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)?
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