like Lakshmana, will not be at peace unless he is by the side of his brother Bharata. I know all of my sons will be great because they are born of greatness. I have no fear that they will betray me or their mothers, for they know they are all from the same mother. 

Works Cited:
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Author's note: I chose to write diary entries from Dasaratha and each of his wives as they prepared for the births of their sons and one from Dasaratha after he met each of his sons. I wanted to emphasize the relationship between Dasaratha and each of his wives, as well as the wives opinions of each other. I chose to write over this topic because as I read I envision a certain distaste between wives and I wanted to bring that out through this story. 

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!

Week 4: Reading Diary A || Beginning of Buck's Ramayana

Although this text has been much more descriptive in terms of explaining characters physical appearance and the appearances of locations visited throughout the story, at the beginning of our reading I was confused by the power Valmiki held. Why was his curse on the hunter who shot the “bird in love and unsuspecting (Buck, 7)” so powerful that the man died later that day? Why was the hunter fearful at the sight of Valmiki?

Buck’s introduction to the story of the Ramayana is quite a bit more detailed than Narayan’s. I found the power of Brahma and Valmiki to be trivial. Is Valmiki simply telling stories through poetry and the characters of the Ramayana do not actually exist? I found this part most confusing when I read that Valmiki named Rama and Sita’s children, as if Rama and Sita had no opinion in the matter at all.

One huge difference between the two versions I noted was how well described characters and places were. Ayodhya has three paragraphs dedicated solely to explaining the beauty and prestige of of its belongings and its people. It was mentioned that the Kosalas had no enemies and their beautiful city was unconquerable, which I do not remember Narayan writing about but I wonder if there is significance to this fact.

Brahma appears more frequently throughout this reading than he has previously. His influence on other gods is overwhelming. I noted when he was speaking to Indra on page 13 and he reminded Indra of his power if he uses his intelligence correctly and I thought it was strange that a god would need to be reminded of this.

When the sacrifice for Dasaratha’s four sons had begun, I noted that Vishnu took on the title of Narayana in this version. I looked at the character list at the front of the text and noticed that Rama was not defined. I wonder if they did not define his character in this list because, well, how do you even define Rama in a few words.

After Dasaratha’s four sons were born to three mothers, I noticed the descriptiveness of their appearances. I would have never imagined Rama having green eyes or Lakshmana having blue ones. I wonder why they characterized these two sons has having bright eyes and the other two with rosy and black eyes. Another part Narayan did not mention in his version was how Bharata is to Satrughna as Rama is to Lakshmana. There has to be some significance to these relationships. Other than the obvious importance of Rama and Lakshmana’s relationship as described and told about in Narayan’s text, it will be interesting to see if Bharata and Satrughna make more appearances in this story.

Week 3: Storytelling || Jatayu and Sampathi

For 35 days Aruna and Maina, two demi-gods in the form of vultures, have been incubating two of their eggs. On the 36th day the first egg hatched and they named their son Sampathi. While Aruna fed and cared for his new chick, Maina waited anxiously atop the second egg for the arrival of her other child. The sun rose on the 40th day with such strength that the heat caused the second egg to hatch. Overjoyed with the arrival of their second son, who they named Jatayu, a life-long friend for their firstborn, Sampathi, the parents began the 10 week undertaking of raising their chicks to be independent of them.

With the arrival of Fall came the departure of the Aruna and Maina. The two brothers were still very young, able to fly and feed themselves but lacking a true understanding of their world and its mechanisms. Having been rid of their parents for a few days, they began to miss them. Sampathi devised a game that would entertain him and his brother, while also allowing them to become stronger fliers and more precise hunters. They pretended as though they were searching for their parents, soaring a great distance above their land and launching downward like lightening toward their prey, which until feeding began they imagined was one of their parents.

Sampathi

Jatayu

Both of the brothers were competitive, which inspired them to invent rules and challenge each other to new heights.

A day that brought colossal, restless clouds and a brilliant, glowing sun seeded the desire to resume their endless game. Commencing with more energy than expected, the brothers began a steep ascent toward the sun, using the clouds as an asylum from the sun gods threatening rays. Heavenward they escalated with intentions to glance at the resting place of the gods when Sampathi sternly said to Jatayu, “My brother, will the sun god find animosity to those who encroach upon his domain? We should abandon our flight and return to lower grounds, removing ourselves from the haste of the sun god.”

“You are my older brother, you are more knowledgeable of this world and I will follow you to the ends of it,” Jatayu said blithely as he agilely changed direction and flew parallel to the earth between the clouds. With Sampathi above him, and the clouds surrounding both of them, they were safe.

Oblivious of their altitude, the clouds began to shift around the brothers, exposing them to the presence of the sun god who was irritated with their incessant flight throughout his realm. He shifted the full extent of his strength toward the brothers with intention to incinerate both, but only succeeded in damaging one.

The 6-foot wingspan of his older brother protected the slightly smaller Jatayu from the catastrophic frustration of the sun god. Sampathi’s burned body plummeted toward the earth, leaving a trail of ashes behind him. Before Jatayu could change direction to follow his brothers deformed figure as he fell through the sky, a very dense rain storm approached, washing away all possible trails to the landing place of his big brother.

It is said that Sampathi rests atop a mountain, no longer resembling a vulture, but now a pile of bones and flesh awaiting a savior or the company of his beloved brother. Jatayu continued the game, forever in search of his dear brother.

Author’s note: I chose to tell the story in a similar fashion as Narayan narrates The Ramayana. I really enjoy this writing style and I find it intriguing. My main goal for this story was to instill a sense of longing in the reader and to leave them with the unsettling emotion of both brothers in search of each other in the end, rather than their parents.

Works Cited:

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.

Turkey Vulture. Website: Wikipedia.

Jatayu. Website: Wikipedia.

Week 3: Reading Diary B || Rama and Ravana's Battle

The dialogue between Rama and his subjects regarding whether or not they should allow Vibishana into their camp is very clearly one sided until Rama hears the opinion of his close advisor Hanuman. Everyone else is of the conviction that Vibishana should not be allowed into camp because he cannot be trusted as a result of his abandonment of his brother and the argument that his profession of virtue is a disguise. To emphasize his opinion of Vibishana and to attempt to gain the agreement of Rama, Sugreeva said, “In spite of all his noble speech, this person is really an asura.”

After hearing Hanumans judgement of Vibishana, we are witness to another moment when Rama professes his duties and reiterates his opinion on right and wrong. Similar to when Rama argued with Vali regarding the awareness of right and wrong that accompanies knowledge, regardless of race, he reiterates this certainty when he says, “...it is our first duty to protect. Even if I am defeated because I have taken him at his word, I would not mind it; I shall still have done the right thing. On the other hand, if I am victorious in war by rejecting him, to me that victory would not be worth having” (132). This statement exemplifies the character of Rama so well. He believes in always acting in an honorable and fair fashion. This is displayed many times throughout the story, but a memorable instance is when Ravana and Rama were in battle. Ravana fell into a faint and, although Rama could have shot his bow and ended the battle while Ravana rested, he refused to continue the battle and allowed Ravana to rest.

An out of character moment I noted was when Rama was standing by the ocean, frustrated because he and his army needed to cross it but had no resources to do so, and he threatened to shoot his all-powerful arrows into the sea, threatening the sea god. Although the sea god eventually helped Rama and his army cross, it was simply out of character for him to allow his anger to get the best of him. For someone with as much virtue as he, I would have thought he would simply offer a sacrifice to the sea god or something of honor.

Held in accordance with the aftermath of Vali’s death, when Rama killed Ravana it appeared that Ravanas negative matter fluttered off of his body and he was left with a noble and pristine figure. Later on, Rama mentioned that he wanted his spirit to reach heaven and ordered a formal funeral for his adversary. This just proved, once again, that Rama is a nice guy and cares about the afterlives of his enemies as much as his friends.

Week 3: Reading Diary A || Rama's Weaknesses and Plot Holes

As the reader is introduced to Vali, we are reminded that Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu and as such was "subject to human limitations of understanding and the despairs arising therefrom" (91). The vast amount limitations Rama encounters and his growing desperation for Sita’s safe return are displayed many times throughout our reading. After Rama gains the trust of Sugreeva, he is notified of the most recent sighting of Sita and is given the jewels that she dropped down to Sugreeva as she was carried away in the sky. This is the first time (during this reading section) the reader is witness to a weak moment where Rama begins to cry and recounts his shame for not protecting his wife.

Throughout the reading, Rama reminds his subjects that his sole purpose in life is to protect good from evil and eradicate evil beings. Many times Rama beats himself down for not implementing this purpose in a way that could have saved Sita from capture. Because of his human limitations, I can understand why he feels upset with himself and desires to fix his mistakes, but dialogue from Ravana instilled in me questions of Ramas good fortune in human form. Ravana was speaking poorly of Rama while others were attempting to remind him of his divinity when he responded, “I am not afraid of Vishnu or anybody. Particularly Vishnu, who has been the most defeated god, having never won a single battle (127).” This statement confused me because as a human incarnation Rama has been very successful in his battles, winning every single one we have read. Maybe Ravana was attempting to trick himself into believing that Rama was not going to defeat him.

One of the few plot lines I was confused about was on page 111 where Sugreeva was laying on his bed with beautiful women surrounding him. Were those women monkey women or human women? If they were human women, why would a monkey find a human woman more attractive than one of their own race?

Another part that I found interesting but rather unsettling was when Vali was dying and all of a sudden he was at peace with his murder because Lakshmana explained why Rama did it? And then he was awakened with an instantaneous understanding of Ramas incarnation and said “He who has struck me is none other than the great God himself”......? How did he know that? Was it because he was in the process of dying and began to physically see Rama as Vishnu? I just thought it was a bit of a quick atonement for someone who just murdered you behind a tree...

I guess many of my misunderstandings of the text could be due to plot that is lost in translation.