RAMAYANA by Valmiki Hanuman - a devoted follower of Sugriva
Characters:
Dasaratha - king of Ayodhya
Rama - son of Dasaratha, an incarnation of
Vishnu on Earth, most powerful weapon:
Brahma-missile
Lakshmana - son of Dasaratha, brother of Rama
& Is very close to him
Bharata - son of Dasaratha
Satrughna - son of Dasaratha
Vasista - priest
Vishwamitra - sage or wise man
Sumitra, Kaikeyi & Kausalya - wives of the king
Ravana - the ruler of Rakshasas or demons, he
had 10 heads & 20 arms
Vishnu - the protector of universe
Tataka - a she-demon who attacks & kills
anyone in the forest where she lives, enormous,
had a human skull on her neck, had sharp claws
Manthara - maid-servant, did not want Rama to
be king
Jatayu - ancient vulture king
Shurpanaka -sister of Ravana, she-demon, had a
potbelly, huge ears, claws on her fingers and
toes, slits for eyes and dirty hair
Khar & Dushan - brothers of Shurpanaka
Mareech - a magician that can assume the form
of any human or beast
Sugriva - ruler of the monkey kingdom
Vibhishana - brother of Ravana
Jambuvan - bear king, one of the leaders of the
army and told Hanuman to go to Kailasa
Mountain
Valmiki - poet-hermit
Kusa & Lava - twin sons of Rama & Sita
I. The Boyhood of Rama
The capital of Kosala, Ayodhya, a
peaceful city in the banks of Saraayu
River
the people were peace-loving & happy
Dasaratha, the king was unhappy
because he was old and he did not have
sons
The king called upon the priest,
Vasistha and told him that he longed for
a son
Vasistha told the king that he will
perform a sacred rite to please the gods
and give the king sons
the king was excited and he told his 3
wives the good news
At the same time, the gods were
growing angrier at Ravana
Ravana was using his powers to prevent
the gods & holy men in performing
sacred rituals
Vishnu decided it was time to do
something
But Ravana was granted a promise:
protecting him from gods & demons
Vishnu thought that Ravana did not
protect himself from humans &
monkeys
 Vishnu then decided that he will born as
a human that will kill Vishnu
Vishnu sent a messenger to the king
with pasayam or a sweet made of milk
& rice, laced with a special potion
the messenger said to give the three
wives the drink
After the wives had finished the drink,
they shone
four sons were to the king: Rama,
Lakshmana, Bharata & Satrughna
Rama & Lakshmana were inseparable
all grew up well & Dasaratha was happy
Rama holds a special place in the king's
heart
Vishwamitra, a sage went to Ayodhya to
see the king to ask of a favor
Vishwamitra wants to perform a sacred
rite yet but he is interrupted by
Ravana's demons. He cannot fight these
demons because of his vow
He asks the king if he can take Rama
with him
Dasaratha instead offers to let his
armies come and he shall fight them
with his own hands
Vishwamitra knew that Rama was an
avatar of Vishnu and that only Vishnu in
human form could kill Ravana
The king told Rama and Rama willingly
went with the sage
Lakshmana also went with them
it was a long journey but during their
stops the sage taught the 2 boys how to
use the weapons of the gods
they reached the foot of a forest where
Tataka, a she-demon lives
neither of the 2 boys were afraid
from nowhere a huge rock hurled from
the sky heading straight to Rama, he
drew an arrow to the rock & it split into
two
Tataka appeared
Lakshmana fired an arrow and gravely
wounded her
Rama fired an arrow at her heart, killing
the she-demon
The gods in heaven rained lotus-
blossoms down on Rama, blessing him
Rama & Lakshmana killed many demons
the sage told Rama that he will give him
greater weapons but he knew that
Rama's work was far from complete
the 3 left the forest
they headed for Mithila to visit King
Janaka
Janaka told the sage of his daughter
Janaka found a divine child in a furrow
in a portion of his land and adopted this
child and named her Sita
Many desired Sita's hand in marriage
but the king wanted a man of great
strength & righteousness to marry her
to marry Sita: a man must lift & string
the ancient bow of Shiva
the sage asked Rama to do so
he lifted the bow with ease and he
started to string it
the bow snapped in two
the people then chanted "Rama.
Rama."
the king declared that Sita has found
her spouse and sent a messenger to
Ayodhya to inform them of Rama's
wedding to Sita
the wedding was held in the palace &
there was the worship of the sacred fire
Janaka led Sita to Rama.
Both have never seen a man or woman
as beautiful as the other
everyone then returned to Ayodhya
 Rama & Sita continued to serve their
parents
They were devoted to each other
Rama matured into a young prince
Rama had all the noble qualites, he was
a sat-purusa, the ideal man
II. Life in Ayodyha
the king noticed omens; his death was
near
the king decided to step down and give
Rama his throne
the king informed the priests to begin
the sacred rites for Rama to assume the
throne of Ayodhya
Kaikeyi, the last & youngest of the
king's wives was pleased about this
Manthara, a maid-servant did not want
Rama to be king because she wanted to
secure her position in the palace
she spoke to Kaikeyi in secret and told
her to convince the king to not make
Rmaa the king. And that it should be
Kaikeyi's son who should be king
Kaikeyi believed Manthara
Kaikeyi reminded the king of his
promises when she saved his life in
battle
o 1st: Her son Bharata, be placed
as the king of Ayodhya
o 2nd: Rama must be banished
from the kingdom for a period
of no less than 14 yrs
the king asked his wife not to tell this to
him because he knows he cannot go
back on his word
yet he could not bear to ask Rama to
forsake his throne and go away for 14
years
Kaikeyi told Rama the news
Rama comforted his father and
respected his decision
Rama told his mother, Kausalya to
ensure that the king installs Bharata as
the crown prince
Rama left the palace
Lakshmana declared that he will
destroy anyone who opposes Rama's
right to the throne
Rama responded and told Lakshmana
that it's his (Rama) duty, his dharma
Lakshmana declared that he will follow
his brother
Rama tried to convince Sita to stay
Both were persistent and in the end he
allowed the two to come with him
They left the palace and cast away their
royal clothes and wore the clothes of
the hermits
the people of Ayodhya wept
Darsaratha lost the will to live and died
the kingdom wept for the loss
in a few days the Rama, Lakshmana &
Sita crossed the river Ganges and
looked for a land undisturbed and
isolated from everyone
soon they reached Chitrakoot, a place
with many trees & streams
they built a hut near a stream
After several days, Lakshmana heard
the pounding of a thousand hooves
while hunting in the forest
He saw the lead horseman carrying the
flag of Ayodhya
Bharata found his brothers and
Lakshmana was sure that he was out to
kill them
Lakshmana told Rama about this and
said that he will kill Bharata with his
own hands.
 Rama said that they must welcome
Bharata since he is their brother
Bharata embraced his brothers and
asked Rama to be the king of Ayodhya
Rama said that he cannot since the 14
years aren't up only then will he return
Bharata said that as long as Rama is in
exile no one shall be king
He asked Rama for his sandals and that
he will place it on the throne
He declared that he will serve as king
for the next 14 years
And if after those 14 years, Rama does
not return, he (Bharata) will walk to a
fire and die (dramatic dis guy)
Bharata took the sandals and left the
forest
In Kosala, Bharata placed the sandals on
the Red & Gold Ayodhya throne
III. The Forest Life
Rama, Lakshmana and Sita walked
south until they reached Dandaka
forest, a once lush forest that became a
wasteland
at night demons prowled the land in
search for flesh
Hermits also lived in the forest, they
spoke of the horrors that Ravana's
demons had done
Rama & Lakshmana promised to kill
these domons
After 10 years, the three crossed the
Godavari River and reached Panchavati,
a magnificent forest untouched by
demons
They built a hut and Jatayu, the ancient
culture king befriended them
Jatayu also guarded Sita when the
brothers went hunting
beyond the clearing lived Shurpanaka,
a she-demon
She saw Rama in the forest and
declared that she wanted him as her
husband
using her magic, she transformed into a
beautiful maiden
Shurpanaka asked Rama on who he is
and why he lived in the forest
Rama then told his story
Upon seeing Sita, Shurpanaka said that
Sita is not good for him. And that it is
her that he should be with
Rama jokingly said that he'll introduce
her to his brother, Lakshmana
She sensed that he was not interested
in her
She grew angry, assumed her original
form and jumped on Sita
Lakshmana took his gold-handled knife
from his belt and cut off the she-
demon's nose and ears. She howled in
pain and left
Shurpanaka ran until she met her
brothers, Khar and Dushan
They asked who had done this to her
They declared that they will kill the
human who did this to their sister
Khar gathered his army of demon
warriors and marched into the forest
Lakshmana noticed that the sky grew
darker
the sky was then filled with flying
demons
Rama told Sita to remain in the hut
Rama & Lakshmana faced Khar's forces
Rama fired his golden arrows skyward
and mortally wounded the demons
Khar and hus 14,000 warriors were slain
Shurpanaka watched in horror as her
brothers and their army were destroyed
 She hurried to Lanka to see her brother
Ravana, she told him about what had
happened to their brothers
Ravana asked how many humans
fought them and she told him there
were only 2 humans
Ravana wondered which gods were on
their side
She added that Rama's wife is the most
beautiful woman she's ever seen and
said that she would make a wonderful
queen
Shurpanaka: "Whoever Sita embraces
as her husband will outgain the gods in
happiness."
Ravana thought about how he can
punish Rama in a way that the human
won't expect
Ravana summoned his magic chariot
and flew off, he landed at the den of
the magician, Mareech
Ravana told Mareech of Rama along
with his desire for Rama's wife, Sita
Mareech said that he will transform
into a golden deer to lure Rama away,
and left the rest to Ravana
The golden deer appeared at the
stream in Panchavati and Sita was
enchanted by it
She asked Rama to capture the deer for
her
Lakshmana was suspicious told his
brother to approach the deer with
caution
Rama asked Lakshmana to stay near
Sita
Rama took a step forward and the deer
darted to the woods taking Rama
farther from the hut
Deep in the forest, as Rama approached
the deer it transformed to Mareech
Rama was filled with fear and ran as
fast as he could
he then heard a voice exactly like his
own crying out: "Lakshmana help me!"
Rama knew he had been tricked and
hoped his brothers ignored these cries
Sita told Lakshmana to help her
husband
He insisted that he must not leave Sita's
side
Sita questioned whether he cared for
his brother
Instead Sita said she'll find him,
Lakshmana said no she cannot
She threatened to kill herself if he does
not go after Rama
Lakshmana decided to leave but before
that he drew a circle around the
entrance of the hut.
He asked he not to leave the magical
circle so that she'll be safe
Lakshmana ran to the direction of
Rama's voice
From behind a tree, Ravana watched his
plan unfold perfectly
Ravana changed himself into a sanyasi,
an old wise man, clutching a begging
bowl
Sita knowing her duty, offered the old
man a fruit
Ravana saw the circle and knew that he
must make Sita leave the circle
Ravana: "I'm a sanyasi, I cannot enter
your home. To accept your gift, you
must leave your home"
Sita hesitated but how could she ignore
the man
She stepped beyond the circle then
Ravana grabbed her and placed her in
his chariot
 The chariot rose to the sky and sped to
Lanka
Jatayu, the great eagle, saw Sita
Jatayu spread his wings and flew to the
chariot
Jatayu: "Free Sita or I will kill you"
Ravana ignored the threat and Jatayu
tore off one of the chariot's railings
He gently removed Sita from the chariot
and set her on the grounf
Jatayu attacked Ravana, tearing off his
arms and legs but it grew back
Jatayu grew tired from the fight
Ravana then tore off Jatayu's wings
The bird fell to the ground and die
Sita thanked Jatayu for trying to save
her
Ravana pulled Sita back to the chariot
and staggered back to Lanka
Once in Lanka, Ravana tried to convince
Sita to stay and become his queen
Sita only loved Rama
Ravana led her out to a garden and
guarded her with a hundred demons
Back in the forest, Lakshmana found
Rama unharmed
Lakshmana realized that he had been
tricked
They returned to the hut and found Sita
gone
Rama cried out: "Sita is gone. What do I
V. Hanuman's Prank
do?"
Rama knelt down and cried
uncontrollably
he wondered if Sita what Sita was
enduring
Rama gathered his strength: "This act
shall not go unpunished. I will slay
Ravana and his family."
IV. Rama's stay in Kiskindha
Rama and Lakshmana began to search
for Sita
they entered Kiskindha the kingdom of
the monkeys
they came to a mountain where
Surgriva lived
Rama introduced themselves to
Hanuman
Rama & Lakshmana met Sugriva
Sugriva said that he too was in exile
Sugriva agreed to find Sita provided
that they help him regain his throne
Sugriva said that one of his men saw
Sita being carried off to Lanka and she
dropped one of her ornaments
Rama and Lakshmana defeated
Sugriva's brother and won back the
throne
It was the rainy season and Rama &
Lakshmana cannot begin their search
until the rain stops
When the sun shone again Hanuman
arrived along with his monkey troops
Hanuman divided his troops into 4,
each division would go search for a
month
At the end of the month, 3 out of 4
returned with no word
Only Hanuman's division had not
returned
Hanuman and his troop saw a great bird
on the mountainside, the brother of
Jatayu
He asked the bird if he knew where sita
was
The bird said that Sita was in the Asoka
garden near Ravana's palace
Hanuman was told that he needed to
cross a great ocean to go to Sita
 Hanuman declared that he will cross VI. The Great War
the ocean and save Sita
Hanuman returned and gave Rama,
Hanuman prayed for strength and
Sita's jewel
prayed to Rama
Vibhishana tried to save Sita's life and
Hanuman grew, cried "Victory to Rama"
asked Rama to let her go so that they
and leapt to the sky
do not anger Rama
the gods smiled on Hanuman as they
Vibhishana told Ravana not to
admired his courage and devotion
underestimate Rama's strength
As he approached the city, he changed
Ravana said that he fears no one
back into his normal size
Vibhishana left the palace and went to
He came to Rama's palace
Rama
Then he saw Sita beneath a grove of
Vibhishana told Rama of Indrajit,
trees
Ravana's son who had an army of
As he was about to approach Sita, he
demons
saw Ravana
Rama promised Vibhishana that he'll
Ravana asked Sita to marry him
be the new king of Lanka
Sita refused him
Rama spoke to the ocean god and
Ravana was angered and saddened
threatened it. Saying that he can dry
because of her words, saying that she
the ocean and to avoid this they must
will remain there
help Rama
One by one the demons guarding Sita
Nala, son of the great builder will build
fell asleep
them a bridge across the water
Hanuman knelt at her feet and
with the help of Hanuman's army they
introduced himself to her
built the bridge in 5 days
He showed her Rama's ring to prove her
Hanuman's army surrounded the city
that he's telling the truth
Ravana ordered two of his demons to
She gave Hanuman a jewel as proof of
change into monkeys and find out what
her love
they can from the demon army
The demons woke up and attacked
Vibhishana recognized the two and
Hanuman but he killed them with ease
brought them to Rama
Hanuman was taken to the palace and
Rama decided not to punish them and
Ravana decided to punish him
send a message to Ravana
so they decided to set Hanuman's tail
Ravana was angered and asked one of
on fire
his demons to make a copy of Rama's
As they wrapped his tail with cloth,
head
Hanuman's tail grew longer and longer
Ravana told her of Rama's death but
With his tail on fire, Hanuman flew into
she did not believe him.
the sky and decided to set the city on
He then showed her his head and
fire
believed him.
Then he dipped his tail in the ocean to
put out the fire
 Ravana was angered by Sita's devotion
to Rama
Ravan ordered his troops to march
toward the city gates
on the fifth day the battle began,
Rama & Lakshmana fought