Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part C

Notes:

• Sita was terrified when she heard Rama calling for help. Then Ravana came in disguesed as a poor old hermit.

1. She then founds out his true identity and then picks up the ground where Sita is standing on and flies away with her.
2. Such imagery was used in this scene.

• Jatayu tries to rescue Sita but was then killed by Ravana. Rama and Lakshmana came in and saw Jatayu dying. 
• Rama and Lakshmana head south to the monkey kingdom of Kishkinda.

1. The monkey Hanuman disguised himself as a scholar, but Rama can see through his disguise. 
2. Vali is the king of Kishkinda.

• Vali seems evil since he took Sugriva's wife.
• Vali has been cursed by the sage Matanga because Vali killed Dundubhi and fell near sage Matanga and angered him. Therefore, Matanga cursed Vali to die if he came to Mount Matanga.
• Sita thrown down her jewelry while being carried off by Ravana. The monkeys found the jewelry and Surgriva gave it to Rama and agreed to help find her.
• Surgriva challenges to fight Vali, but his wife Tara told him not to.

1. Rama hid and shot an arrow to Vali while they were fighting. 
2. Vali agreed that Rama didn't act wrongly for his doing.
3. Vali died and is mourned by Tara and by his son Angada.
4. Sugriva became king after Vali's death and Angada as his second-in-command.
5. Rama gives advice to Sugriva on how to rule.

• Sugriva forgot Rama's promise to gather an army to help, so Rama sent Lakshmana to remind him.
• As Lakshmana came to visit Sugriva, Sugriva was drunk and didn't react. So Lakshmana kicks down the gate of the city and Tara greets him. Sugriva vows to not get drunk again and goes to see Rama.
• Sugriva gathers a huge army to help Rama and Rama tells Hanuman how to recognize Sita and gave him his ring as a sign to show Sita.
• As Hanuman & Angada head South, they were trapped in a tunnel and found themselves in a deserted underground kingdom.

1. The found a mysterious nymph named, Swayamprabha, who had once been a goddess.
2. They break out of the underground kingdom and the mysterious nymph returns to heaven.
3. They reached the ocean's edge without Sita being found.

• The met Sampathi, brother of Jatayu, who had fallen at the ocean's edge when his wings were burned.

1. When Sampathi heard the name Rama, his wings grew back.
2. Sampathi has seen Ravan bearing Sita away to Lanka.
3. The bear Jambavan tells Hunaman he needed to cross the ocean so he grew a gigantic size to step across the ocean to Lanka.

Bibliography: Narayan's-Ramayana.

Lord Hunaman Turns into a Gigantic Form, Link Text.