Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part C

Hello VagaBuddies,

For this reading in the Ramayana, I was introduced to my new favorite character: Hanuman! But before I get to that beautiful monkey man, I have some honorable mentions.

The beast Hanuman himself: YouTube

First, here is where I finally get a mention of the UFO "Ravana's flying chariot." Although it isn't talked about in great depth, I can still easily see how some conspiracy theorists would latch upon this vehicle as evidence of UFO's in ancient texts. I am just surprised how the 'Ancient Technologies in the Ramayana' video didn't mention how Ravana could fly just by himself (jetpacks anyone?). In general though, this seen was very action packed and exciting.
For my first honorable mention, I want to praise the OG Big Bird: Jatayu. I loved Jatayu's final stand in this reading, which had him give his life towards trying to stop Ravana's kidnapping of Sita. Not only was this translation excellent (having great flow, pacing, and sense of action), but it was also just an incredibly moving scene. This bird, through his devotion to their father Dasaratha, destroyed Ravana's chariot in order to try to save Sita. Although he was ultimately unsuccessful, he died a hero.
NOW IS THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE MONKEYS. Ok so backstory: Monkeys are my favorite animal. I read every book about monkeys that was in my grade school's library. Twice. I made a whole monkey-themed activity book, fitted with acrostics, crosswords, word searches, drawings, different monkey-animal combinations, etc. And though I've since grown out of my main monkey-craze, imagine my inner childlike joy at having a smart, strong, and cool monkey character in the form of Hanuman appear in the Ramayana. Not only is this guy incredibly wise, but he is also the son of the wind god, which gives him immense powers besides being a giant monkey. As Rama's greatest devotee, he clearly sees Rama as the incarnation of Vishnu that he is, and is eager to serve him.

This is a Hanuman stan blog now:  Free Wallpapers

Now that this is basically going to be a Hanuman stan account, I am so excited to read more Hanuman stories and see him fight in battle next to Rama.
Bye for now.

Narayan, R. K. "The Ramayana" pp 89-131