- Sugreeva's Story
- Vali is king of Kiskinda (humanized monkeys)
- Surgreeva is Vali's younger brother (both monkeys and the sons of the sun god)
- Rama crosses Surgreeva and Hanuman (his helper) path while in search of Sita
- Vali is the most powerful of all, but he used it for protection of his "monkeys"
- Vai gains half his opponent's power when he fights and destroys them
- Mayavi, a demon, challenges Vali --> second guesses his challenge and runs away to the edge of the world
- Vali chases him and is away for a long time
- Surgreeva is forced into king by his consellors
- The consellors close off the entrance in fear Vali has been defeated and Mayavi will return to destroy Surgreeva
- Vali returns in rage because he thinks Surgreeva tried to keep him out so he could rule
- Surgreeva retreats to Mount Meru for protection as Vali is cursed by Sage Matanga (demon) and cannot be on that mountain (will destroy him)
- Rama pities Surgreeva and offers his assistance --> great character
- Surgreeva knows Rama is Vishnu as he feels drawn to remain with him
- Rama proves his talents --> impressive
- Dundubi's Story
- Dundubi was a demon that wanted to use the most powerful of all gift for evil by fighting all the time
- Shiva told him he would have to defeat Vali in order for his wish to be granted
- Dundubi and Vali fight for 1 year
- Vali finally wins by ripping Dundubi's horns off, gorging him, and tossing them --> which happened to land on Mount Meru where Sage Matanga was performing sacred rites
- Hence --> Vali is not allowed on Mount Meru because the Sage cursed him and will be annihilated if he goes there
- Surgreeva tells Rama he knows where Sita is
- Surgreeva and Rama devise a scheme to get her back and the first task is to kill Vali
- When Surgreeva challenges Vali, Vali's wife, Tara, (whom he stole from Surgreeva) warns him of Rama's aid
- Vali feels invincible and fights Surgreeva until almost death when Rama strikes him with his bow
- Vali doesn't understand why Rama (known as the Lord of justice) would do this
- Vali and Rama explain their sides and Vali takes pride in Rama treating him as a human (higher then a monkey)
- Vali made Hanuman Rama's servant
- It was interesting on pg 103, "it was through your steadfast meditation and prayer to Shiva that you were endowed with strength superior to even the 5 elements." --> dedicated meditation to a God is what got people these mystical powers
- Surgreeva is crowned king of Kiskinda
- Rama waits out the rainy season in the forest while Surgreeva is living in luxury in his new kingdom (drunk off wine the entire time)
- Surgreeva is late to round an army
- Lakshmana goes to Kiskanda in rage and brings back Surgreeva who promises that the army is coming
- -->Surgreeva's palace was frightened by his mood so at first tried to protect Surgreeva
- The army arrives and Hanuman and a selected army travel south which is the direction Surgreeva saw Ravana take Sita
- Rama describes Sita and Hanuman has 1 month to find her and return
- The army goes searches high and low and even assists a goddess in breaking out of an underground exile to return to her heaven
- The army is about to give up and take their lives when they speak of Jatayu which causes Sampathi to arrive (brother of Jatayu)
- Sampathi is injured and needs someone to say Rama's name so that his wings will grow back and the army preaches Rama's name
- Sampathi becomes the ruler of his kind and points the army in the direction of Lanka, where he saw Ravana take Sita (p119-120)
- Hanuman grows into a massive creature and takes one step to cross the water to Lanka --> shrinks him smaler once arrives
- Hanuman arrives at Lanka and has to search through many women and castles to find Sita
- Hanuman was almost mistaken with one beauty who was living in luxury and began to get mad (Sita was actually living in terrible conditions as well and being visited by the harsh Ravana to make her his first mistress)
- But he paid close attention to the details Rama gave to him about Sita
- When he found Sita she was being held captive and guarded, Hanuman stops her from hanging herself (Sita remains pure!)
- Sita sends hope (momento necklace she saved in return to his ring)
- Hanuman destroys parts of Lanka by stepping on buildings to make his presence known to get captured so he can tell Ravana of Rama's arrival
- Ravana wants to kill Hanuman but is spared because he is reminded by Vibishana that it is wrong to kill the messanger (demons? who cares if it's wrong?)
- As leaving, burns Ravana to the ground but ensuring Sita's safety
- The architect Maya rebuilds Lanka's capital and Ravana is in awe, but remembers his capital was destroyed by a monkey
- The commander in chief of his army points out that he has stolen a man's wife and kept her against her will and he thinks the gods are repaying him (release Sita)
- Kumbakarna and his army decide to attack Rama, Lakshmana, and the monkeys
- Ravana's son Indrajit offers to take Rama and Lakshmana out for him
- Ravana's younger brother Vibishana warns Ravana that he hasn't asked the gods for protection from humans or monkeys and Ravana vanishes him because he thinks he is a trader (Ravana realizes Vibishana is the one that told him to spare the monkey)
- Vibishana joins Rama and Ravana plans to attack
Hanuman in India photographed by Puja1984
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