Week 2 Reading Diary: Ramayana

Ayodhya, Capital City of Koshala
KING DASHARATHA, Donald A. Mackenzie

I have decided to focus primarily on a few characters in the Ramayana thus far. King of Koshala, Dasharatha, firsts intrigues me as a character I want to follow. Right away in the first reading he is setup as a person who has much anger built up inside. In addition, I see parallels to that of King Henry the VIII of England. One notably being the number of wives they have and their lack of ability to birth a son right for the throne. Another notes I've included about part A of the reading are as follows:

• King Dasharatha is promised four sons after a sacrificial horse.
• We find out that Sagar Island is a sacred place
• King of Janaka's challenge of marriage to his daughter if any man can bend the bow in which has to be carried on an eight-wheeled iron chariot.
• The King passes away but before doing so he tells a hunting story related to his Karma
• Rama possesses a enormous bow weapon which other beings are not able to even lift
• Sita and Rama are in love and are avatars of gods of Vishnu and Lakshmi.
• Vishvamitra informs Rama about a story with the story of the Ramayana
• Brothers of Rama marry wives from King Janaka's family, I foreshadow possible issues because of this.
• Rama will be the named son to take the thrown of his late father Dasharatha but then later exiled into the forest for fourteen years. 
• Anger of youngest wife of Dasharatha, Kaikeyi, causes her son Bharata to be the new heir to the throne instead of Rama.