Reading Notes: Ganesha Goes to Lunch

For my reading this week, I read two stories from the Ramayana as told by Kamla Kapur in the book Ganesha goes to Lunch. The introduction to these stories gives a short description of the plot to the Ramayana, emphasizing that Rama was "aided by all the forces of the universe, including some animals" in his quest to defeat Ravana. I am going to talk about my two favorite stories out of the five presented in the book.

The first is about Guha, who was not mentioned in the version of the Ramayana that I first read. Guha was an unconventional man with tattoos all over his body. He lived in the forest, and worshiped trees in place of stone figures. The people from a nearby town always tried to get Guha to change his ways. They constantly worshiped in his forest, and chanted loudly for him to hear in the hopes that he might join them. It never happened. So, they placed a figure of Shiva by Guha's favorite tree. Guha kicked it every single day until he died. When he was judged in heaven, Shiva protected him from death, and sent him back alive on earth to protect the forest and the people in it (including Rama, during his exile). I really liked reading about Guha's explanation of why he worshiped the trees and plants instead of the rocks. He explained how the tree is more alive than any stone will be. The tree gives him and the animals food, fresh air, and wood for fire and his home. He believed that God was the jungle, which is beautiful.

Pond similar to one in "The Toad who didn't croak", Wikimedia Commons

The second story I liked was one called "The Toad who didn't croak". It takes place when Lakshmana and Rama are exiled in the forest and looking for a lake. Lakshmana has a breakdown in which he loses trust in Rama for the first time. As they are walking, they come across the lake. The frogs are singing loudly and the lake is so clear that patterns of the pebbles on the floor are visible. Lakshmana immediately feels peaceful once he submerges his head into the water. The story starts off so hopeful and happy that the reader isn't prepared for what happens next. It turns out that when Rama sticks his arrow into the ground to keep it standing up, he had hit a little toad. So Rama holds the dying toad as it struggles to breath (the moment I actually started crying). He asks the frog why he didn't croak to signal his presence, but the frog says he couldn't since he usually calls for Rama while he's dying. He says to Rama that "to die in Rama's hands" is the sweetest thing.

Bibliography: Kapur, Kamla K.. Ganesha goes to Lunch.