Week 2: Reading Diary A

Reading Notes. pages 1-53
The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

I think that keeping a reading diary will help keep things in line and also be a good refresher when looking back at what I read the week before. The characters that stood out to me the most during this reading were Rama, Ahalya, and Bhagiratha.

Rama: Throughout the three chapters that i've read so far, Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, has been portrayed as a dauntless, muscular, and very benevolent character. He kills Thataka, a horrendous demon, defeats Thataka's sons when they come to seek revenge, releases Ahalya from her stone captivity and encourages her to reunite with her husband, lifts, bends, and strings the bow of the god Shiva to win Sita's hand in marriage, and agrees to go into exile for fourteen years without protest.. I think that Rama is a really strong and dynamic character. All his deeds and actions show how respectful he is and how well his morals and ethics have carried him thus far.

Ahalya: I think that Ahalya's character and story are really interesting. She was definitely one of the characters that caught my eye and I think it was because her story was so random and unexpected. Ahayla was a beautiful woman created by Brahma out of utter perfection and beauty. Indra, a shape shifter, wanted her really badly so one day he took the form of her husband, Sage Guatama, and made love to Ahalya. Ahalya didn't realize what was happening till it was too late and Guatama came home and found the two in bed. He punished Ahalya by turning her into stone telling her that she wouldn't be free till Rama crossed her path and punished the shape shifter by covering his body in female genitalia and then later into eyes. This story was just so intense but I am glad that Rama released her and encouraged her to let go of her past and reunite with her husband.

Bhagiratha: I think that Bhagiratha caught my eye because he was the character that bought Ganges River down to Earth with God Shiva's help. I've heard and read a lot about the Ganges River in elementary and middle school and I also did a project over this river in one of my religious classes. When I saw the words Ganges River it instantly sparked a memory of one of my projects in my head and I remembered reading how this river was a huge symbol that brought cleanliness and reminded people of the sacred goddess Ganga. I had no idea that Bhagiratha was the god behind the river and was the one that bought it down to the Earth.