Remember that Thursday, we won’t be having class face-to-face, since I’ll be out of town. You should, though, be sure to read up through pg. 105 of The Ramayana. And, as we get further into the epic, we should be thinking about what cultural values are being supported by the story but also about how the story is crafted: its mixture of the natural and supernatural, its pacing and sense of drama, its style.
By Thursday night, leave a comment on this post pointing to one (1!) sentence in the reading (quote accurately and provide a page number). In your comment, explain why you think the sentence is significant or puzzling or otherwise worthy of further analysis. You should also include a bit about how the sentence communicates what it communicates (that is, point out word choice, figurative language like a metaphor or simile, odd grammar, etc.). (Make sure to do both of these things to get full credit.)
16 responses so far ↓
VALERIA KUBLIY // Mar 18th 2015 at 12:47 pm
“A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted.” (9)
These words belong to sage Viswamithra a spiritual guru of Rama. He comforts with this words the old king Dasaratha when asks him to let Rama be his divine companion in a very dangerous and long journey. The king was troubled about letting his bellowed son go, and then Viswamithra reminds the king “every human being, when the time comes, has to depart to seek his fulfillment in his own way.”(Ibid).
A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted.” (9)
I found this particular dictum vividly important, since it echoes with the main idea of a book, which is “purpose” , “drahma” and demonstration of the righteous path “for all living creatures”. Each man is born for a purpose and no one is born without a certain talent – each is given the power to use or develop this talent, and it is more beneficial if one can use it for the benefit of others. However, one should discover his real- self first. In order to find one’s own identity, physical separation with home will be helpful, since its gives to a man the freedom of self-discovery and self-identification. The allegory of tree is used intentionally. Likewise, any parents are giving their children roots and wings, so nature gives to a seed all necessary elements to grow, and when the time comes set it free. So does Rama must leave home to fulfill his destiny. It is his drahma. Rama has to find his identity fulfill his life purpose he has to grow independently. He never forgets his roots, but he has to have his own wings in order to see the world, change it and accomplish his mission.
pr158314 // Mar 19th 2015 at 5:26 pm
“I’d rather be dead than facing such a dilemma… I’ll go, and what is destined will happen.” I think this is a significant sentence in the book because Lakshmana is putting it all up to Dharma. He believes that he will be there and whatever happens happens as it is supposed to according to Dharma. Lakshmana feels that he doesn’t really have control on the situation other than being there or not, Dharma will take care of the outcome after that. Dharma is an important part of the Hindu religion and Lakshmana is demonstrating how much faith he has in it because he’s just letting it be the deciding factor. Lakshmana is also using a hyperbole when he says that he would rather be dead than face a dilemma. He also says “what is destined will happen” which means that Lakshmana believes that the outcome of this has already been decided and there is no way to change it.
m.ruiz // Mar 19th 2015 at 5:29 pm
Love is a major theme in this Indian epic. When warned about Rama’s power, Ravana says, “And as to your prophecy, if I have to die for it, let it be Rama’s arrow that pierces my heart rather than the insidious, minute ones from the bow of the god of love” (81). Ravana, a frighteningly powerful creature, would rather face the humiliation of getting killed by Rama rather than have to say goodbye to Sita. Since reincarnation is an integral part of the Hindu religion, I can see why Ravana is not concerned with dying. He will only be reincarnated into something great anyway.
What I find the most interesting about what Ravana says is that he regards the god of love as an evil creature. While he doubts that Rama will actually manage to kill him, he does not doubt the ability of the god of love to kill him. The god’s arrows are not sweet, they are “insidious, minute” (81). Ravana thinks Sita is perfect yet he is referring to his love for her as an dark thing. Really, it is just strange that Ravana is repulsed by his own love for the woman that has taken over his mind.
Ravana specifies that Rama’s arrow may pierce his heart. The heart, being a symbol of love, is what is causing Ravana all his distress. If it is pierced and he dies, he will at least be free of the pain of unrequited love. If the god of love kills him, he will die slowly and painfully.
The word choice of this sentence and the dark representation of love are the things that make this sentence stand out.
k.menzer // Mar 19th 2015 at 5:34 pm
“Eyes, lips, those curly locks falling on the forehead—every item of those features seemingly poised to attack and quell me—me, on whose bow depended the destruction of demons, now at the mercy of one who wields only bow of sugarcane and uses flowers for arrows . . .’ He smiled at the irony of it.” (page 25). This is what Rama said to himself talking about seeing Sita. This is a significant sentence because it shows the strong connection Rama and Sita must have had in their past life, when they were married. The fact that Rama could see Sita for about a minute and remember every detail about her shows how much he noticed her. I feel like this is important because it foreshadows a relationship happening between Rama and Sita.
Rama chooses to use strong words describing how Sita makes him feel such as “poised to attack and quell me”. It’s almost as if he feels so strongly that he dislikes feeling that way towards her. The word quell means to subdue or silence someone. Sita’s elegance silences Rama and subdues him to her wish. He doesn’t understand why he feels this way towards her. He then says, “me, on whose bow depended the destruction of demons”, explaining that he is a very strong person who is letting a woman make him feel less strong, almost weak. He then compares his bow to sugarcane and his arrows to flowers, which further shows how Sita makes him weaker. He then jokes about the irony because he is such a strong, important man, who has feelings so deep for a woman who he doesn’t even know. This sentence is important in showing how strong Rama’s feelings for Sita are and how they both somewhat remember their feelings from their past lives together.
pr158314 // Mar 19th 2015 at 5:38 pm
I forgot to add the page number to my post. The page number was 85.
m.gorman1 // Mar 19th 2015 at 7:23 pm
“This forest is full of such deceivers,” (66). This was said by Kamavalli to Rama while she was attempting to persuade Rama to marry her. She was trying to steal Rama from his wife Sita.
This sentence could mean multiple things. It could be perceived as foreshadowing for what is to come during Rama’s journey in exile in the forest. Perhaps Kamavalli has knowledge of the bad things that exist in the forest and is trying to warn Rama with her marriage proposal. She could simultaneously be warning Rama about herself unintentionally. She could also just be trying to scare Rama away from Sita so that she could marry him herself. No matter how the reader perceives this sentence, it is not a good thing.
ms158714 // Mar 19th 2015 at 7:51 pm
In chapter 3 page 91, Dasaratha tells Rama “It is best to complete all this while Bharatha is away at his grandfather’s place. It is good that he is away. I know his devotion to you, but the human mind, you know, can be fickle… . He may question why he should not have been the king … after all. But if he learns of it as an accomplished fact, I do not doubt that he will be extremely happy.” Such a sly sentence slipped Dasaratha’s mouth provoked my overall perception of his character. More devious than presumed Dasaratha shows similar traits to Odysseus. Both characters demonstrate leader like qualities at the start of each epic until their true colors are exposed in later chapters. In this example Dasaratha sends Bharatha away in order to King Rama. It demonstrates his deception and lack of integrity. Knowing that he was supposed to crown Bharatha king, he decided to pull a fast one in order to crown Rama. He thought no one else would know of his promise to Kaikeyi’s father, however once reminded he tries to mull over the promise. He said anything he could to wife Kaikeyi and now when it is time to keep his promise, he tries to shimmy his way out the bargain. It’s hard to believe that he is a king when he is unable to keep his word. He advises Rama, true leaders must display valor and dignity yet he is unable to do the following. Not only is he unable to keep his word, he is a hypocrite. The construction of the quote is very choppy, including two ellipsis, Dasaratha had to pause in order to blurt out what he wanted, almost as if he felt guilty as he uttered his words. He wanted to tell the truth but he didn’t want to seem blunt about it. For me I sense the feeling that Dasaratha has a fondness for Rama over Bharatha with his confession. Lacking the fluidity of speech, Dasaratha finds the words as he talks to Rama, trying to demonstrate that he treats his kids evenly, even though he would rather Rama be king. He doesn’t want Rama to feel that he is treating Bharatha indifferently, therefore choice of words is very important in such a sensitive moment.
ct154628 // Mar 19th 2015 at 8:39 pm
“Indra, however, never got over his infatuation for Ahalya, and often came in different guises near to Guatama’s ashram, waiting for every chance to gaze and feast on Ahalya’s form and figure; he also watched the habits of the sage and noticed that the sage left his ashram at the dawn of each day and was away for a couple of hours at the river for his bath and prayers.” Page 20
This sentence gave insight on the reason for Indra’s thousand eyes. Learning about how Indra came to acquire his thousand eyes was very interesting because I knew of the god from other tales and an anime with a similar character. After reading Indra’s backstory, I felt as if I could better understand his character and the previous idea of the god in my mind. This sentence is also different from others around it in “communicating what it communicates” because of it’s length. The length of the sentence mimics the length of his routine; it shows how much time and preparation went into Indra’s actions. It overwhelms the reader with it’s length.
ms153581 // Mar 19th 2015 at 9:24 pm
“Finally Rama’s arrow pierced her throat and ended her career; thereby also inaugurating Rama’s life mission of destroying evil and demonry in this world” (pg 13). This specific sentence is significant because it shows that Rama is the strongest son out of the two, since Lakshmana did not have to face the challenge of scorching mother of the desert. Rama puts himself in front of the situation and vowed to carry out Viswamithra’s wish. The phrase “inaugurating Rama’s life mission” foreshadows that Rama will come face to face with numerous obstactles in his near’future, and that he will be the individual that confronts them over his brother Lakshmana. This initial confrontion with demonry has set up a precedence of what is expected when they are faced in a future similar situation.
ht165037 // Mar 19th 2015 at 9:47 pm
“But both beauty and youth are like a wild stream, which, while rushing down the mountainside, crushing flowers and leaves, holds you in a spell” (37). This is when Kooni, who has a deformity and is considered a “freak and hunchback”, talks to the King’s favorite wife Kaikeyi about beauty and how it fades over time, “beauty passes, and in its place you have only the sandy bed”. Kooni explains to Kaikeyi how beauty and youth is her only source of strength and how she’s owes her position as queen of a world conqueror to her beauty. Kooni continues on by stating, when you are old, you will be nobody, pushed aside by your lover and you’ll be at other people’s mercy. This little passage just stood out to me, I found it very compelling and significant. I loved how the author using a simile, compared both beauty and youth to a wild stream and how over time it loses its momentum.
mj160516 // Mar 19th 2015 at 10:10 pm
The sentence below is a similie and is compared to not only youth but beauty as well! This sentence is about when Kooni who is considered to be a hunchback/freak speaks to the kings wife Kaikeyi about how beauty eventually fades over time. Kooni also states that as you get older you get pushed aside by your loved ones and will be at the mercy of others.
“But both beauty and youth are like a wild stream, which, while rushing down the mountainside, crushing flowers and leaves, holds you in a spell” (page 37)
p.moran // Mar 19th 2015 at 10:35 pm
”Rama’s whole purpose of incarnation was ultimately to destroy Ravana, the cheif of the asuras, abolish fear from the hearts of men and gods, and establish oeace, gentleness, and justice in the world.
(page 63, encounters in exime chapter 4)
I believe that all the book it is based in Rama’s as a human being, living in earth and spreading the the rightness to the mankind. That i why in another chapters, as in the first one, Ayhala was a roc until he came to her and ”purified” her in the way that teach her a moral lesson of how you should do things right.
Along the boog I start noticing that Rama as the main character is the belover of woman for her powerful rol in the story. Also as it said his only purpose it is destroy the asuras= the demons, the person who only are looking for trouble or making wrong things, because ”with an asura is likely to lead to incalculable evil consequences”(pag.67), therefore because is not the right thing to do, he should end up with them. Rama is the apperance of god as human being.
I LOVE the simile introude in pag71 same chapter4. When Soorpanaka, the wrong,demon,aura that she suppose to elimanate said ” A serpent’s feet are known to another serpent”menaing that all the persons in the same crew, status, or family know the others secrets and weakness. She meant that he will give him the tricks to end up with all the evil auras if she take her as a lover.
The first quote and the simile it is a really good example of how Rama is the center rol in the book , on earth and in the underworld and how he start refusing all the wrong and evilacts to create a good mandkind demostrating the righteous path ”dharma”
r.beregovich // Mar 19th 2015 at 10:45 pm
“And as to your prophecy, if I have to die for it, let it be Rama’s arrow that pierces my heart rather than the insidious, minute ones from the bow of the god of love.” (81)
At first glance I thought this was an incredible statement on Ravana’s part; he seems to be giving a human way too much credit, way too much honor in the act of killing “the supreme lord of this and other worlds” (74). Not only that, but it would seem like a slight against a fellow supreme power. But this isn’t really the case. If anything, this is a concession of power in deference to the god of love; if one of the most powerful rakshasas would rather die a death at the hands of a human (he shows no indication up until Rama that humans are at all powerful), rather than brave a death at the hands of a higher power, then this is not the lowering of his own status as it at first seems to be. This is emphasizing the effects love, or at least infatuation and lust, have on all beings in the Ramayana. It makes people and gods act in a pathetic state, as if they are in heat like animals.
The main structure of this sentence that communicates this point is in the single arrow versus the many “minute” arrows of the god of love. Ravana recognizes his own lustful state, and would much rather have a swift death even at the hands of a human, rather than a prolonged torture at the hands of a god.
k.jackson // Mar 19th 2015 at 10:57 pm
“But both beauty and youth are like a wild stream, which, while rushing down the mountainside, crushing flowers and leaves, holds you in a spell…But how long does it last?”(37) This is said by Kooni to Kaikeyi right before she confessed to her that Kaikeyi’s husband is cheating on her. Kooni wants her to take advantage of now while she is still beautiful and looks young to save herself before it’s too late. This is significant because it show how important it is for a woman to keep up her beauty since lust is portrayed to be there only strength through “The Ramayana”. Rama farther, Dasaratha, had 3 wives as Rama stayed married and loyal to Rita, which is his only wife. From this quote Rama in the future proves that beauty isn’t everything when recounter with a women who try to use lust against him.
This Sentence stated by Kooni emphasize that beauty doesn’t last forever, you will soon get old. Kooni use an example of a stream that passes through will soon dry up and become nothing but sand. But she questions time to Kaikeyi that before she becomes that sandy bed to use this time to save herself from becoming lonely, and before she loses the spell she holds on her husband. This is very significant because Kooni claims that there are no other options as loneliness is a big distress for them.
rh161368 // Mar 19th 2015 at 11:08 pm
“Ravana felt reassured now and braced himself to take practical steps to achieve his aim.”(Page 79)
I find this quote significant because it shows that Ravana, who is the king of the asuras, has humanlike qualities such as doubt. He was unsure about how he would take Sita from Rama. After some praises from Soorpanaka, Ravana gained the confidence he needed to start plotting to take Sita from Rama. This is interesting because godlike characters are not normally portrayed with such human qualities. They have rage and lust but doubting their own actions are quite different than what we are used to.
The quote conveyed the message by describing the thought process of Ravana. It showed the effects of the compliments from Soorpanaka and how it allowed him to start plotting against Rama to steal Sita. It also shows us that Ravana is not the type of character to just rush into things because he is so powerful. The book tells us that he took “practical steps to achieve his aim”. This shows us that Ravana is strategic and not just a powerful being.
t.kathy // Mar 20th 2015 at 10:19 pm
“It is your wish to discard fine clothes because I wear none you may do so, though it’s not necessary(page 53)”.
Rama was going to forest for fourteen years and Sita was going with her too. Although Rama did not really want her to go but it was her decision to go with him . Like Rama Sita discard wearing expensive clothes and jewellery too. It shows Sita’s sacrifice and love for Rama .