Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Ramayana [PDE]

Ramayana online: by various authors

Today, I got to read the next 20 sections of the Ramayana. The first few sections talked about the return of Bharata. I really loved how loyal he was to his brother. As soon as he heard what his mom had done, he was wholeheartedly against it. He refused to take the throne and instead went to find his brother in the forest. I really loved how strong their brotherhood was and how Bharata, having the chance of being ruler at his fingertips, refuses it and knows Rama is the leader they need. I was even more impressed by Rama keeping his promise to be exiled for 14 years. Even though his father had passed, and even though his brother wanted him to take the throne, he was going to fulfill the order of being exiled no matter what. One of my favorite quotes I've read so far has to be when Rama speaks of the importance of truth, stating that "Truth is our ancient path. Truth endures when all else passes away."

The part where Shurpanakha tries to get Rama for herself was actually a pretty funny part, having Rama jokingly suggest that his brother was single. I really did appreciated Rama's loyalty to his wife, saying he would never leave her.

One of my favorite parts has to be the heroic Rama winning over the evil Khara and protecting his beloved (and brother) as well.

Rama defeats Khara (Wikimedia Commons).

Another part, later on into the story, had me amazed by its description. The description of the deer (actually Maricha) was so rich with detail. The excerpt is seen below.

"Maricha, obedient to Ravana, assumed the form of a golden deer and ranged about the wood near Rama's hut: its horns were like twin jewels, its face was piebald, its ears like two blue lotus-flowers, its sleek sides soft as the petals of a flower, its hoofs as black as jet, its haunches slender, its lifted tail of every color of the rainbow-- a deer-form such as this he took! His back was starred with gold and silver, and he ranged about the forest lawns seeking to be seen by Sita"

To close out this diary, I want to end it with Sita and her fiery response to Ravana, saying "What madness hath prompted thee to woo the wife of so mighty a warrior? I follow Rama as a lioness follows a lion. Canst thou, a prowling jackal, hope to obtain a lioness?"

Go Sita! You go girl.