Week 2 Reading A: Ramakien, Part A

I'm going to use a spreadsheet to keep track of all the characters!

1. The giant Hiran rolls up the tapestry of the Earth. Narai takes the form of a white boar to defeat the demon Hiran. A boy is then born to Narai from a lotus bud.

2. Ayutaya, city of the gods is founded. Indra builds a city for Anomatan, son of Narai, and finds a wife for him.

3. Longka, city of the demons is built. By the end of this section Lasatian is ruling in Longka, and Atchuban is ruling in Ayutaya.

4. Atchaban kills the demon Asura Prohm. This was great! Atchaban beheads the boastful demon and puts his head in the pleasure garden of Ayutaya, saying, "I am placing you here to guard the garden."

5. Saha Maliwan leaves the Underworld. The flying chariot ends up in the possession of Djatura Pak in Longka, and then in possession of his son Lasatian.

6. The downfall of Treeburam. Isuan uses the bow Maha Molee and his diamond-armor in this battle, and he leaves them on earth for the human incarnation of Narai to use later.

7. The demon Nontok with the diamond finger. Fantastic story of how Narai took the form of a goddess to seduce Nontok and trick him into using his finger-weapon on himself. She then says to him, "In the next [existence], you will have ten heads and twenty arms to hold clubs, bows, and arrows. I will be a man with only two arms, but nevertheless I will kill you!"

8. The youth of Totsakan. We learn about the queens of Lasatian, Totsakan's brothers, and his raid on the garden of the god Orachoon.

9. Pipek, the seer, is born. Isuan has made him a seer by birth destined to help Narai; he has a magic crystal.

10. The childless Kodom conjures a wife. I love the story of the two birds who nested in the beard of the king-hermit Kodom and who provoked him to conjure a woman from the fire to take as a wife; she bears Sawaha to Kodom, and he thinks her sons with Indra and Ahtit are also his, but they are not.

11. Kodom's sons are changed to monkeys. Fabulous story of how hermit-king Kodom was provoked by daughter Sawaha to turn his sons into monkeys (Kakat and Sukreep). He curses wife Adjana to become stone: "I wish you would turn to stone. When Pra Narai comes to kill the demons, he will use your stone body to throw in the water to make a bridge to Longka. You will stay on the bottom of the ocean forever." Then Adjana curses her daughter Sawaha: "I curse you to stand on one foot atop Mount Djakrawan with an open mouth. You will eat only wind until you have given birth to a monkey."

12. The birth of Hanuman. Isuan has Pai place his "celestial weapon" in the mouth of Sawaha on the mountaintop "so that she might give birth to a monkey. The backbone of the monkey would be made from his jewelled club so that he could float in the air. His body would be mouled from the triden, and his head from the diamond discus. The monkey should be given the power to exorcise the trident from his body and use it to fight. Through the power of the wind god, he would be able to fly through the air, attack all demons, and accomplish all tasks put to him. He would be the father of many monkey children by angelic maidens." And the baby Hanuman is amazing! For example, "if he took a deep breath, eh could breathe out moon and stars." When Hanuman wreaks havoc in Pra Uma's garden, she curses him, taking away half his strength. He then begs mercy and she says "as soon as Pra Narai, in his earthly domain, had petted Hanauman's back from head to tail, his strength would be doubled." Isuan then sends Hanuman to live with Kakat and Sukreep.

13. The thunder god Ramasoon chases the lightning of Mekhala. As Ramasoon and Orachoon fight over Mekhala (who escapes meanwhile), Ramasoon kills Orachoon, flinging him against Pra Sumen, moving the mountain.

14. Kakat and Sukreep set the heavenly mountain aright. Weird little story of how Sukreep tickles Nak so that he and Kakat can help the gods put Sumen back in its place. I love the way Isuan puts Dara in a vial so Kakat/Palee can carry her back to Sukreep, but he unstoppers the vial and is smitten: "And that is how Palee, against his promise and the will of the gods, took Dara to wife."

15. A toad becomes a beautiful maiden. I love this story of the toad: Nak princess Anong takes human form to look for human lover, but she changes herself back into a snake to sleep with common snake; hermits are disgusted and mock her. She spits venom in their milk; toad drinks the venom and dies. Hermits are angry at toad's greed, but bring it back to life whereupon it explains what happened, so the grateful hermits turn toad into beautiful woman. They give her to Isuan who presents her to Pra Uma.

16. The battle of the snakes and the demons. This explains shift in power in Badan Underworld: Kala Nak seeks to expel demons, but demons end up winning the battle. Kala Nak gives his daughter to be Totsakan's wife. The chapter ends with death of Lasatian, list of dominions of his sons, plus a list of his allies.

Pra Isuan / Shiva

Wat Phananchoeng photos by Anandajoti Bhikkhu