Reading Diary A - Week 3

Ravana

·         Enslaver of other gods into his court

·         Hopeless lover of Sita, much like Suurphanka and Rama. Went so far as to change the seasons out of hopelessness thinking of Sita.

·         Taking the form of a homeless man, the idiot Sita allows him into the hut while she is unguarded.

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Mareecha

·         Uncle of Ravana, has made two unsuccessful attempts at taking out Rama

·         Lost his mother and brother at the hands of Rama

·         Assumes the form of the gold deer in order to capture Sita for Ravana.

Lakshmana

·         Despite being the precautious and clever protector, no one trusts him until things go poorly.

Jatayu

·         Great eagle, protector of Dasartha’s family after his death.

·         Fought valiantly with Ravana, but was no match in the end.

·         Only lived to tell Lakshmana and Rama that they would succeed in the end

Hanuman

·         Man of the monkey people, takes form of scholar, guide for their journey in the monkey’s land

Sugreeva

·         Had a brother, Vali, who churned immortality nectar for the gods. The gods gave him immeasurable strength in return.

·         Lost his wife and role in the Kingdom to Vali whenever Vali thought he had been betrayed by his brother.

·         Needs Vali to be destroyed by Rama in order to reclaim his army to help search for Sita.

Vali

·         Disregards the well-informed warnings of his wife Tara and proceeds to confront his brother with a lust for battle.

·         In battle with Sugreeva, was shot by Rama’s piercing arrow. Sugreeva looked much alike his brother and thus wore a wreath to mark himself.

·         Marks a dark record on Rama’s conscience, as Rama was not affiliated with Sugreeva until he lost his wife

·         Goes into a long ethical battle with Rama before death, citing Rama’s misconceptions about the monkey people

·         Realized his wrong with his death, but was happy for his own salvation

Sugreeva

·         Despite the agreement, Sugreeva does not show with his army search party after the rain season. Lakshmana is sent after him.

·         Sugreeva had become a fat cat, indulging in king rewards without doing the responsibilities.

·         His delay of action was apparently caused by messenger delay between army groups

Sampathi

·         Brother of the late Jayatu, found at the southern coast.

·         Lost his wings while shielding Jayatu from the energy of a sun god

·         His wings regenerated upon the mention of Rama, and informed the search party that Sita was still farther to the south in Lanka.

·         Upon his departure, Hanuman was encouraged to use his inner power to traverse the gap in the ocean by becoming gigantic.