Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part D



Story 1 - The Bridge 1

The bridge was interesting because it is the first part in the Ramayana where I noticed that the Gods did not answer to the requests of Rama. This lack of response from the God of the Ocean leads to Rama threatening to burn away all of the water so he and his army could cross. Responding to these threats the King of the Sea tells Rama to find another way by building a bridge across the sea. Most interestingly, this bridge can still be seen today. Here is an aerial image of it by CC-by-sa PlaneMad/Wikimedia.

Rama's Bridge

Story 2 - Kumbhakarna 2

This story was funny because the length that the rakshasas had to go to in order to awake the giant Kumbhakarna early. It is a bit crazy that being trampled by elephants or having trumpets played in ones ears had little effect on the sleeping giant. However, the gentle caress of beautiful women woke him up instantly.

This depiction of Kumbhakarna reminds me greatly of Snorlax from Pokemon, perhaps a trainer could stumble across this sleeping giant.

Story 3 - Mandodari's Lament 3

This was perhaps the saddest story of the stories in this assignment because one has to imagine was Mandodari (Ravana's wife) has been through since the capture of Sita. Not only has all of Ravana's attention in the past couple of years gone towards to pursuit of Sita, but also now, Ravana has waged a war in her name, only to lose. Maybe the culture of the rakshasas is different from the mortal man, but I felt that Madodari was the most unfairly treated character, as she wanted nothing more than to accompany Ravana peacefully.

Story 4 - Sita Tested 4

While the image of fire can be seen as a destructive force, it can also be used to purify. Metals and rocks can be melted down and cleansed of imperfections. However if there are no imperfections not much can be changed by burning it. In this fashion, Sita is able to sit in the pyre's fire without being effected, with the help of Agni of course. People not burning can also be seen in other religious texts, as a means to prove devotion to one entity. Probably the most know version of this from Christianity is 'Four Men in a Furnace' from Daniel chapter 35.

Bibliography

The Bridge
Rama's Bridge Image
Kumbhakarna
Mandodari's Lament
Sita Tested
Four Men in a Furnace

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