Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part B

Reading A stopped at a cliff hanger. Rama was sentenced to exile in the forest while the town lamented over his departure. I was anxious to hear how Rama was going to get along in the forest (of course he survives, he’s defeated demons so he can handle the forest). I like how his wife Sita goes with him with jewelry on and dressed up. I imagined a wealthy girl from the Upper East Side putting on her jewelry and make up to go camping. It would make quite a reality television show.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in the forest, wikipedia

Another impressive part of their exile is the fact that Rama’s brother makes a hut made out of clay, thatch, and leaves look nice and homey.

One recurring motif in this section was disguise. First was Kamavalli changing herself from a demonic looking presence into a maiden to try and get Rama to fall in love with her. The next part that involved disguise was when Ravana turned himself into a golden deer. He uses this disguise to get Rama to chase him while Sita is left unattended, therefore stealing her from Rama.

The scene of Ravana commanding the weather and elements was entertaining to read. Especially since he kept changing his mind about being too hot and too cold. He commands the summer to leave, thus leaving winter. But this is too cold for him. He asks to bring the moon, and for a good paragraph simply insults the moon for not brining enough light. The moment when night became day sounds really funny. I can just imagine everyone dropping their liquor bottles and getting out of bed, utterly confused. 


Bibliography
Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide B