Week 4 Reading Diary A

“Before Ramayana there was no poetry on Earth.” Pg 5

If Valmiki is so good at meditating, why would he be worried about the cold?

There’s such thing as a friend-gathering song

Brahma has four arms and four faces on one head; he brought a ladle, rosary, waterpot, and a holy book; he can read minds

There are multiple heavens

Valmiki faced the east while meditating; he could view the story of Rama and Sita in a pool of water

Rama kept a golden statue of Sita by his side because he loved her still

The song describes Kosala and Ayodhya as rich, beautiful, peaceful, filled with strong warriors

Indra is angry about heaven being in ruins, angrier at Dasaratha for asking for stuff at that moment

“Only Narayana [Vishnu] knows, or maybe he doesn’t.”—Brahma pg 13

“joyful black eyes” pg 14 strange choice of words

The humans heard Vishnu drop the things he was holding as they performed the sacrifice

Dasaratha gave half the rice to Kausalya, 3/8 to Sumitra, and 1/8 to Kaikeyi

All sons born the same day

Rama had green skin and hair, monkey arms, 40 identical teeth shaped like pomegranate seeds, lotus-scented breath

Each prince had an inhuman color of skin

Describes the creation of earth pg 20

Shiva lives in an unstable shack

“When the master carpenter no longer goes out into the forests to choose his own tree, when he no longer cuts it down himself and saws his own boards then say farewell to the arts!”—Viswakarman pg 23

“a courtly old demon kind to all” pg 23 kind demon? That seems like an oxymoron…

Vahana Garuda is mentioned on pg 24

“The Asuras are the former gods of old” pg 30

Ravana never said he wanted to marry Mandodari

Meghanada can change his appearance at will

Shiva’s bull foreshadows Ravana’s ruin pg 34

Peacocks, crows, swans, and lizards were blessed for letting gods hide in the form of them pg 36

Vasuki can change shape

Airavata is Indra’s white elephant—possibly a vahana?

Ravana gets injured by Airavata

Dasaratha’s reaction to letting Rama go wasn’t as strong in this version

Ahalya knew what was happening in her situation in this telling unlike the other

Janaka is the king of the land on which Viswamitra keeps his permanent residence—new detail

Sita is 14 when she marries Rama (16)

“Sita has the final consent” pg 53 in regards to marriage

Pg 59 had a long description of Rama