Ramayana Chapter Notes

Chapters 4, 5, and 6

Chapter 4 Ravana hears of brother’s

death. Revenge=CAPTURE SITA

Maricha objects claiming that it will destroy the city.

Ravana feels that Rama is not match for his wit or strength.

Maricha devises a plan.

Chapter 4 Maricha’s plan=to lure Sita with a

beautiful golden and silver deer with antlers of sapphire and skin as soft as petals of flowers

Sita sees the deer and wants it. Lakshmana tells Rama to beware

of the deer. He felt is could be a rakshasas in disguise.

Chapter 4 Rama doesn’t heed the advice

and asks Lakshmana to watch Sita.

Rama follows the deer, shoots it and Maricha resumes his shape.

Maricha disguises his voice as Rama’s and calls Lakshmana.

Sita hears the cry and tells Lakshmana to find Rama.

Chapter 4 Lakshamana refuses. Sita is angry.

Lakshmana goes. Ravana watches Sita and disguises

himself as a holy hermit. The forest knew.

Ravana approaches Sita, introduces himself and asks her to choose him as her love.

Sita refuses. Ravana kidnaps her as she shouts for her husband and Lakshmana.

Chapter 4 Brahma is happy=Ravana will

die. Sita throws her golden veil and

jewels to the earth/monkeys. Rama returns=no Sita Sugriva, the monkey king, tells

Rama of his wife’s kidnapping and agrees to help Rama.

Chapter 4 Hanuman will be able find Sita. Rama gives Hanuman his signet

ring to show Sita. Hanuman turns into a cat and

enters Lanka but cannot find Sita. Sita is in the forest with Ravana.

She refuses him. Hanuman whispers to her and gives her the signet ring.

Chapter 4 Sita asks Hanuman to give

Rama a jeweled token. Ten months have passed. Rama speaks to Hanuman

about his wife. Sugriva and Rama lead the

monkey to the great sea.

Chapter 5

Kumbha-karna promises to support Ravana in his plight to destroy Rama.

Vibhishana will not fight as he states,”The warrior who fights the right fight is doubly armed”

Ravana banishes him.

Vibhishana joins Rama.

Hanuman burns part of Lanka.

Chapter 5 Vibhishana becomes king after

Ravana is defeated. Battle: might #1=Rama, #2=Ravana Rama fights Ravana on the back of

Hanuman, demolishes chariot, breaks crown and wounds Ravana with arrows.

Rama doesn’t kill Ravana because he is too weak to fight.

Chapter 5 Kumbha-karna joins Ravana to

fight, kills hundreds of monkeys and refuses to fight Lakshmana so that he may save his strength for Rama.

Rama tears off K-k’s arms and with Indra’s great arrow severs his head from his neck.

Lakshmana kills Ravana’s son.

Chapter 5 Rama v. Ravana

Ravana enters with a new chariot and horses.

Indra resolves to help the righteous Rama by providing him with golden armor and a horse drawn chariot.

Rama uses Vishnu’s bow.

Chapter 5 Rama slices off all ten of Ravana’s

head but they continue to grow back. Brahma’s arrow kills Ravana-heart. Rama sends Hanuman to retrieve

Sita. Rama tells Sita that she bears a

moral stain because she has lived with another man.

Rama explains that he must publicly renounce her.

Chapter 5 Sita asks her husband why he

rescued her. She claims that she has not

been unfaithful and that he needs to restore her honor.

Sita enters the flames and disappears.

Chapter 5 The gods come to earth. Sita passes the test of purity. Exile is over. D-r speaks to Lakshmana asking

him to take care of Rama. D-r asks Sita to forgive Rama.

Indra gives Rama a gift of renewed life for the dead who fought for his cause.

Chapter 5 Hanuman requests eternal life

to tell the tale. Rama and Sita are the King

and Queen of Ayodhya for 10, 000 years.

Chapter 6 Sita becomes pregnant. Rama meets wise men at the

Ganges. Rama asks what his subjects think of him. The wise men say that his subjects criticize Rama for taking back Sita.

The wise men tell Rama to renounce Sita again but Rama knows that she is pure.

Chapter 6 Lakshmana is to take Sita to

Valmiki’s and leave her to rest as she is pregnant.

Sita accepts her exile because it is her dharma.

Sita gives birth to twins. Valmiki teaches the children

to sing The Ramayana.

Chapter 6 Brahma requests that Valmiki put

Rama’s story into beautiful verse. Valmiki creates The Ramayana. Years pass and Rama has a

celebration for his subjects. Valmiki attends with Rama’s twin sons.

Rama realizes that they are his children and speaks to Valmiki about Sita.

Chapter 6 Rama wants his wife back after

she proves her purity again. Rama apologizes to Sita. Sita claims that it is time to

leave her life behind. The earth opens, a golden

throne rises and Sita leaves.

Chapter 6 Brahma tells Rama that he will

rejoin Sita. They will live as Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Rama and his brothers enter the afterlife as Vishnu.

THE END!!