Reading Diary A: Public Domain Ramayana

46. The Rainy Season.  I was really got into Rama's lament.  When I met my boyfriend he worked over an hour away and I could only talk to him a couple of times a week and it was awful, but to not be able to talk to or even see.  To not know if she was doing okay, it would kill me.  In fact Rama says that the only reason he still lives is because he knows that Sita is still alive.  His only thought is of rescuing her from Ravana and his goons.

49. Sampati and Jatayu.   I think it's interesting how patient Sampati was throughout his time that he was unable to leave his cavern because of his burnt feathers and blinded sight.  I also thought it was really nice that Sampan didn't hold a grudge against his brother for having sacrificed himself for Jatayu and in the end was able to regain his body by helping Hanuman find Sita and Ravana.

57. The Burning of Lanka.  In this section I thought it was great of Hanuman to take his punishment and make lemons out of lemonade, however of course he couldn't actually feel any burning sensation on his tail however he was smart enough to let it keep burning so that he could burn Lanka as a pre-emptive strike to what would be Rama's later attack.  Than Hanuman returned home with the news that he had indeed found Rama's beloved Sita.

60. Vibhishana. I also thought it was interesting how easily family ties and loyalties are broken within the royal and celestial families.  Vibhishana is Ravana's brother and he is the only person who says that Ravana should hand Sita over to Rama. By saying this it made him a traitor in Ravana's eyes and so Ravana orders him to leave, and was basically pushed to Rama's side, which he joins soon after.

(Vibhishana)

Public Domain Ramayana