Answer TWO of the following...
Q1: In The Ramayana, most things are not what they
seem, particularly if they look too good to be true. Rama is warned that Ravana’s
turncoat brother, Vibishana, is clearly an “asura,” an evil spirit who will
bring him harm; therefore he must kill him and fulfill his duty as a hero (who
came to earth, after all, to stop Ravana and all asuras). Why does Rama instead
decide to spare him even at the risk of being betrayed later on? Does this go
against his dharma as a warrior or his mission as a god?
Q2: Toward the end of his life, Ravana is warned “Sooner or
later retribution comes. Do not be contemptuous of men or monkeys” (126). Why
does he continue to fly in the face of dharma and pursue his “impure work”? If
we read this entire story on a more allegorical/metaphorical level, what human
impulse might Ravana represent for the book’s readers?
Q3: What do you make of the passage that describes Ravana’s
death? How might this reflect Rama’s earlier encounter with Vali? How might
this passage also help explain the concept of maya in Hindu thought?
Q4: Clearly the most controversial part of the book is Rama’s
rejection of Sita after his long struggle to regain her. How do you read this
passage in terms of Rama being not only a great hero, but the god Vishnu
himself? Why demand this of a wronged woman? Does this passage relate to
anything else we’ve read in the book concerning women? (related to this, how
does Narayan seem to read it)?
Q1: I believe Rama decided to spare his life in pity. Also, Vibishana is the only reason that Hanuman is still alive. If it was not for Vibishana standing up for Hanuman and going up against his brother, even though he knew he would be killed or sent away, Rama would not have spared Vibishana his life. This shows that Rama has human qualities by his understanding nature. The gods seem to be more violent and not remorseful or understanding at all. Any god would have probably killed Vibishana without even questioning it. Rama is trying to create good karma by sparing him his life.
ReplyDeleteQ2: Ravana is too far into his wrong doing to go back now. He thinks that he can put everything behind him just by killing Rama and his brother. He is too invested into his "impure work" to just stop. He believes that if he gives up now, he is a coward. Truthfully, I think Ravana is a coward because he never puts himself directly into harms way. He is always sending others out to fight the fight he alone has created. Ravana would represent being self centered and greedy. He only thinks about himself and never those around. He makes decisions based upon how it will effect him and not how it will effect others.
Q3: I think Ravana’s death scene is meant to show us that Ravana had the capacity to be a hero instead of a monster. Throughout that chapter, Ravana is sometimes referred to as “heroic”. And we see that the “anger, conceit, cruelty, lust, and egotism” had covered up what Ravana really was. Ravana could have been a hero, but those things got in the way, where they did not get in the way for Rama. He dies in serenity and peace, similar to Vali, who realized that Rama was “right”. “Maya” is described as a weapon that creates illusions and thoughts, and it was created by Vishnu, who is actually Rama. It may be possible that this helps show that Rama is Vishnu, and may just be a storytelling aspect.
ReplyDeleteQ4: Narayan seems to approach this scene by making Rama seem reluctant about this whole affair. He wants to have Sita back, but it seems that Rama is afraid of society and customs, even if he knows (or assumes) that Sita is still purely his. Honestly, I feel like Narayan slightly mocks Rama at some times, showing how much he is aligned with old customs and ways, and showing how traditional he often acts. What is most interesting is how shocked the crowd is at what Sita is doing. I don’t think that it was a traditional custom to do something like this, because the entire crowd is “stunned by the turn of the events.”
Q2: I think Ravana is the representation of pride and what can happen when one has too much of it. He's blinded by his own self righteousness (and a dash of narcissism) to realize that a monkey or a human could be his downfall. I think he continues on his same path because it's all he really knows. He has been this way for so long it's become a central part of his being and if a piece of that foundation was rocked, his entire sense of self would come tumbling down.
ReplyDeleteQ3: The passage about his death really did remind me of the end of Star Wars with Vader dying. I live my life believing that EVERY person has good in them somewhere and everyone is capable of doing good things for themselves and others, and that no one is truly evil because evil is created and formed by actions... and I think this ending kind of had that same underlying message. The passage reflects on Maya in the sense that Ravana was merely a vessel of which dharma and duty was attained. Ravana himself was not evil, but was just doing the job he was meant to do so he could reach enlightenment. It's very different from how we, as Western readers, think so I hope I'm not just making this up. Under a western lens this does not make much sense because it seems like he isn't punished for his crimes.
Q2: I think the reason Ravana is so quick to dismiss his adversaries as lesser beings is because not only does he see himself as part of a much higher caste, he perhaps believes that his triumph over the gods means that he has transcended the caste system altogether. This is, of course, foolish of him. Ravana's arrogance seems to make him even more vulnerable to maya. Ravana seems to embody mankind's penchant for greed and lust for power.
ReplyDeleteQ3: It seems like it must be a great honor to be killed by a godly being like Rama. Ravana and Vali both came closer to enlightenment through being killed by Rama. Maybe this is supposed to show us that hate, greed, and other forms of wickedness are all just a result of being fooled by maya; maybe seeing through the veil of maya is the only way to faithfully follow dharma. The spirit itself has great potential to achieve good works when maya is realized.