Reading Notes: Nivedita Ramayana B

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bibliography: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana, Sister Nivedita

This version, once again, cleared up some misinterpreted plot points for me. A few things I did not realize happened in the compiled version of the Ramayana:


Hanuman burns Lanka
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists


  • Ravana actually lost against Rama the first time which caused Indrajit to confront Rama and crew
  • Indrajit was making sacrifices to the Fire God in order to gain more power to beat Rama
  • Rama had respect for Ravana as a warrior
  • Turns out Rama isn't actually an asshole. He had to prove to the people that Sita was innocent and the only way he can do that is by having her prove herself by walking through the funeral pyre
  • The gods revealed Rama and Sita's identity to them 
  • Dasharatha had renounced Kaikeyi and her son
  • Indra revived all the people that fought on Rama's side 
  • There is actually a reason why Rama renounced Sita. The people that he ruled over is talking trash about Sita. Rama is actually hurt by this but he has to do it to maintain his honor. While I don't agree with this, it is a valid reason given the circumstances.
  • Sita gives birth to twin sons, Kusha and Lava, in Valmiki's hermitage
  • Rama regrets what he did and when he heard Kusha and Lava recite the Ramayana (which they learned from Valmiki), he invited them back and wanted the counsel to vouch for Sita's innocence
What I don't understand is that if Rama had beaten Ravana already, why didn't he get Sita back then? Maybe I misread / misunderstood but I thought Rama fought with Ravana and won. 

Some miscellaneous thoughts:
  • Where are they getting all these Brahma weapons? What even is a Garuda weapon / rakshasa weapon? Where are they even from?
  • What is with this herb that can heal people from the dead?
All in all, I enjoyed this version a lot. It was more compact and since it was all written by one person, it made it flow together more easily. The style of writing also stayed the same throughout. This helped me understand it a lot better. 

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