Week 5 Reading Diary, continued: the Ramayana

The continuation of this week's reading, the Ramayana.

The Rakshasas

• The trio spent thirteen years and a half going through the deep jungle and finally setting down in a four-bedroom hut.
• Rakshasa woman, named Surpanakha, sister of Ravana, the demon King of Lanka, Ceylon. She was misshapen and ugly and her voice was harsh and unpleasant.
• When she saw Rama, she fell in love. She assumed another form to lure Rama away from Sita. 
• Rama says he would not leave Sita, but that Lakshmana is single.
• Surpanakha tried to attack Sita, but with the quick reflexes, Rama pushed her back and Lakshmana cut the ears and noses off of her.
• She ran to her brother Khara, who was enraged.
• Khara called upon 14 Rakshasas and commanded them to capture the Trio. Rama slaid them with Celestial arrows.
• Khara called upon his brother Dushana to gather 14,000 Rakshasa, and to bring his weapons and chariots. He is going to kill Rama.
• Rama sends Lakshmana away with Sita to a secret cave to protect her while he battles them.
• Although he was outnumbered, Rama emerged victorious.

The Golden Deer

• Only Surpanakha escaped alive. She headed to lanka to inform the ten-headed King Ravana of her brothers' death. She told them to capture Sita.
• Ravana and his brother, Maricha, set off towards the forest. Maricha transformed into a golden deer and grazed near Sita until she saw him. 
• Rama chased the deer and finally loosed an arrow that pierced its heart. Maricha emerged from the body and cried "Sita, Sita, save me!" in Rama's voice, then died.
• Sita sent Lakshmana to go help his brother.
• Ravana watched as Lakshmana left Sita alone and approached her, disguised as a sage. When Sita invited him to rest, thinking he was a Brahman, he revealed himself. 
• He boasted that he can beat everyone, turning into his other form of a giant with 10 heads and 20 arms. He seized Sita and carried her off.
• As she was being carried away, Sita took of piece by piece of her ornaments, leaving a trail. 

Sita (source: Google)

Rama's Quest for Sita

• Rama searched and wept for her. 
• The next day, the brothers set off to find Sita again. They came upon the hut of Jatayus, the Vulture King that tried to stop Ravana. He told the brothers what happened, then died shortly after.
• On their way towards the south, where Lanka is, they encountered a great black demon with his head in the middle of his body, had one eye, with long and monstrous teeth. 
• The princes reveal who they are, and the demon asks them to burn his body so he can be free of his Rakshasa form and nature, promising that if they did, he would tell them where Sita went.
• When they approached the mountain, Hanuman came and the princes told him of Sita's abduction. 
• Rama helped the king rid of the usurper.

Hanuman (source: Google)

Hanuman

• Ravana would often approach Sita with sweet words, but she would always reject him.
• Ravana once kidnapped a nymph of Indra's heaven, Punjikashthala, which angered Brahma, who said that Ravana's head would be rent asunder if he attempted to kidnap another female again.
• The king still hasn't done as promised, so Lakshmana went to the palace to threaten him. The king quickly gathered a great army of apes and bears. 
• Hanuman came upon Jatayus' brother, who saw where Ravana took Sita. Hanuman followed the directions.
• On the way there he encountered Surasa. The condition is to go through her mouth, otherwise he can go no further. Hanuman quickly grew in size, immediately shrunk, jumped into her mouth and quickly leaped back out. He was allowed to pass.
• He next encountered a dragon. When the dragon tried to attack him, he shrunk and dove into its mouth and attacked the dragon from the inside.
• He finally reached Lanka, resumed the form a cat, and entered the capital.

Sita in the Asoka Grove

• Hanuman found Sita in the grove but couldn't find an opening to approach her.
• Ravana kept on trying to break her down, but she would rather die.
• Hanuman resumed his monkey form and told Sita of Rama looking for her. She couldn't go with him, but gave him a jewel from her hair as a token. Ravana gave her 2 months before he would kill her.
• Hanuman was taken prisoner. A counsellor advised to take him as an envoy instead. Ravana oiled up Hanuman's tail and set it on fire. Sita prayed that it would leave Hanuman uninjured, and her prayers were heard.
• Hanuman shrank until he could escape, setting fire to mansions throughout the town from his flaming tail. 
• The armies marched to the shore, and was joined by Bibhishana. 
• Ravana called counsel, and his brother, Bibhishana, advised Ravana to return Sita to Rama. Ravana got mad and banished Bibhishana, who went to join Rama.

Ravana (source: Google)

The War with Ravana

• The apes, with Rama and Lakshmana leading them, approach the gates of Lanka. 
• The Rakshasas attacked them, riding on the backs of elephants, lions, camles, hogs, hyenas, wolves, and asses. 
• Indrajit threw a snake noose at the brothers, but the god of wind, Vayu, send the great celestial bird Garuda, the serpent killer, to help out. 
• Ravana came forth, but Rama shot arrows which swept the ten crowns on his heads, and Ravana retreated in shame.
• The Rakshasas called upon the mightiest of demons, Kumbhakarna, who sleeps for 6 months, and awakens for one day. In that one day, he would devour everything before falling back asleep. Nothing woke him until a beautiful woman caressed him. They brought him food, but he was not satisfied. Where are the apes so that I may devour them?

Rama Confronts Ravana

• Kumbhakarna defeated Hanuman and seized Sugriva. Thousands of apes were devoured. Rama came to the rescue by loosing a flaming arrow, and the monster staggered and fell into the ocean. 
• Indrajit offered another sacrifice and became invisible. He rose into the air and showered Rama with arrows. Rama and Lakshmana pretended to be dead.
• The ape healer sent Hanuman to find an herb, but he couldn't, so he took the whole mountain. When Rama, Lakshmana, and the injured apes were healed, Hanuman returned the mountain.
• Lakshmana shot the arrow that defeated Indrajit.
• Ravana wept for his son.
• Ravana, mad with grief, went to slay Sita, but the Rakshasas stopped him. 
• Ravana tried to kill Bibhishana, but Lakshmana saved him. Ravana flung a great dart that pierced the heart of Lakshmana and pinned him to the earth. 
• Hanuman again went to get the herbs, and the healer restored Lakshmana to his former self.
• Rama shot an arrow that pierced one of the heads, but one immediately reappeared. Rama used the flaming weapon which Brahma had created for the protection of the gods and struck Ravana with it, who fell and died.

Rama's Coronation

• When Sita was brought to Rama, he rejects her, saying that she has dwelt in the house of Ravana.
• Sita asks Lakshmana to make a funeral pyre so she could kill herself.
• Sita invoked the fire god, leapt into the flames and vanished.
• Suddenly the gods appeared, the fires parted, and the god Agni delivered Sita to Rama, saying "Receive thy wife who is without sin or shame."
• His exile now ended, Rama hurried to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana and Hanuman.
• Rama was crowed the next day. 
• People questioned Sita's virtue. Abiding to the people's demand, Rama banished her. Lakshmana brought her to the southern jungles and left her at the hermitage of Valmiki. 
• She later had two sons, Lava and Kusa.
• Rama performed a horse sacrifice to cleanse his soul of sin. When he released the horse into the forest, his sons took it. They defeated the royal army, and Rama went to confront them. They revealed their mother, but not knowing their father. Rama told Valmiki to bring her forward, to prove her innocence to the people. 
• Sita refused to go for a while.
• In the presence of the people and Rama, she invoked the Earth. When she was finished, the earthed opened and spit out a golden throne with sparkling gems, supported by four great serpents. Then the Earth Mother appeared, brought Sita to the throne, and sat beside her. The throne vanished and the earth closed over it. 
• Rama grieved, until one day he ascended to heaven carried by Garuda, and found Sita as the goddess Lakshmi.