Week 3 Reading Diary B: Ending the Ramayana

Today I read the end of Narayan's Ramayana. It started with Hanuman beginning the search for Sita in Lanka. He grew to a huge size to cross the ocean, which reminds me of the dog on Adventure Time who can change his proportions. Once in Lanka he searched everywhere and finally found her being tormented and about to commit suicide in a garden, but still holding strong against Ravana's advances. He conveyed Rama's message and ring to her and took a piece of jewelry from her to give to Rama. On his way out, he allowed himself to be captured so that he could warn Ravana to give up Sita and apologize or he would be destroyed by Rama. Ravana orders him to be destroyed but his brother says not to kill an emissary (this brother later deserts Ravana and joins Rama, then is crowned the new king of Lanka). Instead they set his tail on fire but he escapes and lights the whole kingdom on fire on his way back to Rama.

Next we have Rama's army figuring out a way to cross the ocean and the battle between the armies in which Ravana is constantly losing his best men and family members. I won't write much about this because battle scenes don't interest me much. 

Once Rama has killed Ravana, Hanuman fetches Sita and returns her to Rama, but he spurns her, thinking she has been unfaithful to him with Ravana. She is devastated and has a fire built, I think to kill herself. The fire spits her back out, however, because she is too pure, so Rama accepts her again as his wife. Dasaratha appears to his son Rama and grants him one wish, which is to un-disown his brother and stepmother. Then they return to Baratha and get crowned the king and queen and that's almost the end, though Narayan mentions that there is a sort of sequel that may or may not be legitimate in which Rama and Sita are separated again, have twin sons, and are rejoined in the afterlife. 

Image Information: Bharata and Rama; note also the sandals on the throne; by Raja Ravi Varma.