Week 2 Reading Diary: The Ramayana Part A

Upon beginning the Ramayanas, archetype was the first word to pop in my head. From the beginning of King Dasharatha, I couldn’t help but spot the many parallels between the Old Testament and the Ramayanas. Even the writing style of the ancestry in the first paragraph was similar to that of the Bible. More specifically, the depiction of Ayodhya sounded like an illustration of the Garden of Eden (or paradise) from the Creation story: “there were numerous birds and flowers, shady groves of fruit trees, and lakes gemmed with bee-loved lotuses”. At the same time, the city of Ayodhya reminded me of the story of the Tower of Babel: “it had wide streets with large dwellings, richly decorated temples, towering like mountains, and grand and noble palaces”. Through beautiful juxtapositions such as these, the Ramayanas portray a city of prosperous and happy people who at the same time had to be “surrounded by strong walls and guarded by a thousand warriors fierce as flames” – much like the classic fall of man. Similar to the sacrifice of Dasharatha and his wives', Sarah and Abraham are tested in order to eventually reproduce and become the forefathers of Israel. Furthermore, a favorite child, Rama, is introduced in Rama: Avatar of Vishnu in order to further complicate paternal sacrifice, just as with Abraham's Isaac. Then, in Bhagiratha and Ganga, there is the beautiful portrayal of Ganga who showered the earth and Shiva who caused many years of wandering; to me, this resembled the manna and 40-years of wandering from the Old Testament. I especially enjoyed the connection to the full moon in Dasharatha’s Sons as well as the ever-significant references to the lotus’ symbols of purity, rebirth, and divinity. 

Lotus. Source: Deviant Art

The Ramayanas read, 

“the lotus brightens at the promise of spring”, and 

“thousands of lotuses spread their lovely petals to the sun”, 

among other references to this lovely flower.