Indian Epics Blog

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Who needs Jatayu? (source) Hi everyone, NitroDubbz here. At the beginning of the story I didn't really understand what was so bad about Ravana, up until the point where he stole Sita away he didn't seem like an unreasonable guy. But the dialogue between him and his counsel shows that he allowed himself to be filled with conceit after he was granted the powers of the Gods. I believe that the inclusion of Sugreeva's brother, Vali, was a great primer. Stories need thematic continuity, and Ravana's hubris mirrors the hubris shown earlier in Vali. One of my favorite characterizations in the entire story happens at the very end, after Rama has struck down Ravana. He is examining Ravana's corpse and he notices a large scar on his back. Even after Ravana stole Sita and waged war and acted so dishonorably, Rama is still concerned with his treatment of Ravana when he expresses concern that he may have "shot Ravana in the back". This is a perfect exam...

Fun fact: Rama is 96 inches tall  (source) Howdy folks, NitroDubbz here.  Previously, on Ramayana: Ravana has abducted Sita by luring Rama and Lakshmana away. He refuses to fight Rama mano y mano claiming that fighting a human is below an Ashura. Jatayu sees, and, acting on his pledge to serve Dasharatha and now Rama, attempts to stop Ravana. Jatayu is killed, but not before he tells Rama and Lakshmana what transpired.  Rama and Lakshmana go to the Monkey Kingdom, where they meet a bunch of Monkey People, the most important of whom are Vali and Sugriva. Essentially, through a misunderstanding, Vali wanted to kill Sugriva, his brother. Sugriva ran away to a mountain where Vali's powers (given to him by the gods for churning milk or something) didn't work anymore. I wont plot summarize more than I have to, but I just want to set the stage for something I want to talk about. Sugriva tells his plight to Rama, who agrees to help him by shooting the unarm...