Extra Credit Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part B

 

21-30 

    Bharata was summoned and learned of his father's death. He chose to spare his mother and Manthara, and he rejected the throne and wants Rama to return. The funeral proceeded with many offerings and a large fire that I believe the body and offerings were burned in. Bharata then found Rama and tried to convince him to come back. Jabali also tried by speaking heresy. Rama refused and wished to carry out his father's orders. Bharata then gave golden sandals to Rama, to which he refused to keep, and kept them at the throne as a symbol of Rama's authority. Wandering the forest, Sita met Anasuya. Anasuya seemed to lighten her mood. Going further into the woods, the trio encounter a rakshasa that wants to wife Sita and kill the brothers. It advises the trio that he is unkillable by weapons and thus the brothers beat him and bury him to ensure he can't escape, but they actually free him of his curse and he goes to heaven. The trio then meet Agastya. The writing is a bit difficult to follow, but he seems to give them weapons, directions, and warnings of dangerous areas. Rama then encounters Shurpanakha, a rakshasa, who tries to swoon him away from Sita and his brother, and threatens to eat them. Rama refuses but suggests she swoons his brother as he is single. Shur then talked to Rama's brother and tried to attack Sita, so the brothers cut off her ears and nose. Shur ran away and urged her brother, Khara, to do something, and they sent 14 rakshasas to kill them. All 14 died, so the Shur's brother took up arms and prepared to send an army of 14,000 rakshasas. Rama stood his ground and sent his brother and Sita to hide in a cave. The rakshasas were scared to attack but followed their leader, who was slain just after his brother was. Rama won with the remaining raks scattering.

The Battle with Viradha.

Illuminated Ramayana ms (circa 1700). Source: Huntington Archive

31-40

    Shur then went and told another brother, Ravana, who is the lord of the raks. Ravana then met with Maricha and threatened him to help him. He agreed and took the form of a jeweled deer to draw out Sita. Sita then tells Rama what she sees and Rama goes to hunt the deer. Rama killed the deer/rak but it imitated Rama's voice as it was slain. Sita heard and urged Lak to go help Rama and threatened suicide if he died. Lak refused at first, but Sita launched hurtful accusations, so he changed his mind. Ravana then approached Sita, asked to wife her, and kidnapped her when she refused. She called out for help and a vulture, Jatayu, went to save her and there was a battle in the sky. Ravana slayed the vulture and flew off again with Sita while she gave her belongings to some monkeys on a mountain top. Captured, Sita kept turning down the lustful Ravana time and time again. He could not force himself upon her as he was cursed to death if he did that again. Rama and Lak then return to find Sita gone and the Jata, the vulture, laying on the ground dying. They question the vulture and Rama wails in sadness. They then run into Kabandha, another cursed rak, and kill him and burn his body, per his request. Kab then tells the brothers of the location of Sita, who Ravana is, and to seek help from ape chief Sugriva. Not sure exactly what happens at the end, seems like a lady blessed the brothers.

Bibliography

"Public Domain Edition: Ramayana" by M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder.