Reading Notes: Ramayana Part A
In King Dasharatha, we learn that Darsharatha, who is the mighty and powerful king of Koshala. Koshala is a great and prosperous city, but Darsharatha is sad that he has no son. As a result, he conducts a horse sacrifice (Ashwamedha) in Dasharatha's Sons with one of his wives, Kaushalya, to obtain a son. All night, the brahmins chanted mantras with gifts offered to the brahmins and gods. As a result, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and Indra promised him 4 sons. He receives his sons, Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. However, Rama is actually the god Vishnu as a human avatar, who is reborn to defeat the god Ravana. From there, the story takes off as Rama goes on a number of adventures with the wise sage, Vishvamitra, who also tells him stories of how the world came to be. Later, he meets Sita and falls in love with her once he sees her. As a result, he asks Janaka to marry her, and Janaka challenges him to bend his bow. Rama succeeds, so he marries Sita. Rama also meets Parashurama, and he challenges Rama to draw the bow of Vishnu. Rama is able to, proving his heroism, and earns the new bow. As Dasharatha grows weary of ruling, he makes Rama his heir. However, Manthara, Kaikeyi's servant, is unhappy with Darsharatha's choice and fills Kaikeyi with jealous rage, so they plot to put Bharata on the throne. Kaikeyi manipulates Dasharatha in exiling Rama by threatening to poison herself. Rama tries to go into exile, but Sita and Lakshmana insist on accompanying him and he vows to return after 14 years. They live in the forest. On his deathbed, Dasharatha realizes that karma has taken Rama away from him as punishment for accidentally killing a young hermit boy during a hunting trip. Eventually, Dasharatha dies.
The story reads like a soap opera since it involves a heroic protagonist, Rama, who is born in riches and good fortune. He also shows the characteristic of a typical hero since he is handsome, well-loved, talented, and just. He even falls in love with a beautiful and loving woman, Sita. However, there is always a catch that changes the course of the hero's life. Since Kaikeyi ("the wicked stepmother") banishes him, he lives in the forest with his wife and brother. However, we know that the story is not over yet and he will be offered a chance of redemption.
For the storytelling assignment this week, I think I'd be interested in Thataka, the story of Ganga, or how Rama fell in love with Sita (meeting her, the challenges, and the wedding). I love reading about love, so I would be interested to condense the 3 parts of Rama's romance with Sita into one part. The story of Ganga is also interesting because it's touching how she became a river to help others.
Rama
Source: Wikipedia
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