Reading Notes for Week 4 - Part D
Part D starts with the creation of Rama's bridge.
Rama knew he would need to cross the ocean in an attempt to reach Lanka after Hanuman leaped there using his superpowers. He began to perform sacrifices to get the attention of the God of Ocean. None of the sacrifices worked. Angrily, he began to shoot arrows with his bow and celestial weapons into the water. The sea got angry as well and darkness came about with lightning and thunder. Rama threatened to dry up the sea. After these numerous attempts, God of the Ocean rose above the water telling Rama to find help from Nala, son of Vishwakarman, the divine artisan, to help innovate a bridge that would let everyone across. The God vanished back into the waters immediately. A green body, Nala, assisted by his workmen, made rocky islands between the land they are on and Lanka. The bridge is now called "Rama's Bridge."
Now that Lanka is accessible to Rama, it was time for his next step towards his beloved Sita. The earth was tumbling, the clouds were raining blood, and a fiery circle fell from the sun, according to the PDE edition. Rama thought about Sita being imprisoned. Ravana sent spies as monkeys to gather intel on Rama and the monkeys on his side. The monkey spies attempted to persuade Ravana to surrender Sita because of how enraged Rama was. Ravana thought otherwise and sent a different set of monkey spies. Ravana knew that this would have to end in battle unless he surrendered Sita. So, he began to play with Sita's head. Ravana made a counterfeit semblance of Rama's head and bow. He tried to make the illusion that he had defeated and beheaded Rama. As Ravana and Sita were still in conversation, Ravana was disturbed and distracted by war. It was time for him to fight. When Ravana exited the scene with Sita, the head disappeared and Sita recognized that it was just an illusion.
Bibliography:
Public Domain Edition Ramayana: The Bridge from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).
Public Domain Edition Ramayana: Rama Attacks from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).
Building the Bridge from Mainland to Lanka from the Philadelphia Art Museum.
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