Storytelling, Week 4: The note left on a wall

"Of all my years alive in the city of Ayodhya I have never felt more peace than in knowing that our Rama would be king. When king Dasartha announced this would finally become so, the whole land rejoiced because we knew Rama’s heart. Dasartha was a great king and he ruled with no fault but his son was everything a leader should be. He was the one who should take Dasartha’s spot as king because he did not seek it, it sought him. One who does not yearn for power such as this is most deserving of it. The day I found out Rama was to be king was both the best and worst day of my life. The exile Rama faced was unfair and brash. Dasartha knew this to be awful but his hands were tied in the fate of his honesty. He was compelled to keep his promise to his queen. Rama had no such declaration to any man and thus he would be an even better ruler because his actions would be pure, free of contempt. When the gates opened and Sumantra guided the chariot that held Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana I felt my heart go with them. I think all the elders knew what we had to do. We followed the tracks left behind them. All was lost if we could not bring Rama back to his throne. It was his destiny. We thought it was our duty to try and repair what was breaking. We used all our will power to command the river of Tamasa to thwart their path and she had obeyed, further evidence of Rama’s destiny to come back and be king. When we finally caught up to the camp where they had rested, night had fallen and we were exhausted. Damn our ill fitted bodies. Sleep was our mission’s only demise. After pleading Rama to return with us to Ayodhya, he kept declining. Even brought up his brother in his argument and said that he would be a solid leader. But we knew Rama and Bharata both the same and Bharata was not who should be king. As Rama fell asleep, I thought for sure morning would clear his mind of this journey. I was wrong. When we woke the chariot and all of Rama’s closest followers were gone. But they left a trail and we followed with quick feet as we did not know how long they had evaded us. They knew of our minds and that we would follow, so they thwarted our journey as we had done to theirs and threw us off their track. I know Rama has good intentions but we need him. Does he not know that? The whole city was on the brink of death with mourning on our arrival. In my hut I can hear the weeping of the people and animals as they do not know what is to become of this once beautiful land of strength and hope. Our own king has fallen in agony, our destined king is exiled by the strength of a promise, and our new king has yet to receive knowledge of his newly obtained power. I sit here writing this to whomever may read it on my wall. As I leave this realm tonight I wish that my life taking is justified in my words. My old age was never the enemy or the reason for me to leave, but it is my fear of the unknown life ahead in the days I do have left. I leave now while I can still remember what it is like to have a harmonious city around me."

Castle of Darkness by Deviantart.net

Author's note:
I wrote about when Rama left the city of Ayodhya and the old men followed his chariot trying to persuade his return when they catch up to him and finding false hope as they follow a trail trap when they wake up the next day and returning to the city. I did this through the eyes of one of those old men and was so overcome with sadness that he takes his own life after 'justifying' his action by writing this letter on the wall of his hut. I realize this is a very severe reaction to Rama being exiled but I felt like this is a way I could exert the powerful emotion that seemed to sweep the land. I chose this picture because it depicted a dark kingdom but the heavens are still bright because there still is hope, even if the people do not know it yet the gods do: all will be well with time. 

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

Reading Diary B: Week 4

·       I don’t remember twelve years of marriage passing in the first version, maybe it mentioned it and maybe not but this book made it more interesting  I guess if I was surprised by this time lapse

·       Manthara is given more detail to her character as well as her image, which is apparently not so desirable. I thought it was interesting that Kaikeyi remembered a time when Rama was a child and accidentally hitting a play arrow at Manthara’s hump and contributed this to her ill will towards the crowning of Rama instead of the reasons Manthara gave at first

·       It still irks me that Kaikeyi thinks it is Dasartha that is trying to trap her into something awful and really she is being deceived with Manthara’s crazy talk

·       Dasartha seems so calm and easy going when he says to Kaikeyi he will grant her wishes – even after they are proclaimed only to get totally distraught later on – maybe because he did not actually think she would follow through with wanting those demands to be her wishes?

·       I found it interesting that more emphasis was put on Sumanthra’s sorrow for Rama’s exile and his declaration of hatred for Kaikeyi, and less emphasis on the king’s state of mind at this time

·       Where were the rains that came with Rama’s sadness?

·       The new character that is introduced to this epic, Guha, I found to be different. He told more of how death works and the process with the death god and dying through the retelling of his story, also we get to find out about the Kings gift of interpreting animal talk that Kaikeyi wanted to know the wisdom about and thus sent the king on a war within himself since he would die if he told a soul. (Also, we learn more of Jatayu and his friendship since he is the one who gave him this knowledge) I think Kaikeyi is the most selfish and deceiving of the queens and spoiled

·       The description of Chitrakuta Hill is very beautiful and made me think that I would choose living there instead of Ayodhya anyways, however I think anywhere that Rama is to stay is beautiful and equipped with all his needs..perhaps since he is a god? Also it is interesting that the city is barren of life and its splendor that it had once had when Rama was a resident as well

·       Sumanthra returns to the city and it has only been THREE days since Rama’s departure?? Seems like so much longer to me, time is really complicated in this story

·       I found it interesting that the king has gone blind after Rama left, and the parents of the boy he killed long ago were blind as well and the king contributes this incident as the reason for this crazy occurrence with Rama being taken from him.

·       I like it how Rama’s mother is still the true love of the king and he turns to her in counsel in his last night, instead of with another wife – mainly kaikeyi

·       Yama the death lord is a scary character, so sly and quick

Reading Diary A: Week 4

• I thought the beginning of this version of the Ramayana was more drawn out but it built a backstory of how the story even began as a story which is neat.
• I like how we read the Narayan version of the Ramayana first since it is shorter send includes the basics of the story, I think if we had to read this one first we would not be gaining any new information on the Ramayana story as we are now that we know the basics
• I realized that the title "Ramayana" is a play on Vishnu's other name "Narayana" and then his earthly name reincarnated as Dasartha's son "Raman" ---> Ramayana
• The description of the city of Ayodhya is quite intricate and expands how I see the city than I had before
• I thought it was cool how this version starts where the first story left off then leading into the first version from the beginning retold by what we now know to be Rama's sons, why he could not know of their identity I do not know but I find it crazy that he can have children since he is Vishnu reincarnated... does this make his children demigods as well??
• It was nice to read that Lakshmana was the other piece of Raman, their bond makes more sense beyond brotherly love - dharma
• Ravana's story was a little hard to follow or all the demons for that matter... maybe because it was so detailed but this shouldn't a flaw to the story just my own sleepiness ;)
• Narayana defeating the demons he did made me see Rama as the warrior he is inside, with more respect that is well deserved by all that cross him
• Loving the pictures throughout the story! They help facilitate the picture being drawn in my mind. They are also more war-like and less cartoonish than the illustrations we are used to seeing on this courses image section for 'The Ramayana'
• At first I was confused as to why Ravana was even granted any power over the gods but reading the backstory on this incident where Brahma grants him his wish, I understand more
• LOVING the backstories on more characters I already recognized from the other version of the story, this version is fully equipped overall with imagery and detail I think will come in handy during our storybook projects
• In the first book I was SO confused as to why the king just let Viswamitra take his sons with him on this journey. With Viswamitra telling of Ravana's destruction and need to be conquered I think this is a major part of the story I wish was included in the first version, every version for that matter
• The mentioning of hermits in this story is something ill have to get used to not imagining like hermit crabs -since that is obviously not what they are
• I was happy when the part came where Rama and Sita meet and are drawn together came up, it feels like a half story without her since they are such a dynamic couple with much of the rest of their story surrounding this love