Week 3 Reading Diary Continued: Ramayana Public Domain Edition

The Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana is compiled from many authors, here is the version I am using.  This post will cover Part D.  

• Building abridge seems similar to Moses splitting the seas to me. Both are relatively impossible tasks(Monkeys would have some serious trouble actually building a bridge across a sea), and demonstrate the power of those accomplishing the task. 
• I often forget there are others Gods in this world while reading this story. Their occasional appearance makes the story feel smaller in scale, like this is just one part of a larger world.  
• Hanuman seems more and more like the true hero in this story. Carrying a whole mountain is not something that can be realistically accomplished, even when impatient and frustrated. 
• Once again, Rama reaches a low point as Indrajit shows him images of Sita dead. I feel that this story is very quickly coming to a climax. 
• Things like multiple gods and warriors riding on chariots remind me very much of Greek/Roman mythology. I wonder if both cultures developed chariots individually, or there was communication between them at the time these stories were written. Chariots, along with the appearance of war elephants, feel very grounded and realistic to me. Maybe the story of Rama is just based on exaggerations of actual events passed down in an oral tradition. 
• I find it odd that the Gods planned for Rama to defeat Ravana, yet Rama's success is dependent on their further intervention. It seems like their plan wasn't perfect.  
• Mandodari mourning her husband does a good job of reminding me that even the bad guys have some emotion beyond the desire to be evil. It adds more depth to the story.  
• Rama rejecting Sita is a twist for me. If he was gonna dump her, why did he bother rescuing her? Just to prove that he could? It doesn't make much sense to me. If Rama really did it just to show how powerful he was, that strikes me as very selfish.  
• Sita proves herself and Rama takes her back. It seems like this part of the story only exists to remind women of their duty to their husbands, and they must be willing to die instead of disloyal to their husbands.  



The Pushpaka, courtesy of Quora

• The Pushpaka serves as a good reminder of everything that has happened. By concluding many story lines, the characters can start the nest phase of their lives.  
• Exiling Sita appears to have been the worse move Rama could make. I think the moral is that if your wife is faithful to you, you must be faithful to her.  

That concludes the Ramayana, thanks for reading.