Reading Diary A: Public Domain Ramayana

Public Domain Ramayana: Table of Contents

For the next two weeks I am going to be reading the Public Domain Version of Ramayana.

Dasharatha’s Sons

Dasharatha was sad because he did not have any children between his three wives. He preformed a horse sacrifice to the gods so that he may have a son. The horse, accompanied with a ‘spiritual leader’ were let loose on the last month of the calendar to roam for a year. The sacrifice ceremony took place near a river and many elite attended. There were twenty-one sacrificial posts set up for the other animals beside the horse. The ‘chief queen’ killed the horse with a short sword/ blade while the spiritual leaders chanted a sacred utterance. The wives of Maharajah sat beside the horse’s body... an important part of the ritual. During the ritual pieces of flesh were offered to the sacred fire pits. Dasharatha gave gifts to the brahmins. The gods gave him four sons.

Dasharatha’s Aswamedha 

Thataka

The two princes were on their way to battle led by a sage. They traveled through a terrible forrest that which lived a rakshasa named Thataka. Rama, the beautiful prince, challenged her to battle and she threw boulders at the princes. The princes did not want to kill her because she was female. She turned invisible and they then tried to kill her. They succeed. Rama was rewarded with celestial weapons. The weapons said they were Ramas servants.

Rama Goes into Exile

Rama went to his wife and said he must leave without her. Sita said a wife must accompany him to the forrest. She would not be happy without him. If he leaves her then she will die. Rama thought of the harshness of the forrest, heat, cold, hunger, etc. He would not allow sita to come with him. Again she said she wanted to go with him, and she refused to be separated with him. Lakshmana, Rama’s brother, now also wanted to go with Rama. Rama consented to them coming with him. Maharajah wanted to send food and treasure with Rama, but he refused to take them. Sita was appalled by having to now wear common clothes, when she was used to wearing fine clothing.