Reading Notes: Ramayana Part C

Rama and Hanuman (Image Source).

Upon completing the part C reading of the Ramayana today I have found yet another short section of the story that most interests me. I thought that part C was extremely interesting and really developed the story further from the part A and part B readings that I completed last week.

The story of Sugriva and Hanuman was the one that really interested me the most for the following reasons:

• Kabandha, Rama and Lakshmana are searching for a king who is in the form of a monkey who might be able to help them on their journey. Sugriva the monkey has an interesting story of his own as he has been living in exile from his home. I liked that fact that Sugriva had Hanuman take a different shape to test the intentions of Kabandha, Rama and Lakshmana before revealing his true form to them. The choice of a beggar was interesting to me because that puts him in a position of being vulnerable so he has a better read on whether or not he can trust men. 
• Rama was able to figure out who Hanuman was and I also thought that was interesting that even though he was disguised he was still able to figure out his true identity and he recognized him.
• This story was focused on team work which I really like Sugriva and Rama and his brothers were able to work together for the two things that they needed most. 
• I like how at the end of the story that Hanuman took the shape of a monkey again at the end of the story.
• With this story I think that I would like to get creative in changing the animals. Instead of Sugriva and Kabandha being a monkeys I would make them elephants because I love the idea of changing the animals from one to another. Elephants are also one of my favorite animals so I think it would be something that I could use creativity in rewriting this story. 
• I also think that it would be extremely interesting if I change Sugriva and Kabandha to be my two dogs Waffle and Tootsie. I think that it would be an interesting twist on the story if I incorporated my animals into this traditional Indian story. 

I read the PDE Ramayana by multiple authors, that was offered to us online.