Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Section A

In beginning the reading of the Ramayana, I want to start by simply laying out some of these important notes since this is a story, culture, and language I'm entirely unfamiliar with.

King Dasharatha
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
Here I focused mostly on the geography and characters so I can begin getting a feel for the story.

• Valmiki - The author of the Ramayana, revered as "the first poet."
• Two major kingdoms:
• Koshala, ruled by Dasharatha (Rama's father)
• Capital=Ayodhya
• Dasharatha has three queens: Kaushalya (the chief queen), Kaikeyi, and Sumitra
• At this point, none of them have given him a son
• Mithila, ruled by Janaka (Sita's father)

(Dasharatha and his wives; Image Source)

Dasharatha's Sons

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Again, I just wanted to start by laying out some characters so I can come back to this if I get confused.

• Dasharatha has not been given a son, so he resolves to perform the Ashvamedha which is a sacrifice involving the king's warriors protecting a horse in the wilderness for one year
• If nobody is able to take the horse, then it is returned to the king to sacrifice, proving that he is sovereign
• Four gods attended the ceremony and they promised Dasharatha four sons
• Brahma - god of creation, one part of the trinity
• Vishnu - god of protection, preservation of good, dharma restoration, one part of the trinity
• Shiva - destroyer of evil, one part of the trinity
• Indra - king of the gods and heaven

(The birth of Dasharatha's four sons; Image Source)

Rama: Avatar of Vishnu

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Ravana, the king of the demons basically, cannot be hurt by gods or other demons, so he's just running rampant enslaving and oppressing other gods. Vishnu decides that he's had enough, so he tells the gods to go to the earth as apes and he himself splits into four parts to become the four sons promised to Dasharatha. 

1. Rama - mothered by Kaushalya 
2. Bharata - mothered by Kaikeyi
3. Lakshmana - mothered by Sumitra
4. Shatrughna - mothered by Sumitra

I feel like for Vishnu to split himself and become human shows that he is noble and just, ready to give up parts of himself to fulfill his role as the god of protection. It'd be interesting to look into whether there are other instances of Vishnu fulfilling his role outside of this epic. 

(Painting of Rama and Lakshmana; British Museum)

Thataka

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

The celestial weapons Rama was rewarded with for slaying Thataka are pretty intriguing in that they appear whenever Rama most needs them. It reminded me of Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, or the sword of Godric Gryffindor, from Harry Potter. These are all celestial/enchanted weapons that are specific to their wielder and come in times of need which I think is a pretty cool theme seen throughout different stories. The idea that a hero's weapon knows his desires and needs speaks to the power of the weapon's creator, which may be interesting to explore. It'd be cool to know more about Rama's weapons - who forged them, were there special circumstances in their creation, can others wield them, etc. 

I also noticed that Rama is the one who was recognized as Vishnu, and here he is praised for slaying the demon, he gets the weapons, so on and so forth. I'm curious to see how his other brothers (who are also parts of Vishnu) react to the praise Rama so freely receives - will they take on human characteristics like sibling jealousy/comparison, or do they all recognize that they are a piece of Vishnu and don't care what happens as long as Ravana gets defeated? This is something to watch for.

(Rama with his mighty bow; Image Source)

Sita

By: F.J. Gould

Like Rama is Vishnu personified, Sita is Lakshmi personified. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity, and she is Vishnu's wife. Upon the avatar's first glance at one another, they fell into a deep and unbreakable love. A classic love at first sight tale surrounded by the beauty of King Janaka's gardens. 

(Sita, the avatar of Lakshmi; Image Source)

Manthara and Kaikeyi

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

This story is one of deception. First, Manthara convinces Kaikeyi that she is being wronged by the crowning of Rama as king, even though Kaikeyi admits that Rama treats her well and she is not unhappy with him being the crown prince. Through manipulation and lies, Manthara weaves a tale of Rama enslaving his brothers and doing wrong to Kaikeyi and her son. This then turns into Kaikeyi being deceptive towards Dasharatha and forcing him to exile Rama, making Bharata king. Honestly, this seems like it's something straight out of a soap opera - I can just see Kaiyeki throwing her hand to her forehead and dropping onto a couch as she decides that Rama is out to get her and Bharata. It all just seems so melodramatic. 

(Manthara misleading Kaikeyi; Image Source)