Okay, up until this final part, I was really enjoying this epic. I thought it was interesting, funny, and a great story. However, the moment Rama started acting like the idiot Gautama and made Sita prove she was faithful to him while she was kidnapped, and then exiled because of gossip while she was pregnant, I immediately lost all respect for him and did not enjoy the ending. I also thought Lakshmana had a bad ending--he killed himself just for trying to save the kingdom from a self-righteous rishi? How ridiculous.
As imagined, the tales that stuck out to me the most in this reading were Tale 166, Tale 167, Tale 180, Tale 182, and Tale 194.
Tales 166, "Vibhishana Fetches Sita", and 167, "Sita Rebukes Rama", stuck out to me because of the ridiculousness of Rama planning to send away the woman he (supposedly) loves because she was "in another man's house". Like, she was kidnapped by an evil man because of YOU, so maybe get down on your knees and grovel for her forgiveness? If this was modern day, the tables would definitely be turned and Sita would be contemplating banishing Rama. Also--he ordered Sita to "bathe and adorn herself" before seeing him?! Ridiculous!
Tales 180, "Gossip Spreads", and 182, "Lakshmana Takes Sita to the Forest", stuck out to me because of Rama's idiotic act of banishing the wife he loved so much that he spent every afternoon with her just do to simple dumb gossip that he, as king, should be above. If anything, as king he should punish the people speaking wrong about his wife! To me, the fact that he banished Sita would have be admitting he was at fault, or that Sita was. I know times were different then, but that is still ridiculous.
Finally, Tale 194, "Kala Comes to Rama", stuck out to me because I was annoyed at the bad ending Lakshmana got from the hands of Kala. Even though Kala is a god, the fact that Lakshmana died just from admitting a rishi who threatened the entire kingdom into a room. He was with Rama throughout his whole exile, never sleeping, and he was a hero of the story! Yet, his death was his own beheading. I was sad.
Maybe with all of this I'll rewrite the ending where Sita dumps her husband for his horrible behavior and lives the rest of her days best friends with Lakshmana, who got saved as he and his wife left with Sita after she was freed.
Bibliography: Part D, Pages 17, 18, 19, and 20, Tales 166, 167, 180, 182, and 194 of the Tiny Tales from the Ramayana by Laura Gibbs. Links: Tale 166, Tale 167, Tale 180, Tale 182, and Tale 194.
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