Week 5 Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues - Part B

Part A ended with Rama asking for Sita's forgiveness after doing a funeral pyre in fire with the God of Fire, Agni. Then, Rama and Sita leave in a Pushpaka, a flying chariot. 

At the same time, the narrators plot consists of Nina leaving India to New York for a week. Dave Stays in India. Furthermore, Dave actually breaks off the relationship with Nina through email while she is in New York. She was in distraught because of the situation. 

The Ramayana plot continues as Sita tells Rama that she is pregnant. At the same time, a dhobi, a laundry man, physically abuses his wife with accusations that she was unloyal. He also compares his wife to Sita. 

Due to the laundry man's accusation and comparison to Sita, Rama commands his brother Lakshmana to take Sita to the forest and leave her there. He decides to do this because he has to keep his high end reputation. 

Sita once again sings the Blues while crying Lakshmana takes her to the forest. 

Sita thinks that because of all the tragic events happening to her that this is Karma from a past life. 

After Sita is abandoned by Lakshmana, Valmiki rescues her and they give birth to her twin sons, Lava and Kusha. Valmiki teaches them to sing the praises of Rama. 

As Lava and Kusha were singing the praising songs of Rama, Rama hears the singing in the forest. He then learns that they are his own sons and the twins realize Rama is their father. 

In a different story I've read, the twins actually battle Rama's group and then they realize he is their father, but this story is nice too. 

Rama asks Sita to test her purity and she calls on Mother earth to take her back to the womb. 

Bibliography:

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. 2008. [Film]

Rama (left) and Sita (right) from omnamonarayanaya on Flickr.com.