Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE, Part A

Bibliography: Ramayana

Valmiki – poet who sings of the two kingdoms belonging to King Dasharatha and Janaka.

Maharajah Dasharatha is the king of the Koshala kingdom and lives in Ayodhya (Suryavansha/Solar Dynasty).  His son is Rama.
         Family Priests: Vashishtha and Vamadeva.
         Three Queens: Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra
                   The Queens are having trouble conceiving a son.  Dasharatha and his priests perform the Ashwamedha (horse sacrifice)***.
Janaka is king of Videha kingdom and lives in Mithila.  He is the father of Sita.

Indra is the king of the highest heaven. He is the King of the Gods, God of Lightning Thunder Rains and River Flows (which makes sense because of the Maruts)
Brahma: Supreme Being, God of Creation, Vedas, Dharma.  He has four faces.
Vishnu: Supreme Being, God of Protection, Preservation of Good, Dharma Restoration, Moksha
Shiva: Supreme Being, God of Destruction, Destroyer of Evil, God of Yoga, Meditation and Arts


Symbols:
Lotus
         Queens brighten “as the lotus brightens at the promise of spring” when Dasharatha tells them he is performing the Ashwamedha so they can have sons.

Elements:
It is the month of Choitro.  The ceremony of the Ashwamedha takes place on the north bank of the Sarayu river.
Ashwamedha: Kaushalya, the chief queen, slays the horse with the sacred scimitar* while brahmins chant mantras.  The three wives sit but the horse’s body for the rite.
         After Ashwamedha: Four Gods come to the place of sacrifice.  These Gods are Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and Indra.

Gandharva Siddha Devarishi

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