Week 7 Reading Diary B: Sucks to be Sita

So we're finally at the end of Buck's Ramayana.

Rama wins, goes back to Ayodhya and becomes king, yeah yeah everyone's happy.

Then, after ten thousand years (?), Rama decides, Hey, I'm gonna banish Sita. And I'm not just gonna tell her to leave, no, I'm gonna have my brother drop her off, pregnant, at a river and just leave her there! Ha ha! (Okay, so that's not exactly how Buck told it, but c'mon, that's basically what happened.) I feel like this is cruel and unusual punishment, and sort of just comes out of nowhere. I mean, it totally goes against the whole happy-perfect-romance-super-righteous-dude image of Rama and Sita (I can see why many versions just end after Rama wins and is crowned). Also, it seems like there wasn't really that much of a reason for Rama to do it in the first place - so yeah, people are talking, but it's not like there was an uprising on his hands. Seems a little premature to abandon your pregnant wife to the wilderness. But hey, that's just my opinion.

So, Sita's there in the wilderness. Once again, she nearly kills herself, 'cause that's always a good solution to these sorts of things. Lucky Valmiki was there to save her and then teach her sons the Ramayana song.

So then Rama finally gets around to finding her and his sons, and then Sita must once again prove her innocence. Alright, well, at least things are gonna turn out okay... Oh wait, no, she gets "swallowed up by the earth", never to be seen again (this part was kind of weird - did she die? just get 'transported' to some different plane? What?). So, yeah, that's kind of a downer ending.

Oh, and then Lakshmana dies for a really stupid reason. Sucks to be Lakshmana too.

I can say I did not really like this whole ending to the Ramayana. It seemed wrong - like, Rama's actions and the whole train of logic in the story seemed bad, immoral. Also, it definitely killed the happy ending vibes from the whole victory over Ravana thing.

On a final note, the very very ending with Rama's death was kind of strange, and anti-climactic. It reminded me of that last scene in Lord of the Rings, where Frodo just hops a boat and sails off to the afterlife with his friends while others stay behind. I snickered at that scene - it's just so cheesy - and so I guess that carried over to my feelings about this ending as well. But still, it was a very weird ending and did not seem to fit with the rest of the Ramayana, like it was just tacked on at the end.

Week 7 Reading Diary A: Rama's Victory

So, this was mostly about the big final battle between Rama and Ravana, and didn't differ too much from Narayan. There were some notable differences and additions, though.

I like the inclusion of Time as a character in this version. Time, Kala, appears once again in this section, this time warning Ravana (who, of course, doesn't listen). This part stuck out to me especially because I read a story by another student in this class from the point of view of Time. Noticing this particular story more helped fill out the picture of Ravana as a villain whose hubris brings about his downfall - no one is invincible, and eventually Time gets us all.

The letter from Ravana to Rama, brought by Shuka after Ravana is killed, was weird. It seemed confusing - why did Ravana write all this before, in a letter? It sort of made sense to me when I read in the reading guide for this section that this part was added by Buck and not in the original by Valmiki, because I thought it seemed sort of out of place. Although, that leads me to question why Buck felt the need to add it in the first place. I guess it sort of corresponds to Ravana's dying words in Narayan, when Rama talks to him and Ravana 'sees the light' so to speak just before he dies. However, the whole letter thing just didn't make much sense to me, nor did it seem like satisfying closure for Ravana's character.

Sita's trial by fire was done differently in this version too. In Narayan, Rama explicitly makes her take the trial by fire to prove her purity. In Buck, it's more like Agni (god of fire) just happens to stroll by and burst her into flames to show that, Hey, I like Sita she's all good. On the one hand, this seems to make less sense and while I didn't like it, the Narayan version seems like a more plausible course of events. On the other hand, this doesn't make Rama look like a major jerk, so I think it better fits with the triumphant tone of the story.

One last thing that was new was the whole secret treasure room Vibhishana shows to Hanuman. I thought that was kind of random, but it made me think of another student's story I read where Hanuman is combined with Abu from Disney's Aladdin. So, of course, I imagined that Cave of Wonders scene where Abu gets all drooly over that huge gemstone. Random, but it made me laugh.

Week 6 Reading Diary B: Hubris, Betrayal, Deception

In this fuller version of the battle between Ravana's and Rama's armies (as opposed to Narayan), it seemed there was a deeper narrative of the downfall of evil and the triumph of good. That is to say, as I was reading this section I noticed certain themes, qualities of Ravana, his army, and his tactics that seemed to be painting a moralistic picture, demonstrating why and in what ways Ravana was a force of evil, contrasting that to Rama's purity.

The first quality I noticed was hubris. This came up a bit in Narayan, but I noticed it more in the more detailed story in Buck. Ravana is given many chances to "walk away", so to speak, and is advised to do so by many of his own closest relatives and followers. Yet, he ignores their advice and presses on. This, despite the fact that clearly Sita will not give in to him, and he can't just rape her due to his curse, so the initial purpose of kidnapping her is moot. His ego - his need to prove himself, not be defeated, and never back down - is now what drives him to wage war against Rama.

This leads me to the second point - betrayal. When Vibhishana (wisely) counsels Ravana to surrender Sita to Rama, Ravana's egomania prevents him from hearing reason, and Ravana turns violent, accusing Vibhishana of betrayal. So, Vibhishana does then betray Ravana, fleeing from the violent force of evil and taking refuge with Rama. Despite having every reason to suspect Vibhishana, Rama does not and offers him sanctuary. Vibhishana proves invaluable, helping to revive Rama and the others when they are slain in battle. Another rakshasa, Trijata, plays a vital role in helping Sita remain faithful that Rama is alive and will triumph. These characters are portrayed as making noble and "right" decisions. This repeated theme of the few truly good individuals in Lanka betraying their loyalty to their ruler just serves to reinforce the corruption of Ravana. Ravana, and thus Lanka, is so corrupted by evil, to do right one must ultimately break from the side of evil.

Lastly, throughout the Ramayana there is a theme of using illusions and trickery. Sometimes forces of good use trickery (as I talked about in an earlier reading diary). In this main battle, though, it seems all the dirty tricks and illusions are used by Ravana's army. Again and again, Ravana uses deception to try to gain an advantage in the fight - he sends spies disguised as monkeys, pretends to kill Rama, then pretends to kill Sita - and the only time Ravana came close to triumph was when Indrajit rode out, invisible, and kills most of the major players in Rama's army (luckily, Hanuman picks up a mountain and they're all better. Pretty strong stuff). All of these tactics show "bad form", and seem to denote that the unrighteous, Ravana, must resort to dirty tricks, illusions, and sly deception in order to gain an advantage - he cannot win on strength and merit alone. In the end, even his dirty tricks cannot defeat Rama, the force of good, and when the two engage in head-on combat (though we haven't gotten there yet), good triumphs.

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Monkey Madness

 The story is starting to pick up now. This is more familiar narrative, and less of random visits to ashrams. Still, there is a lot of new material added in this version, as well as some flat out differences. At times, it's hard to tell if the narratives seem so different just because Narayan summarized so much, or if there were really two opposing versions of certain stories. For example, in Narayan, as I recall, it seemed as if Hanuman just grew to a great size and stepped across the pond to Lanka, easy-peasy. Here, even with his powers, it's a whole ordeal.

This also started off what I found to be a prevailing theme of increased violence in Buck. Hanuman is eaten by a sea monster rakshasa, and then makes a graphic escape from inside its body. This reminded me of the story I commented on from last week's reading about Agastya and Vatapi - there is a similar grisly picture of a character being eaten and then bursting out, killing his attacker. I wonder why this seems to be such a popular story.

Later on, Buck said a lot more about the trouble Hanuman caused in Lanka. He even kills a couple of people - well, rakshasas I suppose - but still, it seemed as if they weren't causing any trouble, and Hanuman just attacked them - and that's not to mention any casualties that might have resulted from the stampedes or other destruction Hanuman caused. This monkey rampage seemed pretty unprovoked - I mean sure, Ravana kidnapped Sita, but Hanuman just goes to town on the whole city. It made me see a darker, murkier picture of Hanuman in this version. In Narayan, he was just a nice little hero, swooping in to save Sita, not doing anything particularly violent (yet). Here, though, he seems unnecessarily violent. Even the whole thing with setting his tail on fire - in Narayan, this was told in an almost comical way. And, if I remember correctly, Ravana ordered that Hanuman's tail be set fire AND that Hanuman be set free. This makes the resulting destruction seem like Ravana's fault entirely for that poor bit of planning. In Buck, Hanuman escapes and then proceeds to burn the city. In general, I have been surprised by the increased amount of wanton violence displayed by the characters who are supposed to be the heroes in Buck's Ramayana. I don't know how Hindus think about this, but to me it seems a bit troubling and is definitely not what I expect from a hero character.

Week 5 Reading Diary B: Lady Troubles

I was struck, in this section of reading, by the very complex and troubling stories of women in the Ramayana. Of course, we saw this in Narayan too, but now there is just even more to add to the list.

On the one hand, there is the story of Rambha. This story actually seems to be protective of women, and obviously the moral of the story is that rape is bad. Reading this story, though, I was reminded of the story of Ahalya. For one, both women were at one point turned to stone, an interesting parallel, though Ahalya was turned to stone after her 'transgression' and Rambha was turned to stone and later raped by Ravana. But, more importantly, I saw that both these women were raped - Ahalya through elaborate trickery - yet one, Ahalya, was blamed and punished for the event, while Rambha's husband comes to her defense and curses Ravana for what he has done. I found this parallel, and the different treatment of these women, troubling. Not so much in the case of Rambha, I guess, but it only reminded me of how wrongly Ahalya was treated.

More shockingly, this section of reading contained two examples of women killing themselves when their husbands had died. First there's Savari; self-immolation was mentioned and suggested in Narayan's version, often by Sita, but here it actually happened. Just the thought of it, of dying that way and willingly stepping into a fire, is quite gruesome. And the way it's handled as something noble and, even worse, normal for a woman to do when her husband has died is just terrible. It's like the women have no purpose for living without a husband. And Savari seemed like a pretty important character - obviously, she was able to fulfill a purpose in helping Rama, even on her own. It seems like there's a mixed message there. Then, there was also Vali's wife, who stabs herself after his death. Pretty dark.

Week 5 Reading Diary A: And More Sages

Seriously, this version is so full of sages! Compared to Narayan, it seems like this version is just the story of Rama hopping about from one sage to another hearing their stories. In one way, it is very interesting, for the sages' stories sort of fill out the religious/pantheistic mythology of Hinduism, really making this a wide-reaching epic. But, to me at least, it seems to slow down the main narrative of Rama - like, by the time I'm done reading another sage's story I have to be like, oh yeah - so what is happening with Rama right now?

I thought Atri's story about the apsarases. They sort of reminded me of Greek myths, like a cross between water nymphs and sirens. I also noticed that this version tells you how Atri's wife gave Sita gifts and jewelry - I remembered in Sita Sings the Blues that the little narrator puppets talked about this, asking: If Sita left all her fancy clothes behind when she left the palace, where did she get the jewelry to throw down when she was being kidnapped? It's a minor detail, not one I would have noticed otherwise, but it does show that there are those little things that you miss out on when you read a vastly summarized version like Narayan.

Agastya's story, on the other hand, was... strange. And not quite like anything I'd read or heard before. It was quite gruesome to picture. And it didn't really make all that much sense - I mean, when any of the other sages ate Vatapi he would already have been all chopped up and partially digested, but I guess he was able to come back together - but then it seems being digested wouldn't have been a problem when Agastya did it... but then again, the whole premise is pretty wild, so I guess you just gotta take it as myth. Still, though... ick.

There seems to be a lot of trickery, too, throughout these stories. The one above, the thing with the horse, and then Garuda stealing back the amrita he paid for his mother (ha ha, it's like cliche mobster type movies where someone pays a big briefcase full of money, only to steal it back later... a very old trope, I suppose). It's interesting, too, that both "bad guys" and "good guys" use trickery in these stories. It seems like there's a large theme of power struggles and family strife, even outside of the main narrative, and that the characters use their wit to come out on top, even against stronger enemies.

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Week 4 Storytelling: The Real Housewives of Dasaratha

Previously on The Real Housewives of Dasaratha...

Last season, we met the three beautiful wives of King Dasaratha – his first wife, Kausalya of Magadha; Sumitra of Kashi; and the lovely young Kaikeyi of Kekeya. The people of Ayodhya rallied around the family’s struggle to produce an heir to the throne. The world cheered when Dasaratha’s horse returned and the Ashvamedha sacrifice was successfully completed. In a surprise twist, each of the housewives gave birth to a son (or sons!), welcoming Rama, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, and Bharata into the first family of Kosala. All seemed well in the royal house, but how will our housewives deal with the new pressures of raising children, competing for a spot in Dasaratha’s heart as well as on his throne? Find out in the shocking new season of The Real Housewives of Dasaratha.

We open on a sweeping scene of the idyllic, luxurious mansion of Dasaratha and his wives. Cut to Kaikeyi, resplendent in a flowing sapphire sari, lounging with cucumbers covering her eyes.

Mántara, an old, hunched Hispanic maid, enters.

M: Pardon my intrusion, señora, but I must eh-speak to you alone.

K: Mm?

M: Señora – are you not aware that the whole village is preparing a party?

K: (chuckling) Oh, we’re always either preparing for a party, having one, or cleaning up after it! Surely you of all people know that, abuelita. At least I know I’m not late for this one.

M: Pero no! Señora! Forgive me, but this is no time for laughing! I have heard… I risk my job to come to warn you… Señor chooses the boy Rama for to be his heir to the throne!

K: Oh, Mántara, you almost had me worried! I don’t see how this matters to me. Besides, that day is far off yet…

M: Oh, but Señora, this is eh-terrible news for you! When Rama is chosen, you will be cast aside and Kausalya will forever be queen bee around here! You have the easy life now, but how long you think that will last? Eh? How long you think you will be favorite when Rama is king?

Finally, Kaikeyi removes the cucumbers.

Señora, you must use your power now to stop this! I remember, you tell me you have the power of two boons, any two wishes you desire and Señor must grant your request. Use them now, banish the boy Rama and make Bharata heir to the throne!

Kaikeyi rises, angry.

K: Mántara, you have gone too far this time!! You cannot talk to me this way!

M: But señora…

K: No! I have heard enough from you! I can take care of myself just fine around here, thanks. (She walks to an ornate vanity and combs her lustrous hair.)

M: (turning to leave, muttering) Yes, paint your lips and make your cheeks bloom like lotuses! I know how it is you keep your grip on Señor… but beauty will fade, even yours, and then we will see who holds the power – a useless old hag or the mother of the king.

Kaikeyi whirls about in a fury, mouth open to scold, but Mántara has already left and shut the door.

Cut to Kaikeyi in the confessional.

Of course I meant what I said… but then, you know, I… Well, I started to think and I was like, maybe she’s right. You know, I am obviously like, the most beautiful wife around here, hello, but…

And you know, I don’t have to explain myself, I don’t have to apologize. I earned those boons, I’m the queen b[leep] around here and they all [bleep] well know it. I ain’t bowin’ down to nobody. A lady’s gotta take her claws out to survive sometimes.

Cut to new scene: Dasaratha stands outside the closed door to Kaikeyi’s suite. She can be heard wailing inside. Dasaratha pounds on the door.

Dasaratha: Kiki, baby, open up! What’s wrong? I love you!

Kaikeyi wrenches open the door. She is a hot mess, mascara smudged and streaming down her face.

Kaikeyi: (wildly) You love me?! Ha! You cannot love me! Why, you evil man, you lying dog, you must hate me! You must wish me dead!! (The last word is drawn out into a sob, and Kaikeyi crumples to the floor.)

Dasaratha, alarmed, scoops her up and sets her on the bed.

D: Kiki, my love, what on earth has gotten into you? What have I done to offend you?

K: Why, you have named Rama heir! What is to become of me, when he is king? Or sooner! You know how Kausalya hates me, the others have always been jealous of me. Surely I will be a pariah in my own home! But, no matter… what can they do to me, when I will first die of grief and shame? (Kaikeyi *appears* to faint.)

D: Kaikeyi? Kaikeyi, my love! (gently shaking her) You mustn’t think this way. I will always love and protect you. Please! What can I do to make you well again?

K: (opening her eyes) You truly love me?

D: Yes, you know I –

K: And you will do anything for me? Remember the boons you granted me.

D: Yes, yes… Why, I had even forgotten about the boons! So yes, of course, I will do anything to keep you happy.

Dramatic close up on Kaikeyi. She still appears to be in a swoon, but the hint of a smirk curls her crimson lips.

K: Then you must not make Rama heir but banish him, and give the throne to my son Bharata instead.

We are left with a scene of Dasaratha, desperate, shocked, and speechless, holding the obstinate Kaikeyi in his arms. Cut to black.

So, will Rama become heir to the throne, or will Kaikeyi get her wish? And how will the other wives react when they find out? Tune in next week for the most intense Housewives yet, with a shocking twist that will change the ladies’ lives forever.

Author’s Note:

This story is a retelling of the dramatic events surrounding the banishment of Rama. The story is full of sneaky dealings, manipulation, family drama, jealousy… just like a modern reality TV show! I styled this story as a Real Housewives show – it fit so perfectly. I reimagined certain aspects of the characters’ lives as more modern, but I also kept some elements true to the story. I think the mixture of modern and ancient elements adds a unique touch to the story; it’s fun to play with ancient stories in a more accessible and lighter context.

The characters of Kaikeyi and Dasaratha are a bit exaggerated in this story, though I think I captured important parts of their personalities from the original. Kaikeyi is portrayed as a lounging, shallow, “trophy wife”-type woman. I also emphasize her jealousy and her ruthless manipulation of her husband to get what she wants. This combines her actions in the Ramayana with the caricature of a reality show celebrity. Dasaratha is shown here as a man who is easily manipulated, making foolish promises under the influence of, ahem, beauty. This too plays up his actions in the original story and fits them to a stereotypical TV persona.

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way

Images: From Dasaratha and Vishvamitra ; Kaikeyi and Dasaratha, Source 

Week 4 Reading Diary B: Servants and Sages and Gods, Oh My!

So, that title is a bit cheesy and, I think, merits an explanation: there are so many more characters in this version than in Narayan! To add to the difficulty, they are very unfamiliar names to an English-speaking reader. So, it is a bit difficult to keep all the names apart and remember who everyone is. It doesn't help that in this version Kooni is called Manthara - that was a bit discombobulating. Though I appreciate the greater detail in this version, it is a harder read and easy to get bogged down in all the names and characters.

The narrative seemed a bit slower in this section, though I guess it was similar in Narayan, just not as noticeable. There also seemed to be less unfamiliar material here, which helped a bit to get through the narrative. The main story of Kaikeyi and Dasaratha and Rama's leaving seemed pretty much the same, although in this version Dasaratha's death isn't as sudden or dramatic. I kind of preferred Narayan's version; it was perhaps a bit melodramatic, but I liked it.

Some new material here came in the middle of this narrative, when Rama meets some people in the forest. They meet Guha, who has his own god-story to tell, and then they meet a sage named Bharadwaja, who I'm pretty sure wasn't mentioned in Narayan.

Overall, I guess, this section was pretty similar to Narayan, but it was still pretty slow. There's just not much action in this part of the story, though, and I'm sure it'll pick up real soon. I'm hoping then there will be more detail to answer some of the questions and curiosities Narayan left me with.

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Buck's Ramayana

I like the style of this version of the Ramayana much better than Narayan. It is much more thorough and detailed, more of a story, whereas Narayan's version often read like a summary - almost like a Sparknotes version in some parts. This was more of a complete and, I'm assuming, direct translation.

I like how the story is framed as an oral narrative. The sort of chanting, invoking of the gods at the beginning reminded me of similar invocations and narrative styles in Homer. It started the story off with a very "epic" atmosphere.

I also like how this version talks about Valmiki, who composes the Ramayana, within the Ramayana. It seems unusual for the creation of a story to be part of the story, but it is an interesting way to frame it and adds to the appreciation of this story as an epic poem and oral narrative. I imagine it would be a bit confusing, though, if one had no familiarity with the Ramayana, to start with this part of the story and then backtrack.

In this section, I was really glad that a deeper backstory was given to the rakshasas and to Ravana in particular. In Narayan's version, the reader is basically just told that rakshasas are bad and evil and Ravana is really bad and evil and scary, and that's that. It was a very simplistic narrative of good and evil. Here, though, I loved reading about the history of Ravana. It also helped explain some things that were vague in Narayan: Ravana's invincibility to gods but vulnerability to humans, how he was able to defeat and enslave certain gods, even where he got the pushpaka vimana. It was certainly longer and more dense, but very fascinating.