Week 3: Reading Diary A for The Ramayana

1. Ravana kidnapped Sita, but he could not touch her without her consent or he would die because of a curse. He scooped the ground underneath her up and carried her away, but Jatayu fought Ravana to try and rescue Sita and he was defeated. He kept himself alive until he could tell Rama and Lakshmana that they would succeed before he died.

2. Vali, brother of Sugreeva, was infinitely strong and powerful. One day, Mayavi, a demon, rose and challenged Vali, but it immediately ran when it realized it was outmatched. Vali chased after it, telling Sugreeva to wait and watch until his return. After 28 months, Sugreeva wanted to go into the tunnel after his brother, but was advised against it because he was to be ruler of Kiskinda. They blocked the tunnel to make sure that Mayavi could not return and Vali was presumed dead. When Vali returned, he believed it was his brother who trapped him on purpose and went to attack him. Sugreeva took refuge at Mount Matanga, a place where Vali's powers were useless, and is trapped there. 

3. Rama agrees to help Sugreeva by defeating Vali. Sugreeva asked to help Rama find Sita. He told him that Sita passed over and dropped her jewelry to indicate which direction she came. Hanuman, Sugreeva, Rama, and Lakshmana plan to save Sita from Ravana. First they challenge Vali. His wife, Tara tries to warn him against the challenge, saying that Rama has joined up with Sugreeva, but he does not listen to her. Sugreeva and Vali fight and just before Vali kills his brother, Rama fatally shoots Vali. Rama facilitates forgiveness between Sagreeva and Vali in the last moments of his life, and because Vishnu is the one who killed him, his spirit moved into the sky.

The Death of Vali: Image found on Wikimedia Commons

I really liked these stories in particular during this weeks reading. My favorite was the end where Vali was redeemed right before his death. It was a very powerful and detailed speech that truly worked out most of the problems between Vali and Sugreeva right before Vali succumbed to his injuries. These stories came from RK Narayan's The Ramayana.