Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part B

So, I finished up part B of the reading today. I have really been enjoying this version of the Ramayana. I think reading all of the stories a second time has allowed me to appreciate and better understand what is taking place. I took notes on my favorite sections/scenes.

• The relationship between Rama and Sugriva is one of my favorites in the epic
• I really like how they become the best of allies and vow to help each other reclaim their kingdoms
• I think the fighting scene between Rama, Sugriva, and Vali is the highlight
• There is a lot of potential for a cool story to be told there
• I was initially surprised at Rama's decision to ambush Vali
• However, I think he was just trying to stay loyal to a new friend
• I know there is a lot of argument over Rama's action
• I would like to possibly give my interpretation on what his intentions were
• I also think the quest to find Sita would be fun to explore
• I would not cover Rama as much if this were the case
• I might explore how Rama feels during all of this
• However, I think Hanuman deserves his own story here
• Hanuman played a vital role that I do not think is emphasized enough
• I am also curious to explore Sita's exile
• I found her exile to be a bit unfair and extreme
• It would be cool to write about that or possibly make up a new storyline

Again, I really enjoyed reading this version of the Ramayana. I found it really fun to go back through these stories one more time. 

(Someone reading a book. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: The Divine Archer, by F. J. Gould. Source: archives

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part A

I really enjoyed reading F. J. Gould's version of the Ramayana. I found it to be much easier to follow as the English and writing style was a bit more modern. I did not have to constantly read something over to understand what was going on in the story. I jotted down some points about things that I liked from the first few sections of this reading. 

• The description of Rama and his birth was very detailed 
• It included the descriptions of his heaven like markings and the intuition of his mother
• The foresight of his mother to see him turn into a divine being was a nice addition
• The people and the city adorned and loved Rama
• Rama and his brother's accounts with slaying the demons was awesome
• The dialogue between the hermit and the king was easy to understand
• I found that in the past I would get lost in the dialogue
• This clarity is something that I definitely want to mimic
• The scene where Rama sees Sita is great descriptively
• It displays the internal dialogue of Rama as he takes his first glance at his future wife
• I think it does a great job foreshadowing of what is about to come
• The challenge of winning over Sita was written very well and stays true to the source
• I liked reading about Rama breaking the axe and stringing Vishnu's bow
• I think this is a story that I would like to recreate
• I could do a really cool retelling similar to that of King Arthur
• The succession is an emotional turn of events
• Rama's father was eager to make Rama the successor the the throne
• The conflict that Rama faces is tough to read
• It is unfortunate that Kaikeyi has such a strong impact on Rama's future
• I wrote about this last week, but I still think there are more thing I could add to the story

(A photo of a statue of Rama, taken by adityamadhav83. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Overall, I really enjoyed this week's reading option. I think it helped immensely that this was my second time reading about Rama and his adventures. I found this week's reading to be much easier to follow. I am glad that I was able to revisit these stories. I feel like I am able to fully appreciate them this time around.

Bibliography: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. Source: archives.