Reading Notes: Ramayana Pt. A
Bibliography:
The Divine Archer: Ramayana in Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
Story of Rama, Prince of Ayodhya
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/myth-folklore-unit-ramayana.html
https://archive.org/details/divinearcherfoun00gouliala/page/n7/mode/2up
-The Indian King of the five princes had two wives, Koontee and Madree. (Note to self: be more creative with names for next story)
-Two sons came from Madree, and three sons came from Koontee. They were sent to wander around in a forest as they were hiding in exile from their foes.
-When the sons got thirsty, Yudhisthira, one of the sons but also a king, told his half-brother Nakula to climb a tree to look for a source of water. When he spotted one, Nakula ran to the source of water with his quiver in hand.
-Upon arrival, Nakula was stopped by a voice that forbid him from drinking the water until answering the question. Ignoring the instruction, Nakula drank the water anyways and fell dead right on the spot.
-Suspicious of his no return, Nakula's half-brothers began looking for him.
-Another one of the brother went to the water while looking for Nakula, was stopped once again by the crane (voice). However, he also ignored the question and fell dead after drinking the water.
-Arjuna saw his two dead brothers and started shooting arrows toward the direction of the voice. Arjuna also ended up drinking the water and dying despite the warnings.
-Bhima, the last brother of the king to be alive, also could not resist the thirst and fell dead after drinking the water on the spot.
-The king finally confronted the voice and answered all the puzzling questions he had in his arsenal.
-The voice then asked which one of the brothers the king would want back to life. The king chose one of his half-brothers instead of one of his blood-brothers, saying that the two queens would at least mourn less if they saw they both lost children, instead of just one.
-Seeing the wisdom and kindness of the king, the voice then returned all the brothers back to life.
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