Ramayana Read online

  Ramayana

  A Retelling

  DALJIT NAGRA

  Contents

  Title Page

  Introduction

  List of Characters

  RAMAYANA

  PROLOGUE: GET RAAAAAAAAAAVANA!

  BOOK FIRST: BECOMING RAMA

  Chapter One: I Need some Heir!

  Chapter Two: Marriage/Mission

  Chapter Three: Kill that Mother!

  Chapter Four: Our Exchequer Ganga

  Chapter Five: Utter Foul Sacrifice

  Chapter Six: Rocky Woman Show Up!

  BOOK SECOND: THE MARRIAGE BOW

  Chapter One: Was that Love at First Sight?

  Chapter Two: The Marriage Bow

  Chapter Three: Choodamani

  Chapter Four: Lady in Waiting

  Chapter Five: Two Wish

  Chapter Six: God Bless the … King …?

  Chapter Seven: Fate

  Chapter Eight: Golden Slipper Nandigram Government

  BOOK THIRD: SPICK-SPAN SYLVAN EXILE

  Chapter Two: At the Lord’s Service

  Chapter Minus Two: Lollipop Ogre

  Chapter Minus One.five: Until Mahanirodhanibbana

  Chapter Zero.one: The Goat Cannibal Killer!

  Chapter Zero.zero: Dear Diary

  Chapter One: Meet the tad Nuts Neighbour

  Chapter One & Half: The Crazy Chukar

  Chapter Three: Sexing Big Bro

  Chapter Four: Golden Deer, please!

  Chapter Five: One Shot: Thirteen!

  Chapter Six: How to simply Sweep a Lady off her Feet

  BOOK FOURTH: YOU HOT MONKEY!

  Chapter One: Hole Block Bleeding Blunder

  Chapter Two: The Love Pact

  Chapter Three: RAMA

  Chapter Four: Monsoon Causing up to No Good

  Chapter Five: Not so by Thiruvengadam

  Chapter Six: In Bird Brain

  Chapter Seven.one: Jawman

  Chapter Seven.two: The Sex Threat

  Chapter Seven.three: The Death Threat

  Chapter Seven.four: You Shot-Hot Monkey!

  Chapter Eight: Emergency Raksassy Jaw Jaw

  Chapter Nine: Madu Madya Honey-pot Hairdown Day!

  Chapter Ten: Calling All Monkeys Here Now Please!

  Chapter Eleven: By Nala to Lanka

  BOOK FIFTH: ATTACK OF THE ASTRAS MEGA-FANTASTIC TO THE DEATH!

  Chapter One: Panurat Dream Gardens

  Chapter Two: The Dooshman Within

  Chapter Three: Haalaahaalaa!

  Chapter Four: Enter the Vital Invisible

  Chapter Five: Feel my Shakti, boy!

  Chapter Six: Patronisation for cocky shot

  Chapter Seven: Wakey Wakey Din-Din Time!

  Chapter Eight: The Dream Arrow

  Chapter Nine: Attack of the Astras Mega-Fantastic to the Death!

  Chapter Ten: Ample Head over Heart lacking

  Chapter Eleven: Duty

  Chapter Twelve: Let’s have a Cak Party calling it Diwali!

  EPILOGUE: PRAYER

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  By the Same Author

  Copyright

  Introduction

  I CANNOT RECALL a time when I did not know about Ramayana. My illiterate grandmother and mother would frequently tell their Punjabi version of the story during the festival of Diwali which celebrates Rama and Sita’s homecoming. In my family, I was part of the first generation to be told the story in Britain. This was a story of another place, not my home, so my relationship with it is significantly different to my ancestors’. When I started school and began to learn English, my education removed me further from the rituals of Punjabi language, culture and religion. The Ramayana I present now is not the one I was told as a child; instead it is the product of a globalised Westernised writer who lives among many faiths and cultures and who seeks to represent voices from as many villages as possible with the same passion as the version I heard as a child.

  The most widely-known storyline of Ramayana has been central to my version. Vishnu incarnates himself as Rama in order to vanquish the demon Raavana. When it is time for Rama to become King of Kosala in Ayodhya in northern India, his father is persuaded against this decision and instead Rama is sent into exile followed by his wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshmana. Whilst in exile, Sita is abducted to Lanka by Raavana who has fallen in love with her. Rama wins the support of a monkey army to help him fight Raavana’s troops to win her back.

  Ramayana, or ‘The Travels of Rama’, has a long and complicated history. It probably originated orally in India having been influenced by local folk stories. Most specialists believe that someone known as Valmiki later authored the first written version around 2000 years ago. As a northern Indian poet, Valmiki presents Rama as a warrior hero overcoming a southern demon. In addition to this version, however, many others, in languages other than Sanskrit, later emerged in India. The next major version to be written originated in southern India and its Tamil author, Kamban, presents Raavana more sympathetically. Some subsequent southern versions, take this further by presenting the north as Brahmin, pro-caste and Sanskrit and the south as non-Brahmin, egalitarian and Tamil. Already the written versions were becoming more complex as a result of geographical and cultural interpretations. Beyond India, further variations occurred as Ramayana spread across Asia to countries such as Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. All of these countries’ versions have elements of Valmiki or Kamban’s narrative to some degree whilst adding distinctive cultural features of their own. Across Asia Ramayana has been represented in a range of artistic forms such as poetry, prose, theatre, film, dance, sculpture and painting, but it remains an oral story for most who know it.

  In constructing my Ramayana, I tried to incorporate elements from as many versions as possible to enrich the narrative. For example, my account of Rama’s causeway to Lanka (in Book Fourth) was influenced by Valmiki and Kamban, but also by the Thai Ramakien version in which the army crosses the bridge in the formation of a dragon; to honour this influence I also incorporated Thai character names into this scene. Another story in Book Fourth involving a father and son buffalo is not prominent in Indian Ramayanas, but appears in Thai, Cambodian and Laotian versions. I was also influenced by the image of a Cambodian Ramayana mural showing a monkey king breaking out of a cave using a buffalo’s head and chose to incorporate this in the scene.

  Although it is most widely known as a Buddhist and Hindu text, Jain and Sikh Ramayanas also exist. In addition to religious doctrine, regional spiritual philosophies have influenced Ramayana. The bhakti tradition which started in southern India before the 10th century AD, for example, emphasizes the intense active attachment to a personal god. This influence can be seen in Kamban’s version which focuses on active devotion to Rama in which even recitation of his name can produce miracles. I have tried to respect all of these religious influences in my text including elements from the bhakti tradition.

  A story that may be several thousands of years old, that has been persistently altered and that has passed into many languages throughout its extensive history deserves to be honoured by the language in which it is written. Ramayana is, in a sense, as much about the power of language and the way it sustains the imagination as it is about the narrative sustaining our interest over time. For these reasons, I have sought to combine the immense historical and cultural wealth of Ramayana with an eclectic mix of linguistic influences to highlight the breadth of its appeal. Some readers will be familiar with other Ramayanas and I hope that my version will increase their enjoyment of the story. For readers coming to Ramayana for the first time, I hope to bring some of the sense of wonder that I felt as a child as we
ll as an appreciation of its long and dynamic tradition.

  DALJIT NAGRA

  List of Characters

  Principal Characters

  KING DASARATHA

  (dush-RUT-a)

  Mighty but elderly King of Kosala who seeks a male heir.

  RAMA

  (RAAM-a – note that ‘raam’ means ‘peace’ in Punjabi)

  Son of King Dasaratha and our hero.

  LAKSHMANA

  (LUCK-SHma-na)

  Son of King Dasaratha and Rama’s constant companion.

  SITA

  (SEE-taa)

  Adopted daughter of King Janaka and our heroine.

  SAGE VISWAMITHRA

  (VEESH-vah-MEE-tra)

  A sage with great supernatural powers who trains Rama and Lakshmana to become warriors.

  RAAVANA

  (RAAAAAV-ana!)

  Lord of the Underworld and our anti-hero.

  MANDODARI

  (mun-DOE-dree)

  Raavana’s loyal, virtuous, eloquent, patient and generally outstanding wife.

  INDRAJIT

  (in-dra-JEET)

  Raavana’s wise and learned son who can become invisible in battle.

  VIBISHANA

  (vi-BEE-shna)

  Raavana’s saintly brother.

  SOORPANAKA

  (SURE-poon-akka)

  Raavana’s tantrum sister who discovers the power of love.

  KING SUGREEVA

  (soo-GRIEVE-a)

  King of the monkeys who makes a pact with Rama.

  ANGADA

  (un-GAAD-a)

  A monkey who is Sugreeva’s nephew and potential heir to the throne after his father, Bali.

  HANUMAN

  (hun-oo-MUN)

  A monkey who is Sugreeva’s aide. Hanuman discovers considerable powers when put to the test.

  JAMBAVAN

  (JUM-bu-vun)

  King of the Bears who is famed for his wisdom.

  Other Characters

  Book First

  VISHNU

  (VEESH-noo)

  Lord of the Cosmos who incarnates himself as Rama.

  AGA

  (AAG-a)

  A forest-dwelling saint who can turn viciously tiny when he is disturbed.

  TADAKA

  (TAA-da-ka)

  A female raksassy who enjoys ruling over a … desert.

  AHALYA

  (a-HULL-ya)

  The ideal woman created by the gods.

  GAUTAMA

  (GOW-ta-ma)

  Ahalya’s mentor and then her husband.

  INDRA

  (EEE-ndra)

  A supreme god.

  Book Second

  QUEEN KAIKEY

  (kuy-KAY-ee)

  King Dasaratha’s favourite wife who is highly likeable till she’s made to feel vulnerable.

  QUEEN KAUSALYA

  (cow-SUL-ya)

  Rama’s mother who is loyal to the king.

  BHARAT

  (BAA-rat)

  Queen Kaikey’s wondrous son who feels a great loyalty to Rama.

  SATROOGNA

  (sha-TRUE-gna)

  Twin brother of Lakshmana with a matching shortness of temper.

  KING JANAKA

  (JUN-akka)

  Discovered Sita in a furrow and claimed her as his daughter.

  MANTARA

  (MAAN-tara)

  Queen Kaikey’s loyal and affectionate maid.

  Book Third

  VIRADHA

  (vi-RAAD-a)

  A gandharva (ogre) with an eye for the ladies.

  AGASTYA

  (aGAAStya)

  A great but now fallen sage who is loyal to Rama.

  ILVALA

  (il-VAAL-a)

  A male raksassy with a taste for sages.

  VITAPI

  (vi-TAAP-i)

  A male raksassy with a taste for sages.

  JATAYU

  (ja-TIE-you)

  Delightful Lord of the Vultures who is loyal to Rama.

  KORA

  (KOH-ra)

  Raavana’s brother who is horsey-faced and hot-headed.

  MAREECHA

  Son of Tadaka, and Raavana’s uncle. He is a shape-shifting raksassy who is also a saint.

  TRISHIRA

  (tra-SHEER-a)

  Kora’s subordinate but no less violent.

  Book Fourth

  TORAAPA

  Buffalo king who seeks total power. A lusty fellow.

  TORAAPI

  Son of Toraapa with whom he fights. A lusty fellow.

  BALI

  (BAAL-ee)

  Sugreeva’s brother and one of the mightiest creatures to ever grace Earth.

  TARA

  (TAAR-a)

  Bali’s wife who then becomes Sugreeva’s wife. She is wise and eloquent.

  RUMA

  (as in ‘rumour’)

  Sugreeva’s wife who was temporarily Bali’s wife.

  SAMPATHI

  (sam-PAAT-ee)

  A high-flying loveable vulture and brother of Jatayu.

  JAMBUMALI

  (jam-bu-MAAL-ee)

  Raavana’s tusky ally.

  PRAHASTA

  (pra-HUSH-ta)

  Raavana’s commander-in-chief.

  MAHODARA

  (ma-ho-DAA-ra)

  Raavana’s lumpen ally.

  VAJRADAMSHTRA

  (VAAJ-ra-DAAM-shtra)

  Raavana’s blood-hungry ally.

  DADDYMUCK

  Tight-fisted owner of a vineyard.

  VARUNA (va-ROON-a)

  God of the Ocean who helps Rama via Nala.

  NALA (NAAL-a)

  A gorgeously modest monkey with a mighty power.

  Book Fifth

  PANURAT (pa-NOOO-rut)

  A monster with border-patrol skills.

  VIDYUJJIVHA (vid-you-JEEV-a)

  Raavana’s glacial magician.

  MATALI (ma-TAAL-ee)

  A charioteer of the gods who rides for Rama.

  KOOMBARKANA (KOOM-bar-KAAN-a)

  Giant brother of Raavana with a whopping appetite.

  AGNI (AAG-nee)

  God of Fire.

  BRAHMA (BRAA-ma)

  One of the holy trinity.

  Note: There is no global consensus on spellings of character names across versions of Ramayana. Spellings vary according to local pronunciation; I have selected spelling and pronunciation from several traditions.

  RAMAYANA

  Prologue: Get Raaaaaaaaaavana!

  The gods seek help from Vishnu after Raavana, having won great powers (boons), becomes destructive.

  Lord of the Cosmos, Vishnu,

  was brought back to heaven

  from a stellar meditation

  by many gods now stooped at his feet.

  Said one, semi-stooped in the saffron light,

  ‘O Lord, whilst we in thousand-day prayers

  for peace are bent,

  Raavana is bishboshing our kingdoms!’

  Another god butted in, ‘O Lord, with only a

  wink

  he splash even our oceans into a coma.’

  No wonder the gods were gurgling with collywobbles –

  Raavana was toasting

  their earthly and galactic worlds!

  By soaking the energy from everything he nulled

  Raavana was now a supreme being becoming!

  But who was this scallywag, this goonda?

  Lord of the Cosmos, Vishnu, flashed

  umpteen visions to the gods

  that showed Raavana’s path to glory.

  In the first flashback, Vishnu displayed Raavana

  being born with ten heads

  and ten pairs of arms!

  Then he showed Raavana, the teenager, on a hillock,

  meditating

  for so many non-stop years

  that smoke was issuing from his head

  and dulling the heavens!

  The gods were constrained and had to grant Raavan
a

  great mental and physical powers

  known as boons.

  So many boons empowering Raavana

  that he could fly through the air