"The Tale of Rama, Sita, and the Flying Monkey Hanuman" by Svyatoslav Sakharnov, summary

This literary retelling of the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana" by Soviet writer Svyatoslav Sakharnov is an adaptation of this monumental work for a general readership. The text preserves the basic plot of the heroic narrative, removing the complex philosophical digressions of the original and focusing on the dynamic events, ethical dilemmas, and battle scenes. The key features of this version are its accessible language and emphasis on the fairytale component of the story, where gods, humans, and magical creatures coexist in a single mythical space.

The original epic Ramayana is the foundation of Indian culture and is invaluable to world literature, having been repeatedly adapted for film and staged across Asia. Sakharnov’s retelling, in turn, has become a classic guide to the world of Indian mythology for Russian-speaking audiences, acclaimed for its masterful preservation of its oriental flavor.

Rama’s Youth and Exile

In the prosperous city of Ayodhya, the capital of a wealthy kingdom, reigned the wise Raja Dasharatha. He had several wives and sons, the eldest of whom was the noble Rama, and one of the youngest, the devoted Lakshmana. One day, while traveling through neighboring lands, Rama saw the beautiful Sita, the daughter of the local ruler, in a palace window and fell in love with her at first sight. Soon, Sita’s father announced a swayamvar — a competition for suitors. A gigantic bow, a gift from the god Shiva, was displayed in the city square. No mortal could even lift it. The one who could string the bowstring would become the princess’s husband.

Many warriors tried unsuccessfully to move the bow. Suddenly, a fearsome black-bearded warrior appeared in the square. He easily lifted the weapon, but as he tried to draw the bowstring, his appearance distorted: ten heads and twenty arms appeared. The crowd recognized him as Ravana, the lord of the evil rakshasa demons. Unable to wield the divine weapon, the disgraced demon vanished. Rama followed. He not only drew the bowstring but also broke the bow in half. Sita placed a garland on the victor, and they married, after which they returned to Ayodhya.

Over time, the old raja decided to pass the throne to Rama. However, Dasharatha had a young wife, Kaikeyi, who had a son of her own. Goaded by a spiteful, hunchbacked servant, Kaikeyi remembered her husband’s long-standing promise to fulfill two of her wishes. When the king came to her, she demanded: first, that the throne be passed to her son; second, that Rama be exiled to the forest for fourteen years. Bound by his word of honor, the old ruler was forced to agree. Rama meekly accepted his father’s will. His faithful wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshmana, accompanied him into voluntary exile.

Life in the forest and abduction

The exiles fled into the dense jungle. Along the way, they met Jatayu, the king of the hawks, who told them the story of his brother, who sacrificed himself to protect Jatayu from the scorching sun. Soon, the travelers reached the hut of the wise hermit Agastya. The elder revealed to Rama his destiny: he was born to destroy Ravana. This demon had once received from the gods the gift of invulnerability to gods and animals, but in his pride, he forgot to ask for protection from humans. Agastya gave Rama a magic quiver of inexhaustible arrows, among which was one special one — with a diamond tip, designed for the decisive battle.

Ravana, having learned of the exiles’ whereabouts, plotted to kidnap Sita. He commanded a shapeshifting demon to transform into a golden deer and distract the brothers. Sita, enchanted by the beast, asked her husband to catch it. Rama retreated into the thicket, where, realizing the deception, he killed the deer. As he died, the demon cried out in Rama’s voice, calling for help. Hearing the cry, the terrified Sita forced Lakshmana, who was guarding her, to run to his brother’s aid. Left alone, she encountered Ravana, disguised as a hermit. The demon seized the princess, placed her in a chariot, and soared into the sky.

The hawk Jatayu spotted the kidnapper’s flight. True to his duty, he attacked Ravana, but the demon cut off his wing with his sword. As he died, the bird managed to tell his returning brothers that Sita had been carried off to the island of Lanka by the ruler of the rakshasas.

Alliance with monkeys

In search of his wife, Rama and Lakshmana came to the mountain where Sugriva, the exiled monkey king, was hiding. His throne had been illegally seized by his cruel brother Valin. Sugriva’s assistant, the wise Hanuman, son of the Wind God, met the people and brought them to his master. Rama and Sugriva formed an alliance: the man would help the monkey regain his kingdom, and the monkey army would help find Sita.

Rama fulfilled his promise. During a duel between two monkey brothers, he hid in the bushes and struck Valin with an arrow. Sugriva, now king again, sent scouts to all corners of the world. Hanuman and his troop traveled south and, upon reaching the ocean shore, learned that Lanka lay on the other side. Using his gift of size-changing, Hanuman grew to the size of a mountain and made a gigantic leap across the strait. Along the way, he outwitted a sea monster, entering its mouth in the form of a tiny bird and flying back out.

Hanuman in Lanka

Having shrunk to the size of a cat, Hanuman infiltrated the Rakshasa capital. He found Sita in a garden of ashoka trees, guarded by terrifying demonesses. Ravana attempted to persuade his captive to marry him, threatening him with death, but Sita remained adamant. After waiting for the guards to fall asleep, Hanuman revealed himself to the princess, handed her Rama’s ring, and received a precious stone as proof of their meeting.

Before leaving, Hanuman was discovered. The Rakshasas seized him and, for fun, set fire to his tail, wrapped in oiled rags. This proved a fatal mistake: the Son of the Wind broke free and began leaping across the rooftops, setting the city ablaze. Leaving Lanka ablaze, he returned to Rama with news.

Construction of the bridge and the beginning of the war

Having learned where his wife was, Rama led his monkey army to the ocean. To cross to the island, the warriors began throwing stones and trees into the water, but the sea swallowed them. Then Rama threatened to dry up the ocean with his red-hot arrows. The Ocean God appeared to him in a dream and promised that the waters would hold everything the builders threw at them. By morning, a gigantic bridge connected the mainland with Lanka.

Ravana attempted to break Sita’s will through deception. With the help of a magician, he created an illusion of Rama’s severed head and his bloodied bow. Sita, seeing this, was plunged into despair, but the deception was revealed as soon as Ravana left the garden, summoned by the sound of battle trumpets: an army of liberators had arrived at the city walls.

A great battle began. The monkeys fought the demons with stones and trees, while the rakshasas responded with swords and magic. Seeing his army suffering losses, Ravana ordered the awakening of his brother, Kumbkaharna, a giant who had slept soundly for six months. With great difficulty, using elephants and drums, the rakshasas awakened the giant. Kumbkaharna, having devoured an incredible amount of food, emerged onto the battlefield.

A feat in the name of salvation

In a fight with a giant, Lakshmana was seriously wounded by a poisoned spear. Doctors advised that only a special healing herb growing deep in the Himalayas could save him, and it needed to be delivered before sunset. Hanuman flew north at lightning speed. Unable to find the herb in the twilight, he uprooted the entire mountain peak and brought it back to Lanka. Lakshmana was healed.

Returning to the ranks, Rama’s brother once again engaged Kumbkaharna in battle. When Lakshmana ran out of arrows, Hanuman provided him with new ones, and the hero struck the giant down, sending his body plummeting into the ocean.

The final battle

The chariots of the leaders rode onto the battlefield: Rama versus Ravana. The demon hurled a magical spear with a trident and bells at his opponent, but Rama shot it down with a fiery arrow. Ordinary weapons did no harm to the ten-headed king. Then Rama remembered the gift of the hermit Agastya. He drew an arrow with a diamond tip, drew his bow, and, chanting a mantra, released the projectile. The arrow pierced Ravana’s heart, ending his tyranny.

Trial by Fire and Return

After his victory, Rama met with Sita, but his demeanor was cold. He declared that custom forbade him from accepting a wife who lived in another man’s house. To prove her purity, Sita ordered a fire lit and entered the flames. The fire remained untouched. The god of fire, Agni, himself carried Sita from the pyre and handed her over to her husband, confirming her fidelity.

The happy couple, along with Lakshmana, Sugriva, and Hanuman, mounted Ravana’s flying chariot and set off for Ayodhya. Along the way, they saw from above the sites of their heroic deeds: the bridge over the ocean and the mountain where Jatayu perished. Returning home, Rama was crowned king and ruled wisely and justly for many years, forgiving all his enemies.

“But this story is so instructive that, as it is written in the great book of the Indians, the Mahabharata, ‘some poets have already told it, others are telling it, and still others will tell it many times…”