Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu- Part A

The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson

• This is the story of the Pandava brothers: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva.
• Dhritarashtra, Pandu's brother, takes over as king once Pandu dies
•  Dhritarashtra has 100 sons and is blind 
• Duryodhana is the eldest son of Shritarashtra
• Karna challenges Arjuna to a duel
• Karna is the son of kunti, which makes him a half brother to the Pandava brothers
• But, he does not know that 
• Duryodhana is furious when Yudhishthira is named heir
• I thought this was interesting especially compared to the Ramayana where Rama's brothers had no desire for the thrown
• Its a different division of power 
• One element of this story that was changed from the original was that Kunti declared that Draupadi would marry Yudhishthira since he is the oldest
• This is slightly better than the first version where she becomes the wife of all five brothers
• Duryodhana tricks Yudhishthira in a game of dice because he is jealous that he gets his own kingdom 
• I didn't know that Duryodhana needed the Pandava's help when he got stuck in the jungle


• This was an interesting element that I feel could have transformed the entire series

Arjuna versus Karna. Web Source

Reading Notes: The Ramayana Part B

Ramayana by William Buck (1976)

Bharata goes after Rama into the forest. Web Source 

• It is interesting to me that Kaikeyi was swayed by her servant Manthara, to convince the king to banish Rama and make Bharata king
• In my storybook, I think it could be interesting to have Sita come back with Rama
• She was willing to go into exile for him, so I feel like it is only right that she goes into battle with him
• This story also explains more about how manipulative Kaikeyi was. I feel like in the original story this was a very underrated aspect 
• She tried to get the king to teach her the secret language of the animals, if he told her the secret it would kill him 
• I am always amazed by the lengths that Lakshmana is willing to go to for Rama and Sita 
• Rama and Lakshmana will get the featured speaking role in my story
• I feel like they have the closest connection and are the most well-known characters
• Bharata's loyalty to Rama, even after receiving the title of king, is an underrepresented part of the story! 
• Yes, the story is featured on Rama but this act of brotherly devotion deserves recognition 

Reading Notes: The Ramayana Part A

Ramayana by William Buck (1976)

• This story starts off right after Sita is banished because she is pregnant and Rama doesn't think the babies are his 
• Kusha and Lava are Rama's sons
• Ravana has challenges and beat the god, Indra. 
• Because of his powers, Ravana is able to defeat the god, he then imprisons them and makes them work as servants in his palace
• Indra sought out  Narayana (Vishnu) for help
• King Dasharatha performs a sacrifice in order to have kids, when his wives eat the rice from the sacrifice they then have Rama and his brothers
• This rice might be a fun element to bring into my storybook
• Brahma made Vaishravana the lord of treasures and wealth.
• He also received the chariot called Pushpaka and the gift of immortality.
• This is something I want to work into my stories. Lately I have been looking for more Indian elements to bring into the stories and I think this would be a nice addition
• One thing that I find fascinating about Indian Epics is the different legendary weapons and gifts many of the heroes receive from the gods
• Kaikasi (daughter of one of the first Rakshasa demons) married Vaishravanan and from their union they had four children 
• The ten-headed Ravana, 
• The giant Kumbhakarna, 
• Vibhishana the good rakshasa,
• rakshasi daughter, Shurpanakha.
• Both Kumbhakarna and Ravana are featured in my story but it might be a fun twist to have all four siblings show up!
• This is very much like belatirx and the Malfoy family

Hundred-Handed Arjuna Defeats Ravana. Web Source

Reading Notes: Part A, Epic of the Bharatas

• The sons of Pandu (Pandavas) and the sons of Pandu's brother Dhritarashtra (Kauravas)
• Arjuna is a great archer, I think his ghost should have a big role in the defeat of my Lord Ravana character in my storybook. 
• Its cool that they ride elephants (tuskers) into the contest, this is definitely something I want to incorporate into my story
• Karna: is the oldest son of Kunti (she had him with the sun god) and is a brother to the pandava brothers 
• Surya the sun-god favors Karna (his son), while Indra the rain-god favors Arjuna (his son).
• Karna and Arjuna want to kill each other because they are jealous 
• This story, especially the scenes between Karna and the Pandavas puts an emphasis on birthright
• Even though the pandavas and Karna share the same mother (neither know it) There is a big deal placed on the fact that Karna's adoptive father is a chariot driver
• Duryodhana, son of Dhritarashtra (blind king), grants Karna a title just with the hopes that he can defeat the Pandavas. 
• I want to bring this emphasis of birthright into my story, especially with the original emphasis placed on muggle vs. pure blood in Harry Potter
• I have to admit that this story does not paint the Pandavas in the best light, or Draupadi who laughs at Karna for being the son of a chariot driver

Arjuna and His Charioteer Krishna Confront Karna. Web Source

Mahabharata, Epic of the Bharatas by Romesh C. Dutt

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer Part B

• It's interesting to me that Jatayu in the original story was called an eagle and in this story he is called a vulture
• It would be interesting to look into the Indian language and see If vulture has a negative context like it does in English 
• Surasa is the water Goddess/demon tasked with stoping Hanuman from jumping to  Lanka (Ravana's Kingdom) 
• Vibhishana is Ravana's brother, but is loyal to Rama 
• He would be a great ghost to add to my story, because he could present the characters with more information regarding his brother and their past 
• Hunuman then tears up the grove where Sita is being kept after delivering her a message and Rama's ring 
• This part of the story was very interesting and different from the original story
• Ravana decides to set Hanuman's tail on fire as punishment but Hanuman makes his tail grow and the fire it causes burns everything except for the house of Vibhishana and Sita's ashoka grove
• This burning event makes everyone in Lanka fear Rama 
• Here is another part where the bow that Rama wields becomes a crucial element to the story 
• When Rama and his army reach Lanka, Rama shoots a bow into the city and it knocks Ravana's Crown off
• During the battle the God Indra send weapons to help Rama
• From this he uses Indra's bow to slay Ravana

Rama and Hanuman fight Ravana, Web Source 

The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould (1911)

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer Part A

• Dasaratha has four sons with three wives
• Kaushalya is the mother of Rama
• Kaikeyi is the mother of Bharata
• Sumitra is the mother of Lakshmana and Shatrughna
• Vedas: are a large body of text (Only the superhuman was considered able to read them) 
•  It would be interesting if the Hogwarts Library in my storybook had a copy and that is how the Patil sisters knew how to defeat Lord Ravana
• Rama and Lakshmana go with Visvamitra to fight demons when they come across the city of
  Videha, where Janaka is king (Janka is the father of Rama's future wife, Sita) 
• Kind of like the sword of Godric Griffindor, I could have the new weapon be the bow of Vishnu, which Rama strings after winning the hand of Sita 
• Simsapa tree can be my Indian version of the Whomping Willow 
• This is the tree that Lakshmana, Rama and Sita rest under after Rama's banishment 
• He places a pair of Rama's sandals to place on the king's throne until Rama's exile is over.
• Since the Deathly Hallows were instrument in defeating Lord Voldemort I know I need to find a new version of them to add to my story 
• So far I think the sandals of Rama could be one of them
• Rama and Lakshmana reject a demon women who tries to seduce them. Lakshmana then mutilates the woman and the women runs to her brother, who is Ravana
• This backstory will be important in setting my scene for my story 
• What is so important about this story in terms of my storybook is the different bows Rama weilds
• He snaps one to win Sita and he is gifted with Vishnu's bow: both of these are relevant in defeating Lord Ravana 

Here is Rama with the bow of Vishnu. Web Source

The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould (1911)

Reading Notes: Ravana Humbled Part A

For this week's reading I chose to read Ravana Humbled, so I could get more inspiration for my Lord Ravana character in my Harry Potter remake.

• The first thing I noticed when reading the comic is of the two main characters that are arguing, Shiva and Parvati, one of them shares a name with one of the Patil Sisters in my Harry Potter story 
• This would be fun to have Parvati Patil say a story where she was named after the original Parvati 
• Ravananugraha
• I did not know there was a story all about Ravana (the demon king)
• This will be very helpful in my development of Ravana as my new Lord Voldemort
• From my research I found that after being trapped under the mountain for thousand of years, Shiva finally let him out because of his beautiful singing 
• Shiva also granted him the sword Chandrahasa.
• In my version he will use a wand gifted by Shirva
• I am torn between this Ravana and the one we meet in the Ramayana 
• This one has so many redeemable qualities that make you forget he is still a demon 
• Using this new information I need to rethink how I will introduce Lord Ravana back at Hogwarts
• One idea is I could have him attack the school
• An attack on Hogwarts would be sudden and throw the students into the midst of it. 
• The next idea is that Dumbledore or McGonagall could announce to the class that the school is on lockdown because the Dark Lord is back. This would basically run like a press conference to the entire school

An older picture from the cover of Ravana Humbled graphic novel. Web Source

Ravana Humbled: An Arrogant King Finds New Friends 

Reading Notes: The Princes of Elephant City Part B

• Pink = my story elements 
• Character Key Points
• Yudhishthira-King, likes gambling (his loss in gambling ends up making the pandavas spend 13 years in exiles with the last year being in disguise (the other brothers resent him for this) 
• Arjuna-skilled archer (wields the Gandiva bow) and fighter
• Bhima- always has Draupadi's best interest in mind- he rescues her on a regular basis- he is the one most hurt by her death 
• Bhima vows to drink Duhshasana's blood (because he dragged Draupadi by the hair and tried to rip off her clothes, when Yudhishthira lost everyone in a gambling game  and break Duryodhana's thigh (For trying rape Draupadi and for showing her his naked thigh, when Yudhishthira lost everyone in a gambling game)
• Nakula 
• Sahadeva
• "After twelve years in the forest, the Pandavas prepare to spend a year in disguise at the court of King Virata. Yudhishthira has learned the art of gambling by now, so he disguises himself as Kanka, a gambler. Bhima becomes a cook named Ballaba. Arjuna takes the name Brihannala and will be a dancing teacher. Nakula takes the name Granthika and works in the stables, while Sahadeva takes the name Tantripala and becomes a cowherd. Draupadi will be Queen Sudeshna's maid under the name Sairandhri"
• I really enjoy reading the story and having the condensed reading notes because everything is easier to understand that in was in the original story!
• Draupadi's brother = Dhristadyumna
• The deaths of the Pandavas 

1. Draupadi (who sinned by loving one husband, Arjuna, more than the rest) 
2. Sahadeva (who boasted in his wisdom), then Nakula (who boasted in his beauty)
3. Arjuna (who failed in his promise to kill Duryodhana and his army in just a second)
4. Bhima (who boasted in his strength).
5. Yudhishthira gets taken to heaven where through his dedication to his brothers (he gets to save them from hell) 

A statue of an elephant made out of shrubs. Web Source 

The Princes of Elephant City by C. A. Kincaid (1921)

Reading Notes: The Princes of Elephant City Part A

• Pink= my story elements 
• This story is titled "Princes of the Elephant City" because the city of
  Hastinapura translates to Elephant and the Pandava brothers are our princes
• Character timeline 
• Hastinapura (city)
•  Vichitravirya (King of Hastinapura, died leaving two sons)
•  Dhritarashtra (older son, but is blind) and  Pandu (Becomes king)
• Pandu has children with Madri and Kunti
• Their children become know as the Pandava brothers:  Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna,  Nakula and Sahadeva
• Duryodhana is the eldest son of Dhritarashtra (who takes over as king after Pandu's passing)
• Dhritarashtra names Yudhishthira as his heir not his own son, Duryodhana
• Hidimba and his sister Hidimbi are the forest monsters that orginnally try to kill the Pandavas 
• Hidimbi eventually falls in love and lives happily ever after with Bhima
• For my story I think I will use the names of Hidimba and Hidimbi as the snakes for my Lord Ravana spinoff of Lord Voldemort
• " When he comes home, Kunti tells Arjuna to share whatever he has with his brothers, thinking he has gotten some food by begging. She cannot take back her words, though, so Draupadi becomes the bride of all five brothers"
• This makes so much more sense now! 
• Indraprastha: royal city built by the Pandavas
• Could be a place that Lord Ravana attacked, which provides the background for why the ghosts hate Ravana
• Might be used to explain where Draupadi is-she was killed in the attack
• Character Key Points
• Yudhishthira-King, likes gambling (his loss in gambling ends up making the pandavas spend 13 years in exiles with the last year being in disguise (the other brothers resent him for this)  
• Arjuna-skilled archer and fighter
• Bhima
• Nakula 
• Sahadeva

Painted elephants in India. Web Source 

The Princes of Elephant City by C. A. Kincaid (1921)

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata-Part A

• I like the idea of involving the Ganga River in my stories: either manifested as a person or as a river 
• It would be interesting to have the Ganga River be the river that the Hogwarts students must travel on to get to Hogwarts
• (AKA the freshmen have to take the boats to get to the castle) 
• Shantanu would be a interesting ghost to bring into my story
• It is interesting the emphasis that this story places on hierarchy and order
• The sons are in order for the throne
• Some people feel they are born higher than others. 
• _____________ (need to look up name) vowed to never get married, the prince did this to give his father happiness
• The king then granted his son a boon and declared that his victorious son would be able to declare the time of his death 
• Without this, death could not touch him 
• Am I the only one who sees the parallel between this and the Deathly Hallows? 
• The blind king is an interesting character 
• It is interesting that these different kings are born blind, pale and normal all from how the woman greeted the sage 
• The servant girl being the only to give brith to a normal baby is kind of like a muggle-born
• Some wizards think that wizards who come from muggles are less then them
• This goes back into the theme of "birthright" as mentioned above

The Ganga river. Web Source 

Mahabharata by Narayan

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

• Krishna goes as an emissary to try to bring peace to the coming war 
• Dhritarashtra- Doesn't want peace
• I feel like Dhritarashtra would be a good Lord Voldemort for my story
• They are both obsessed with power and will stop at nothing to get it 
• Arjuna is a really interesting main character 
• He is one of the Pandava brothers and is a skilled archer 
• He plays a major role in the war 
• It would be interesting to focus on his ghost within Hogwarts 
• I like the character of Drona 
• I think this character would be interesting to be a professor at Hogwarts
• Since he is skilled in battle it would be good to make him a defense against the Dark Arts professor 
• Yudhishthira is the last Pandava left 
• He would also be a good focus on for the ghosts 
• Bhima, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva- these are the five recognized sons of the Pandu 
• My plan for the Pandava brothers is to have them become the ghosts of the Hogwarts Castle 
• For some reason I picture them as the mischievous ghosts that cause mischief in the castle
• I think this would be a great thing to write a story about, it would also bring in the Patil Sisters, who will tell Harry, Ron and Hermione about the history of the ghosts who haunt the castle. 

Arjuna the third Pandava brother. Web Source 

Mahabharata by Narayan

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part C

• It is interesting that the Pandavas were willing to save Duryodhana from captivity 
• This shows a lot about their character and honor 
• I like the idea of writing a story about the questions the pandas are asked when the visit the river 
• It was interesting that Yudhishthira  was the only one to listen and answer the questions 
• Because of this test by his father, Yama, the god of death and of Dharma
• After he answers the questions his brothers come back to life
• It would be interesting to write these questions as the basis for the Goblet of Fire riddles that Harry and his friends must answer 
• The Pandavas going into disguise reminds me of the poly juice potions that they used in Harry Potter 
• It is surprising how many connections can be drawn between this story and Harry Potter
• I can't believe the Pandavas end up dying one-by-one
• It would be interesting to have them become some of the ghosts of the castle
• For some reason I picture them as the mischievous ghosts that cause mischief in the castle
• I think this would be a great thing to write a story about, it would also bring in the Patil Sisters, who will tell Harry, Ron and Hermione about the history of the ghosts who haunt the castle. 

The Pandavas Brothers. Web Source 

Mahabharata by Narayan

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B

• Pandavas are the sons of Pandu, Kunti and Madri
• There are five sons and they are all married to Draupadi
• The Pandavas build their own city called the Indraprastha
• Duryodhana the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of blind king Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari
• Hates the Pandavas because they are the rightful heirs to the throne and because they have built this magnificent city 
• The games they play in the part 2 of the readings remind me of the games played in 
• 1st dice game: Yudhishthira loses all of his possessions his brothers and his wife Draupadi- they get it back with the help of a god
• 2 dice game: They Pandavas lose and must spend 13 years in exile: twelve years in poverty, followed by one year in disguise. Yudhishthira loses, and the Pandavas go into exile
• Surya, the Sun God, who gives Yudhishthira a copper bowl with an endless supply of food
• This is like magic, in the Great Hall feasts that the students attend 

The Pandavas and their wife Draupadi. Web Source 

Mahabharata by Narayan

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

• Shantanu is a king and he rules the city Hastinapura
• Marries the incarnation of the rive Ganga 
• Ganga will give birth to eight gods 
• She downs each child to send them to heaven and takes the eight baby only to return him when he is older
• I like that Bhisma is willing to denounce his claim to the throne, just so his father may marry again 
• This is the same kind of theme we saw in the other Indian Epic, when Rama's brother was willing to give up the throne to him 
• The King marries Satyavati ( who early on reminds me of the evil queen from the Ramayana 
• Swayamvara- I had to look this up, it is basically a coming out party, where a father picks husbands for his daughters 
• It is interesting when Satyavati has her son Vyasa sleep with Vichitravirya's widows 
• The results are even more interesting when one is born pale skinned, one is born blind and one is born without flaws
• All due to the way the widows reacted to Vyasa 
• One thing that might be interesting to explore in this story is the idea that when Ganga takes Bisma away she takes him to Hogwarts
• After all, Hogwarts in my mind acts as a walkabout or some other coming of age ritual 
• Kuntis Story was interesting because she had a baby with the sun god then sent the baby floating down the river in a basket 
• this reminds me of the story of the pharaohs and Moses 
• On thing that confuses me about this story is that Bhisma disappears, or at least seems too, maybe I need to read more carefully.

Ganga returning Bhisma to his father. Web Source 

Mahabharata by Narayan

Reading: Ramayana Part 2 (video)

• The story was sometimes hard to follow with the multiple narrators 
• I like that during this movie we were able to see how Rama and Sita interacted, when Rama banished Sita, he was calm 
• This was interesting because this is not how I pictured it after reading the original story 
• I like the idea of Sita leaving to go into banishment and then Rama realizing he was wrong and running after her
• I feel like with modern times there would be some redeemable moment, like a moment where the main character realizes it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks 
• The movie, in my opinion did a great job of showing the mistreatment of Sita. There are several scenes where Rama is literally walking over Sita
• I would like to focus on Rama's two sons in a story 
• It might be fun to redo the story and have the two boys seek him out 
• "Duty first, Sita last" this was part of the story the boys sang, which seems wrong to me because Sita gave up everything to go with Rama into exile 
• Sita has to prove her purity AGAIN 
• I really like that the narrators make fun of this constant doubt of Sita

Rama and Sita in Sita Sings the Blues. Web Source

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley

Reading: Ramayana Part 1 (video)

• One of the best things about watching a video is we get to see that characters reimagined before our eyes
• I liked that it talked about the different names Sita had! 
• It would be fun to do a story where Sita either goes into hiding or is a secret agent! She uses her different names a cover story
• The layout of the movie is interesting because it has three different narrators who argue and talk during different parts of the show 
• Ravana in the movie has multiple head and all I can think of is the devil in Dantes Purgatorio who had multiple heads! 
• It would be interesting to reimagine the different heads he has in a story and make each one of them a different monster 
• I like that all of the pictures I have looked up of Rama are blue. It would be interesting to have his skin color correlate to his mood
• This movie is interesting because it weaves a story into the story of Rama and Sita. I am interested to see how Dave fits into the story 
• The narrators and the movie version really highlight the injustice of Rama shaming Sita for being held captive by Ravana and questioning her purity

Ravana and Sita in Sita Sings the Blues. Web Source 

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part 4

• I really want to explore the concept of dharma in my stories. I really like the idea of a cosmic order

• Hanuman- was an interesting character! I liked that he was so strategic when visiting Ravana. Instead of fighting being paraded through the city he was analyzing the layout of the city to help Rama. 

• It would be fun to do a story that featured Hanuman 

• Vibheeshana to me is an unsung hero. Even though he is Ravana's brother he tries to help Sita and ultimately joins Rama's army 

• I still find it interesting that when Rama finds Sita she still has on all her jewelry even though she dropped it along the way (Its not relevant, but super interesting) 

• It was interesting that Hanuman lets Indrajit, Ravana's son, capture him and bring him to Ravana-I thought it was really strategic that he was willing to let the soldiers parade him through the streets, just so he could get an inside look into how the city was laid out
• It would be fun to write a story that was like a guide to spying. It could be written from the POV of Hanuman 

• It is ironic that Rama ends Ravana's life with a weapon from Brahma, who is the creator of all things

This is a photo of Rama. Web Source 

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part 3

• It is interesting that every hero has his or her own weakness-to me, Rama's weakness would be Sita 
• During my reading I debated whether I thought Rama's love for Sita or his love for his brothers was the biggest weakness 
• Jatayu is by far on of my favorite characters, I think there is something simplistic and awesome  about his devotion to Rama and Sita 
• When Ravana kills Jatayu, I felt like it was Hedwig from Harry Potter dying
• It felt like a right of passage that Rama had to go through to get Sita back 
• I found it interesting that both Sugriva and Rama had their wives stolen- Not only did this help create a bond between the men but it calls into the question of why do the wives keep getting stolen? 
• For a possible story idea it might be interesting to flip the roles and have the men get kidnapped for once
• It would then be up to the wives to be the heroes of the story
• It was also interesting that Sita left her jewelry behind as a way to mark her path, yet when Rama finds her she is still decked out in jewelry (while I know this is an inconsequential detail of the story, it still makes me wonder if she got new jewelry from Ravana or if she was wearing a ton of jewelry while in Exile) 
• When browsing storybooks I saw someone did one over the fashions of India- It would be fun to do a "how-to" story on how to style your outfit with jewelry like Sita
• Sampathi, the brother of Jatayu was also a fun character. I hope I can find a way to use both of them in the same story. 

Jatayu as he fights Ravana. Web Source 

Here is the link to Hedwig's death in Harry Potter. There are so many similarities between the stories. 

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part Two

• For Reference 
• Sita is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi
• Rama is the avatar of the god Vishnu
• now has the Bow of Vishnu given by Varuna (ocean god) 
• Lakshmana is married to Sita's younger sister, Urmila
• I like the the relationship between Lakshmana and Rama- the loyalty of all four brothers 
• Lakshmana is willing to follow Rama into the forest
• Jatayu- A eagle who can speak like a human and pledges himself to Rama (Dies saving Sita) could be interesting to mix this with Harry Potter 
• I really want to explore the concept of dharma in my stories. I really like the idea of a cosmic order
• Hanuman- was an interesting character! I liked that he was so strategic when visiting Ravana. Instead of fighting being paraded through the city he was analyzing the layout of the city to help Rama. 
• It would be fun to do a story that featured Hanuman 
• Vibheeshana to me is an unsung hero. Even though he is Ravana's brother he tries to help Sita and ultimately joins Rama's army 
• It is ironic that Rama ends Ravana's life with a weapon from Brahma, who is the creator of all things

The people of India celebrate the descent of Ganga to purify the lands as mentioned by Viswamitra to Rama and Lakshmana. Web Source

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part One

For this week's reading I choose to read the novel version of the Ramayana. I love reading novels because I feel like they are able to go so much more in-depth into the story, which will really help inspire my writing! 

Wikipedia lists the different characteristics that Rama "Morality, Virtue, Ideal son, Ideal king, Ideal student, Ideal teacher, Ideal brother, Ideal husband, Ideal man"

• I think idea for the character of Ravana is really interesting and could potentially make a good evil character for a India Horror movie. I think it is interesting that it is a demon that ruins holy places, it sounds a lot like the beginning of The Exorcist to me
• Vishnu could be an interesting character to explore. What I would like to possible do for a story is have Rama be visited by the different gods who "train" him for his destiny (to slay Ravana)
• Rama is the avatar of Vishnu 
• Four boys born from the gods: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna   
• Viswamitra is like Rama's Virgil. Would be interesting to have a Virgil versus Viswamitra battle. 
• Tataka-basically a women who was turned into a demon because she tried to seduce a holy man. She now is like a vampire
• why is killing her the only way to break the curse? Do they not believe in redemption
• rakshasas would also make a great villain or evil character 
• If Maricha was purified with Rama's arrow why did he also have to be killed? 
• Kaikeyi is an interesting character. It is interesting that she is so worried about what her maid tells her to do, in terms of casting Rama out 
• I really enjoy the love story between Rama and Sita. I think that she is willing to support him through anything. Their story would be a really interesting thing to focus on 
• The Bow of Sita (which Rama lifts) is the equivalence to Excalibur in Arthurian Literature 
Manthara says that Rama will advance the interests of his own mother, Kausalya, and may even kill Kaikeyi and her son Bharata- She acts like the devil on the queens shoulder-Leading Kaikeyi to use her two wishes to make the king exile Rama

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan