I am reading in the Public Domain Edition Ramayana.
I have started noticing different elements of imagery in various stories. For example, in the story where Rama and his brother fight the demon, which has abducted Sita, Sita's fear is described as "trembling...like a plantain tree shaken by the wind." Also, when the demon is defeated, he falls to the ground "in a swoon like a hill riven by the thunderbolt," (Viradha, Public Domain Ramayana).
I've also been wondering about the style in which the enemies are defeated. It seems like often the arms are either broken or cut off, and facial features are cut off as well. It doesn't seem like these things would cause much harm to a supernatural being (the cutting of ears and noses in particular), so I'm not really sure what the effect of this type of mutilation is in a cultural and historic context.
My favorite part to read from this section was of Shurpanakha and Ravana. I found it to be the most vivid and interesting. My favorite image was of Rama, Sita, and the deer.
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| Image Source: Sita Sings the Blues |
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