Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE, Part C

For this section, I decided to focus on the plot again. There were a lot of interesting characters that entered the story in this part, and they contributed a lot to the plot. One of my favorite parts, which was at the very beginning, was the entrance of Hanuman. In the story, they met him after searching for Sugriva. I really liked the entrance of the monkey-kings and monkey-god, as it added another unexpected element and a character who would help Rama fulfill his goals. Although there are a lot of battles in the Ramayana, I liked the one with the monkeys, since it was a bit different from the other ones. 

Next, I also liked the storyline with Vali and Tara. I feel like in this story, there are a lot of characters willing to fight with Rama, and then there is always someone in their lives that tells them not to fight with him. I thought this dynamic was interesting, as it also happens again near the end of the story with Vibhishana. This also leads to the scene where Rama kills Vali when he's hiding in an ambush. Although this was dishonorable and controversial, I thought it added a more intriguing plot to the storyline where Rama feels torn about his actions. This leads into Rama's lament, which I liked, as we got a glimpse back into his thoughts and feelings after not having much insight. 

Another one of my favorite parts of the plots was when Sugria decided to help Rama on his quest to find Sita. I think that this really shows a connection between the characters, as well as showing how far Rama was willing to go to find her. In the upcoming sections after that, there were some descriptive quotes that I liked. They said, "search the thousand peaks of Vindhya lifting high its misty head; Through the gorges of Narmada rolling o'er its rocky bed, By the gloomy Godavari and by Krishna's wooded stream, Through Utkala's sea-girt forests tinged by morning's early gleam." 

My last favorite part was whenever they reintroduced Jatayu. The smaller stories about the additional characters really help add a layer to the story and the characters. I liked the added story of him and his brother, and how he helped Hanuman on his search. To me, one of the most fun parts to read was whenever Hanuman was trying to find Sita. Another one of my favorite paragraphs because of the descriptive nature was, "huge was his frame, decked with splendid jewels, like a crimson sunset cloud pierced by flashes of lightning; his big hands lay on the white cloth like terrible five-hooded serpents; four golden lamps on pillars lit his bed." 

Sampati 

PDE Ramayana from here. Sources used: M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder.