King of Ayodhya - Differences From Valmiki's Ramayana

Differences From Valmiki's Ramayana

• Although Ravana is notable for having defeated the devas in battle, there is no mention of an ability to call them up at will. He never summons Varuna or any deva in the Valmiki Ramayana.
• Rama's attack against the ocean was out of sheer impatience in Valmiki's Ramayana and out of anger towards Sagar, lord of the Indian Ocean. This is changed to reflect an attitude of divine anger against the unjustified attack on the vanar/bear armies in the novel and the deva receiving the brunt of the attack is Varuna, not Sagar. Oddly enough, the book makes a clear delineation between the two, so the terms are not interchangeable.
• The crossing is done by whales in the novel, whereas in the original text the bridge was physically completed.
• In the original, Vibishan's defection occurred before the crossing, whereas in the novel he is discovered during the crossing.
• In the novel, Ravana uses extensive asura maya that is considered unmatched, whereas in the original he isn't shown to have any greater powers than Rama aside from considerable control of his abilities.
• The War of Lanka lasts nine full days in the original text and each battle is described in much more vivid detail. For obvious literary reasons this is cut to three days in the novel.
• Jambavan, while depicted as wise in the original, is by no means the "chronicler" depicted in the novel. He is the king of bears in both texts.
• Mandara-devi is never mentioned in the original text, whereas she plays a significant part in the novel's battle. Dvivida and Mainda are mentioned in both texts, however.
• Sugreeva has many abilities on par with Hanuman in the original text, whereas Hanuman is a unique deva-vanar hybrid in the novel with strength, abilities, etc. far beyond that of an ordinary vanar. In the original text Sugreeva actually duels Ravana one-on-one and disables him. In the novel he's an incredibly underused character.
• Many of the rakshasa generals and champions depicted in the novel actually had significant prowess in divine weaponry in the original text, including Vajradanta and Akampana.
• Aside from Akshay Kumar and Indrajit, Ravana had a number of other sons who die on the battlefield. In the original text he sorely laments their deaths.
• Vibhishan's method of explusion from Lanka is depicted subtly in the novel, whereas it is a central event in the original and one of the primary downfalls of Ravana.
• In the novel, Lanka is resurrected by being raised from the ground. In the original, Lanka is reconstructed as it was by Vishwakarma, the divine architect.
• Kumbhakarna's character is notably different in the novel versus the original. In the original he is depicted as a benevolent younger brother who, while a glutton and lazy, is morally a kind person and still loves Vibhishan as his older brother. He only reluctantly goes to war in Valmiki's text, stating from the start that he believes Rama is an Avatar in human form and that he will destroy Lanka, but is ultimately bound to the loyalty of his brother. A curse which guaranteed his death if he were awoken before the six month cycle's completion was also depicted in the original text but completely ignored in the novel.
• Lanka's kingdom's remnants are believed to have survived from the epic age until today in the original, whereas in the novel they are depicted on the verge of extinction.
• A number of significant deaths are glossed over, left out or completely reinterpreted by the novel:
  • Indrajit's death was at the hand of Lakshmana, in the middle of a sacrifice that would have made him completely invincible.
  • Kumbhakarna's death was at the hands of Rama, not Hanuman, although in some of the Ramayana texts Hanuman is believed to have dueled Kumbhakarna but lost with heavy injuries.
  • Ahiravana, one of Ravana's brothers, was killed by Hanuman, but he is not mentioned once.
  • Kalanemi, Ravana's uncle, is killed by Hanuman while trying to prevent him from accessing the mountain of herbs. He is given a brief mention in the first book but ignored completely afterwards.
• In the original texts the holy mountains which Hanuman uprooted are found in the Himalayas, not in Heaven as depicted in the novel. The mountain usually referenced is Dronagiri. The circumstances were also different: in the original text, it is under the threat of Lakshman's impending death, whereas in the novel both Rama and Lakshmana are on the verge of death. The unnamed herb in the book is referenced as the Sanjivani in the original text.
• Garuda does make an appearance in both texts but he is not restricted to an "earthly" form as shown in the novel. He appears full in the flesh in the original Ramayana but under similar circumstances.