Of all of the options for reading provided by this course, I
chose to read R.K. Narayan’s shortened modern version of The Ramayana. I found the book fairly easy to read except for some
of the names of people and places. The first story highlights a king’s desire
for children, and the process he goes through to be granted children. The king,
Dasaratha, is blessed with children from each of his wives. The oldest son that
is born is named Rama. The story describes how much richer the King is in the
meaning of his life because of his children, and it becomes very evident that
his favorite is Rama. That’s why it’s so hard for him to let Rama go on a
journey with a sage named Viswamithra. However, begrudgingly, the king allows
two of his son to travel with the sage. Viswamithra is a very interesting
character because he was once a king, and has given up on all earthly riches in
the pursuit of divine spiritual knowledge, so he gets frustrated when people
bring up his former way of life. I feel like this is kind of how a former high
school athlete feels when a friend brings up that state championship game. It’s
over, it’s in the past, it’s not important to me anymore, and there’s no need
to bring it up.
Rama and his brother Lakshmana both accompany the sage on
this journey, and throughout the course of their travels the trio encounters a
multitude of characters and places. My favorite portion of their journey is
when Rama falls in love. The story of Rama and Sita meeting for the first time
is, simply put, adorable. I thought it was interesting that the reader is
informed that the two had also been together in a previous life, but could not
remember that now. It gave the reader an understanding that the two of them
have truly been made for one another. It is almost hilarious how lovesick and
dramatic Sita is when she thinks she’ll never see Rama again. Nothing is right
within her after just glancing at him one time! Ultimately, Rama shoots a
ginormous bow and arrow from the god Shiva to win her hand in marriage. The
story does a great job of explaining with vivid imagery all of the details of
the wedding ceremony, however I longed for more of a description of Sita and
Rama’s marriage. I still had a lot of questions about their actual
relationship, but the plot moved away from Sita and focused more on Rama’s life
for the remainder of this passage.
Characters of the Ramayana, including Rama and Sita,
by Raja Ravi Varma, source: Wikipedia
In the last portion of this passage, Dasaratha becomes very
old and realizes it is time to pass his crown over to his beloved Rama.
However, Kaikeyi, who is one of Dasaratha’s wives, has different plans. They
actually aren’t her plans initially, but they are planted in her brain by a
servant who wants to stir up trouble. Kaikeyi is reminded of a promise made to
her by the king and wants her son, Bharatha, to instead take over. She insists
not only that Bharatha be crowned, but also that Rama be exiled to the forest
for 14 years. The king is so distraught, and in these moments you see again his
love and favoritism towards Rama. It’s funny to me how obvious he is about
having a favorite, but everyone in the kingdom appears to view Rama as the best
as well.
The best part of this whole reading, in my opinion, is Rama’s
humble response to the entire situation. He explains it as a blessing in three
ways. Not only does his dad remain a man of his word, and his brother becomes a
king, but he will also receive an opportunity for spiritual growth. I was
amazed that he didn’t say a bad word about his father or his mother, even
though he has been cheated out of what is rightfully his. This is the second
instance of Rama’s dad viewing something as a tragedy, but Rama decides to make
the most of it. His dad was so nervous to let him leave with the sage, but in
the end Rama gained honor through multiple victories and found his wife.
Similarly, I predict much good will come from Rama’s journey into the forest. I
look forward to reading about this next portion of his life in the following
reading assignment!
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