Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part B

Hello VagaBuddies!

I can definitely tell that I am getting very into reading the Ramayana. The first reading was tough just because of the names (which all felt like the started with V-I-S then 20 more letters), but now I am getting a hold on the names (mostly) and I am loving the story! It still feels like a classic myth (duh) but that doesn't mean I don't find it new and interesting!
Some of my thoughts on Part B:
Lucy (Kaikeyi)  got what she deserved! Even her own son Bharata, shames her for her actions, and is more concerned with distancing himself from her plot than he is about claiming the throne. I thought that Bharata was especially noble for venturing out on foot to find Rama in the same ascetic clothing (of tree bark?? That seems very uncomfortable, but I guess that's the point). Even when he is unable to convince Rama to return, he still does not claim the throne but uses Rama's sandals to hold Rama's place until his return. During that whole conversation, I also enjoyed how comedic it was to have two people saying "Yours, not mine" instead of fighting over whose kingdom it is. I really liked how the narrator himself got involved with a little commentary on how strange it was.
Soorpanaka (Shurpanakha), who I will now call Sour Pancake based on her appearance after her run-in with Lakshmana, was also a very interesting character here. She reminded me of sirens that would attract sailors to jump overboard with their sweet voices before the sailors realized that all the sirens were monsters. Sour Pancake pretended to be a sweet, beautiful creature who was shunning the ways of her family (which would honestly be a compelling story), but in reality she was a monster who wanted nothing more than be subservient to Rama. When I was reading this story, I was acutely aware that we (the readers) were meant to dislike Sour Pancake from the start. She was definitely very forceful and acted with hostility towards Sita, but Sita hardly did much better when she first laid eyes on Rama. Remember, when the first shared that little glance, Sita had acted rudely to all her attendants and became distraught at the very thought of never seeing Rama again. Sour Pancake is more forceful and hostile, sure, but never very violent. (I am also curious why the Dasaratha the king could have multiple wives and Rama cannot, but it is probably a cultural thing that I don't understand). However, my views definitely changed when she was caught stalking Sita by Lakshmana. She probably should have been killed for that, or when Kara attacked them with his army.

I like this image because it shows Sour Pancake clutching her chopped and bleeding nose : SmileMakerKrishna

Speaking of armies, it was really interesting how what seemed to be a huge fight between Kara and his army vs. Rama and Lakshmana was reduced to the same amount of sentences as the damage dealt by Lakshmana to Sour Pancake. The short description made what I assume was a huge battle into something that didn't seem to matter so much and didn't have much action. Maybe that's the point though. Maybe the point is that the battle was so trivial to Rama and Lakshmana, even if it was a whole army of demons against two people.
Overall, this reading was the one where I got into the story, and I am excited to keep reading!
Vaga-Buon Voyage!

Narayan, R. K. "The Ramayana" pp 53-89