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Uttara: The Book of Answers
Of the seven books that comprise the Valmiki Ramayana, the Uttara Kanda is the final and perhaps the most problematic: Rama banishes his beloved Sita into the forest; Rama kills Shambuka, a low caste man practising austerities that are above his station; Rama is reunited with his sons during a sacrifice at which he loses his wife forever; Rama watches over the death of his devoted brother Lakshmana who knowingly submits to a curse that will take his life.
In Uttara, Arshia Sattar exquisitely captures the heady delights of the original text in all its sensuous, colourful detail—frenzied battles, simmering intrigue, lustful demons and the final and tragic act in Rama and Sita's love story. But the Uttara Kanda raises more questions than it answers, and Sattar’s accompanying essays skillfully explore the shattering consequences of Rama’s actions even as they unravel the complex moral universe of the Ramayana.
In Uttara, Arshia Sattar exquisitely captures the heady delights of the original text in all its sensuous, colourful detail—frenzied battles, simmering intrigue, lustful demons and the final and tragic act in Rama and Sita's love story. But the Uttara Kanda raises more questions than it answers, and Sattar’s accompanying essays skillfully explore the shattering consequences of Rama’s actions even as they unravel the complex moral universe of the Ramayana.
- GenresNonfictionIndiaMythology
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 10, 2021
(3.5 / 5)
A rather dicey venture it is, to make commentary on our eons old epics. Especially Ramayana, is the most sensitive. So when it comes to putting out perceptions and analysis of this epic, one has to be utmost careful and precise in citing information. Arshia Sattar, so long, is a name I haven't heard in a wrong way, and actually venerated at this epic. So, here is her first book I am reading.
Translating the last book of Valmiki Ramayana-Uttara Kanda, this book, Uttara, has more than just the translation. About a hundred pages out of 275, are essays and commentary and that is the highlight of the book. This is my first effort to read a translation of the epic, and somehow it's lost on me. For me, this new experience was a bumpy ride. Most of the first half of Uttara kanda is about Ravana and his tales, is so stuffed with characters and rushed stories that it makes you lose track. Finally things settle while we come back to present and Rama is shown doing his regular kingly duties, but again all of a sudden we get to crucial points like banishment of Sita, killing of Shambuka and Lakshamana's death, which pops up without any build up. However, it shows how Rama has become a different person and how he lacks that strength as a human being while following the path of 'dharma'. These parts are a revelation and not often told, hence making it a good read.
Equally, Arshia's own commentary is something the book is worth getting your hands on. Her analysis of crucial tales of Uttara Kanda, are free from any prejudice and believable. In Particular, Lakshmana's and Shambuka's essays are so very well put, one should only read to realise. Indeed, the book is aptly titled 'book of answers'.
p.s. There is a serious glitch in the typeset of the book, which makes endnotes chronology disturbed. From endnote 18 or 19 onwards, you have to refer ,one number minus, to read the actual one. Hope it is corrected in next editions. Also, better design of paragraphs can help out to ease the strain of reading the long paragraphs.
A rather dicey venture it is, to make commentary on our eons old epics. Especially Ramayana, is the most sensitive. So when it comes to putting out perceptions and analysis of this epic, one has to be utmost careful and precise in citing information. Arshia Sattar, so long, is a name I haven't heard in a wrong way, and actually venerated at this epic. So, here is her first book I am reading.
Translating the last book of Valmiki Ramayana-Uttara Kanda, this book, Uttara, has more than just the translation. About a hundred pages out of 275, are essays and commentary and that is the highlight of the book. This is my first effort to read a translation of the epic, and somehow it's lost on me. For me, this new experience was a bumpy ride. Most of the first half of Uttara kanda is about Ravana and his tales, is so stuffed with characters and rushed stories that it makes you lose track. Finally things settle while we come back to present and Rama is shown doing his regular kingly duties, but again all of a sudden we get to crucial points like banishment of Sita, killing of Shambuka and Lakshamana's death, which pops up without any build up. However, it shows how Rama has become a different person and how he lacks that strength as a human being while following the path of 'dharma'. These parts are a revelation and not often told, hence making it a good read.
Equally, Arshia's own commentary is something the book is worth getting your hands on. Her analysis of crucial tales of Uttara Kanda, are free from any prejudice and believable. In Particular, Lakshmana's and Shambuka's essays are so very well put, one should only read to realise. Indeed, the book is aptly titled 'book of answers'.
p.s. There is a serious glitch in the typeset of the book, which makes endnotes chronology disturbed. From endnote 18 or 19 onwards, you have to refer ,one number minus, to read the actual one. Hope it is corrected in next editions. Also, better design of paragraphs can help out to ease the strain of reading the long paragraphs.
November 7, 2019
Uttara Kand is the last part of Valmiki Ramayana and according to popular theory that it was added to the main text after a few hundred years. The book starts with describing how this part is explicitly very different from the other parts- both in terms of prose, ideas and vocabulary.
What follows is a literal translation of the Uttara Kand and then a series of essays by the author herself pondering on what makes this section of the holy text different and hence relevant.
This is an important work. It puts the blatant Misogyny & Casteism (which is often ommited from popular retellings) in Ramayana right on the face of the readers. The ordeal of Sita and the story of Ravana (he is being demonized in an overt way in this part) has been given its due importance in the author's essay.
It's amusing how I am reading this book right on Diiwali's Eve, a festival that is majorly celebrated in the honor of Rama while this book clearly puts down how imperfect he was in terms of the choices he made and actions he took.
What follows is a literal translation of the Uttara Kand and then a series of essays by the author herself pondering on what makes this section of the holy text different and hence relevant.
This is an important work. It puts the blatant Misogyny & Casteism (which is often ommited from popular retellings) in Ramayana right on the face of the readers. The ordeal of Sita and the story of Ravana (he is being demonized in an overt way in this part) has been given its due importance in the author's essay.
It's amusing how I am reading this book right on Diiwali's Eve, a festival that is majorly celebrated in the honor of Rama while this book clearly puts down how imperfect he was in terms of the choices he made and actions he took.
March 16, 2021
As I read the translations of sargas, I was surprised by how the tone varied as the narration progressed - at times strikingly bland even when the event itself seemed dramatic, but in the end, the essays managed to tie it all together. I still think reading the introduction + essays was enough for ample takeaways, the sargas were quite a task to get through.
July 28, 2017
A well known Ramayana scholar, Arshiya Sattar has earlier translated (and abridged) into english the entire Valmiki Ramayana, including the Uttara Kanda (UK). The translation of the UK in that work was highly unsatisfacatory for a variety of reasons: it left out all the side stories, glossed over the entire UK and was a very bland translation, as was the rest of that book. That entire book was also primarily targeted at a western audience / reader unfamiliar with the Ramayana.
Not so with Uttara, which is a truer translation of the UK (abridged to some extent of course), but retaining all the side stories, back stories etc., The translator also does not assume an unfamiliarity with the epic - rather it almost reads as a "notes to oneself", making the overall product that much more endearing.
In a fairly candid foreword, the translator accepts that she went wrong in translating the UK when it was included as part of the larger translation. The side stories and back stories are part of the essence of the epic and to exclude them is to rob the epic of a part of its character. To accept this and be humble about it takes a person of maturity and this immediately breaks any mis-apprehensions that a reader of the earlier work would have.
Coming to the present work, it is a slim volume of about 300 pages. The first 200 are the translation of the UK. The next section is a collection of 6 - 7 essays on the UK by the translator.
The translation is crisp and sparkling. Of course, it does not have any poetic beauty about it but then that is not the fault of the translator, since the UK extant is devoid of the poetic beauty of the middle kandas of the Ramayana. This translation appears truer than the earlier outing, with references to "bull among men" etc., replete across the text. Nor does the translator shy away from repeating a few stories, remaining loyal to the sanskrit UK.
A little more than half of the UK gives the back stories of Ravana's forbears, Ravana, the boons and curses he earned and other stories such as those of Ahalya, Ila-Budha etc., All these undoubtedly make for fascinating reading, being the lesser known aspects of the worshipped epic.
The remaining half tells the story of Rama's coronation, Sita's banishment, and the rest of the story. Sita's bhoomi pravesh occurs in a blink-and-you-miss-it less-than-a-page episode and that leaves any reader unsatisfied. Unfortunately, so it is in the original UK and the translator cannot be held to blame. Fortunately for us, the translator has included a well thought out essay on the topic in the essays section.
That brings us to the section on essays. The first collection of essays largely repeat what we already know from the UK and adds little value or understanding. The remaining are a surprise package, particularly the ones on the killing of Shambuka, banishment of Sita and one on Bhavabhuti's Uttararamacharita. These essays discuss the said topics in a very personal manner, holding up a mirror to the UK, the author (of the UK), and the then contemporary society. I go so far as to say that these are the best parts of the book.
The only little complaint is that in the section on essays, the translator quotes herself extensively, each 10-12 page essay reproducing 4 - 5 pages of text from the very same UK, pages that we have read just a little while ago. However, given the overall joy of the book, this can be glossed over.
Having read 3 of the author's previous outings: Selected Tales from the Kathasaritsagara, Ramayana (tr.), Lost Lives - Exploring Rama's Anguish, of which I had liked only one and had serious issues on the other, was quite apprehensive. All that was washed away when I read the foreword and am glad to have picked this one up.
A must read for anyone interested in the Ramayana. This one is for keeps.
Not so with Uttara, which is a truer translation of the UK (abridged to some extent of course), but retaining all the side stories, back stories etc., The translator also does not assume an unfamiliarity with the epic - rather it almost reads as a "notes to oneself", making the overall product that much more endearing.
In a fairly candid foreword, the translator accepts that she went wrong in translating the UK when it was included as part of the larger translation. The side stories and back stories are part of the essence of the epic and to exclude them is to rob the epic of a part of its character. To accept this and be humble about it takes a person of maturity and this immediately breaks any mis-apprehensions that a reader of the earlier work would have.
Coming to the present work, it is a slim volume of about 300 pages. The first 200 are the translation of the UK. The next section is a collection of 6 - 7 essays on the UK by the translator.
The translation is crisp and sparkling. Of course, it does not have any poetic beauty about it but then that is not the fault of the translator, since the UK extant is devoid of the poetic beauty of the middle kandas of the Ramayana. This translation appears truer than the earlier outing, with references to "bull among men" etc., replete across the text. Nor does the translator shy away from repeating a few stories, remaining loyal to the sanskrit UK.
A little more than half of the UK gives the back stories of Ravana's forbears, Ravana, the boons and curses he earned and other stories such as those of Ahalya, Ila-Budha etc., All these undoubtedly make for fascinating reading, being the lesser known aspects of the worshipped epic.
The remaining half tells the story of Rama's coronation, Sita's banishment, and the rest of the story. Sita's bhoomi pravesh occurs in a blink-and-you-miss-it less-than-a-page episode and that leaves any reader unsatisfied. Unfortunately, so it is in the original UK and the translator cannot be held to blame. Fortunately for us, the translator has included a well thought out essay on the topic in the essays section.
That brings us to the section on essays. The first collection of essays largely repeat what we already know from the UK and adds little value or understanding. The remaining are a surprise package, particularly the ones on the killing of Shambuka, banishment of Sita and one on Bhavabhuti's Uttararamacharita. These essays discuss the said topics in a very personal manner, holding up a mirror to the UK, the author (of the UK), and the then contemporary society. I go so far as to say that these are the best parts of the book.
The only little complaint is that in the section on essays, the translator quotes herself extensively, each 10-12 page essay reproducing 4 - 5 pages of text from the very same UK, pages that we have read just a little while ago. However, given the overall joy of the book, this can be glossed over.
Having read 3 of the author's previous outings: Selected Tales from the Kathasaritsagara, Ramayana (tr.), Lost Lives - Exploring Rama's Anguish, of which I had liked only one and had serious issues on the other, was quite apprehensive. All that was washed away when I read the foreword and am glad to have picked this one up.
A must read for anyone interested in the Ramayana. This one is for keeps.
June 5, 2023
The story of Uttara Kanda follows Rama after his victory in Lanka and explores the challenges faced by Rama even after his return. The goal is to explain past events and tie some of the loose ends and present some of the information in a new light. Here are the major plot points:
1. Rama hears Townsmen's Gossip and banishes Sita. Lakshman leaves her near Valmiki's hut.
2. A Brahmin's son dies, and Rama is accused of neglecting his duty. Narada informs Rama that a Shudra is doing Penance, disrupting Dharma's balance, leading to Brahmin's son death. Rama decides to address the issue by killing the Shudra named Shambhuka.
3. Rama performs the Ashwamedha sacrifice.
4. Rama's sons come to the court to sing the song of Ramayana. Rama identifies his sons and asks Sita to prove her innocence in front of the Townsmen. Sita proves her innocence but chooses to enter the earth.
5. "Time" comes to Rama for an important discussion and warns that anyone who overhears their conversation must be killed. Rama informs Lakshmana about this. Meanwhile, Durvasas visits Rama and gets angry when his request is declined by Lakshmana, and is about to curse the entire population. Lakshman enters the room to inform Rama about Durvasas, and ultimately, Lakshman enters the Sarayu River.
6. Struck with grief, Rama decides to die, and his brothers follow suit. The kingdom is then allotted to their sons, and Rama ascends to Heaven.
In addition to the major plot points, Uttara Kanda covers several minor stories, including:
1. Indrajit's valor and his victory over Indra.
2. The history of Lanka and Ravana.
3. Ravana's overcoming of the four guardians.
4. Ravana's encounters with Krishna.
5. The backstory of Hanuman, his fight against Indra/Rahu, and his boons from the gods.
6. The story of King Illa and Budha.
The text of Uttara Kanda raises various major ideas and moral dilemmas, including:
1. The notion that making the right choices doesn't always lead to the right consequences.
2. Ravana's vulnerability and defeats, questioning the invincibility attributed to him.
3. The role of destiny in major events, which raises questions about the presence of free will and personal merit or blame(Banishment-Lakshma claims that it's the work of Destiny, and Sumatra tells a story that it is already predicted that Rama will face much sorrow with little joy).
4. The interconnectedness of the king and the kingdom, where the king's deeds directly impact the
kingdom.
5. Ideas and moral dilemmas are presented through declarations rather than extensive dialogue, settling matters without exploring alternatives(Narada tells Rama to kill Shambhuka, and Rama tells Lakshmana not to mention Sita's Banishment again).
7. The question of Rama's divinity and whether his actions should be seen as those of an individual facing difficult choices and consequences or those of a god whose actions determine what is right and wrong.
1. Rama hears Townsmen's Gossip and banishes Sita. Lakshman leaves her near Valmiki's hut.
2. A Brahmin's son dies, and Rama is accused of neglecting his duty. Narada informs Rama that a Shudra is doing Penance, disrupting Dharma's balance, leading to Brahmin's son death. Rama decides to address the issue by killing the Shudra named Shambhuka.
3. Rama performs the Ashwamedha sacrifice.
4. Rama's sons come to the court to sing the song of Ramayana. Rama identifies his sons and asks Sita to prove her innocence in front of the Townsmen. Sita proves her innocence but chooses to enter the earth.
5. "Time" comes to Rama for an important discussion and warns that anyone who overhears their conversation must be killed. Rama informs Lakshmana about this. Meanwhile, Durvasas visits Rama and gets angry when his request is declined by Lakshmana, and is about to curse the entire population. Lakshman enters the room to inform Rama about Durvasas, and ultimately, Lakshman enters the Sarayu River.
6. Struck with grief, Rama decides to die, and his brothers follow suit. The kingdom is then allotted to their sons, and Rama ascends to Heaven.
In addition to the major plot points, Uttara Kanda covers several minor stories, including:
1. Indrajit's valor and his victory over Indra.
2. The history of Lanka and Ravana.
3. Ravana's overcoming of the four guardians.
4. Ravana's encounters with Krishna.
5. The backstory of Hanuman, his fight against Indra/Rahu, and his boons from the gods.
6. The story of King Illa and Budha.
The text of Uttara Kanda raises various major ideas and moral dilemmas, including:
1. The notion that making the right choices doesn't always lead to the right consequences.
2. Ravana's vulnerability and defeats, questioning the invincibility attributed to him.
3. The role of destiny in major events, which raises questions about the presence of free will and personal merit or blame(Banishment-Lakshma claims that it's the work of Destiny, and Sumatra tells a story that it is already predicted that Rama will face much sorrow with little joy).
4. The interconnectedness of the king and the kingdom, where the king's deeds directly impact the
kingdom.
5. Ideas and moral dilemmas are presented through declarations rather than extensive dialogue, settling matters without exploring alternatives(Narada tells Rama to kill Shambhuka, and Rama tells Lakshmana not to mention Sita's Banishment again).
7. The question of Rama's divinity and whether his actions should be seen as those of an individual facing difficult choices and consequences or those of a god whose actions determine what is right and wrong.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2025
Uttara: The Book of Answers" is translated by Arshia Sattar. It's an academic writing of Valmiki Ramayana's final part. She did a great job of translating the work for what it is. And it's difficult for me to even see Rama as a God or human or king or husband or father.
It's not because of Sattar's writings, if anything, her writings should have made me find peace in all the deeds carried out by him. It's mainly because what he stood for doesn't make him a god or a king; he was just a puzzle piece that meant to be placed in the missing puzzle, and didn't give me any joy in completing it.
It's a problem with Valmiki, his writings made Rama and his faulty dharma didn't stick to what it meant for.
Arshia Sattar's essays are brilliant and worth reading, if I can skip the whole book and only read her essays it makes it worthy.
Growing up in Tamil Nadu, I've seen and heard stories of caste hierarchy and its impact on society and individuals. Valmiki's account of a king killing someone of a lower caste for practicing austerity, a privilege reserved for the upper caste, is something I just can't stomach. And yet, Arshia Sattar's essay rightly points out the horrific nature of caste violence for what it is. This was the only thing that made me read the rest of the book without becoming even more angry at Valmiki.
And I also love the way she picked lines of how Hanumān felt about Ravana would have been my favourite part of her essays, even the best part of the whole book.
"How magnificent he is !' thought Hanumān. 'Wgat beauty, what courage, what grace! He has all signs of a great king! Had he not been so unrighteous, he may well have been the protector of the world, of the heavens, even of Indra himself"
This is everything!
My partner picked this book from Abids Sunday Book Market in Hyderabad. And I should thank her for getting this book.
It's not because of Sattar's writings, if anything, her writings should have made me find peace in all the deeds carried out by him. It's mainly because what he stood for doesn't make him a god or a king; he was just a puzzle piece that meant to be placed in the missing puzzle, and didn't give me any joy in completing it.
It's a problem with Valmiki, his writings made Rama and his faulty dharma didn't stick to what it meant for.
Arshia Sattar's essays are brilliant and worth reading, if I can skip the whole book and only read her essays it makes it worthy.
Growing up in Tamil Nadu, I've seen and heard stories of caste hierarchy and its impact on society and individuals. Valmiki's account of a king killing someone of a lower caste for practicing austerity, a privilege reserved for the upper caste, is something I just can't stomach. And yet, Arshia Sattar's essay rightly points out the horrific nature of caste violence for what it is. This was the only thing that made me read the rest of the book without becoming even more angry at Valmiki.
And I also love the way she picked lines of how Hanumān felt about Ravana would have been my favourite part of her essays, even the best part of the whole book.
"How magnificent he is !' thought Hanumān. 'Wgat beauty, what courage, what grace! He has all signs of a great king! Had he not been so unrighteous, he may well have been the protector of the world, of the heavens, even of Indra himself"
This is everything!
My partner picked this book from Abids Sunday Book Market in Hyderabad. And I should thank her for getting this book.
July 31, 2019
The book opens with a detailed introduction of the lineage of Ram & Ravan. Near chapters 35 & 36, the story of Hanuman's birth appears. The provides a new way of narrating Ramayan. The book's main focus is on the Uttar Kand of Ramayan, that is, the last chapter of Valmiki Ramayan. The book details some shocking events of Ramayan which, I personally, never knew. these include
1. Sita herself asked for the vanvaas, post-war.
2. Ram ordered Lakshman to leave Sita near Valmiki's hermitage.
3. When Dashrath's sons were born, The incidences when happened in Uttar Kand were a prediction by sage durvasa,
4. Details are provided about the side character Shatrughan.
5. Ram killed a shudra named Shambhuk, on the order of Brahmins
6. Ram established the son's of Lakshman, Bharat & Shatrughan before dying.
7. Lakshman was renounced by Ram because he broke the vachan
The three main incidents were, Sita's Banishment, Killing of Shambhuk, Abandoning of Lakshman. All of these were done by Ram because it was Dharma of a king according to people who surrounded Ram, especially Brahmins. The author provides a detailed analysis of all these three incidences towards the end of the book, through articles.
This book provided me with a new perspective of looking at the characters, their action, their intentions, emotions etc. This book made me question Ram, his behaviour, thoughts, actions & intentions. This book is a must-read for those who want to look at the narrative of Ramayan from a new viewpoint.
1. Sita herself asked for the vanvaas, post-war.
2. Ram ordered Lakshman to leave Sita near Valmiki's hermitage.
3. When Dashrath's sons were born, The incidences when happened in Uttar Kand were a prediction by sage durvasa,
4. Details are provided about the side character Shatrughan.
5. Ram killed a shudra named Shambhuk, on the order of Brahmins
6. Ram established the son's of Lakshman, Bharat & Shatrughan before dying.
7. Lakshman was renounced by Ram because he broke the vachan
The three main incidents were, Sita's Banishment, Killing of Shambhuk, Abandoning of Lakshman. All of these were done by Ram because it was Dharma of a king according to people who surrounded Ram, especially Brahmins. The author provides a detailed analysis of all these three incidences towards the end of the book, through articles.
This book provided me with a new perspective of looking at the characters, their action, their intentions, emotions etc. This book made me question Ram, his behaviour, thoughts, actions & intentions. This book is a must-read for those who want to look at the narrative of Ramayan from a new viewpoint.
June 14, 2019
I am a Ramayan fan, thanks to two people - Ashok Banker and Arshia Sattar. I had huge expectations from this book. I am happy to state that they have been met. This book is in two parts - the first is the English translation of the Valmiki Uttara Kand as is. So we come across weird translations like," Oh bull of your race etc". The second part of the book are essays, where the author has analysed and provided he views on what happened why.
The Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) fan in my was a little disappointed to know that the whole Luv-Kush fight was never a part of the original story but a much later literary license taken by someone else.
The enigma of this King or God called Rama keeps getting deeper. It throws up more questions and bewilders as to what was he? I found Arshia's book "Lost Loves" had thrown a lot more light on Ram rather than this one. In Uttara, I feel she just touches upon the topic and moves on.
However, this is a must read for people who want to understand Ramayan and not politicise it.
The Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) fan in my was a little disappointed to know that the whole Luv-Kush fight was never a part of the original story but a much later literary license taken by someone else.
The enigma of this King or God called Rama keeps getting deeper. It throws up more questions and bewilders as to what was he? I found Arshia's book "Lost Loves" had thrown a lot more light on Ram rather than this one. In Uttara, I feel she just touches upon the topic and moves on.
However, this is a must read for people who want to understand Ramayan and not politicise it.
March 27, 2019
For the ones who have grown up with the telling and retelling of Ramayana as the tale of the many magic works of Vishnu as Rama, Uttara is a refreshing read. It goes without saying that a scholar like Arshia Sattar has done a tremendous job of keeping emotion at bay and treated the epic of Valimiki's Ramayana as a literary tool. In the essays that follow the translation of Uttara Kaand, she has masterfully tied loose threads that dangle in the minds of readers influenced by the various versions of the story received from myriad sources and incidentally having a religious temperament.
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October 9, 2022
I'm not sure what answers the book provided to the author. I was left swimming in a sea of speculation, exaggeration, and hyperbole once again. I don't think we will ever be free of the curse that I think the epics in our culture have been for as long as they've required interpretation. Sattar's argument that the Ramayana wasn't written by just one person rather put together in a sort-of extended Agile accumulation is in my opinion the right assumption. Otherwise, I don't think this book offers any pathbreaking "answers".
November 29, 2020
Not as good as expected
November 28, 2022
The translation is perfect but it doesn't make for an entertaining read!
March 29, 2019
Yes, this books takes a while to read. There is so much information to process that you will have to read it slowly or you lose the head and tail of things especially at the beginning. But I recommend it to Ramayana enthusiasts who want to know more about this great epic and get some confounding questions answered. Worth your time as you will gain a much broader perspective on Valmiki's epic The Ramayana.
February 17, 2017
A very worthy follow up to Valmiki's Ramayana. It delves deep into the circumstances that made the rakshasas so mighty, powerful and fearful. The book also explores a lot about Ravana's lineage; about what happens when Rama returns triumphant to Ayodhya; about how the brothers worked together towards upliftment of dharma; Sita being abandoned by Rama; and then the reconciliation of the twins with their Father.
Wish it dealt a bit more about Sita and hers in Valmiki's ashram.
A very informative read.
Wish it dealt a bit more about Sita and hers in Valmiki's ashram.
A very informative read.
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