Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part B

Hi guys!

So today I read part B of the PDE Ramayana. 

I am really getting into this story now! I was defiantly having trouble in part A with all of the names and names of names, but now I am really getting ahold of it. 

Here is my brief summary:

Essentially Rama's brother, Bharata, returns and find out about his fathers death and Rama being exiled. Bharata doesn't want to take the thrown, because he believes it belongs to Rama. He goes to find Rama, but when he finds him, Rama refuses to leave his exile early. 

After that Rama kills a demon that abducts Sita. Then Ravana's sister, Shurpanakha, falls in love with Rama and is angry that he will not leave Sita for her. She tells Khara, her brother, and he fights with Rama and Lakshmana. Rama wins and then Shurpanakha tells Ravana and he devises a plan to kidnap Sita. 

This is done with the help of Rama's old enemies Maricha, who transforms into a beautiful and golden deer that captures that attention of Sita. Rama leaves Sita with his brother Lakshmana. When Rama kills the dear, it screams in agony in Rama's voice. It yells for Sita and Lakshmana. Sita ask Lakshmana to go check on Rama. He does, and Sita is kidnaped by Ravana. 

Ravana wants Sita as his wife. Jatayu, a vulture, tries to save Sita, but does not and will die. Brahma, a God, wants this to happen so Rama kills Ravana. Ravana cannot rape Sita because of a curse and he is trying to convince her to love him. That is it!

Questions I have:

• Does the Brahma have control over people's thoughts or avatar's thoughts?

• What happens to March?

What I loved about this story is how dynamic and full it is, every sentence means something. It is filled with story that keeps you on your toes. If I retold part of this story, I would focus on the golden deer. I think this is a great opportunity to tell a story about how looks deceive. If I told this story I would:

• Keep the golden deer

• Change up the characters! Maybe even throw in some greek mythology, such as the story of the big bear and little bear. When Zeus makes a mother a bear and the son shoots her on accident.

• Make it short and tidy

• Third person

(Rama and the Golden Deer, by Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues)

Bibliography: PDE Ramayana, Part B, by M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder. Link here