Quarter 4 – Module 6

Literature
 Lesson
Identifying the Notable Literary Genres

1 Contributed by South and West Asian

Writers

What’s New

Activity 1: South or West?

Directions: Tell whether the countries below belong to South or West Asia.
___________1. India ____________4. Nepal
___________2. Saudi Arabia ____________5. Maldives
___________3. United Arab Emirates

What Is It

INDIAN LITERATURE OF SOUTH ASIA

Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947
and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognized
languages.

The earliest works of Indian literature were orally transmitted. Sanskrit literature
begins with the oral literature of the Rig Veda a collection of literature dating to the period
1500–1200 BCE. The Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were subsequently
codified and appeared towards the end of the 2nd millennium BCE. Classical Sanskrit
literature developed rapidly during the first few centuries of the first millennium BCE, as did
the Tamil Sangam literature, and the Pāli Canon. In the medieval period, literature in
Kannada and Telugu appeared in the 6th and 11th centuries respectively. Later, literature in
Marathi, Assamese, Odia, Bengali and Maithili appeared.
Thereafter literature in various dialects of Hindi, Persian and Urdu began to appear
as well. In 1913, Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore became India's first Nobel laureate in
literature. In contemporary Indian literature, there are two major literary awards; these are
the SahityaAkademi Fellowship and the Jnanpith Award. Eight Jnanpith Awards each have
been awarded in Hindi and Kannada, followed by five in Bengali and Malayalam, four in
Odia, four in Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu and Urdu, two each in Assamese and Tamil, and one
in Sanskrit.

ARABIAN LITERATURE OF WEST ASIA

Arabic literature is the writing produced, both prose and poetry, by speakers (not
necessarily native speakers) of the Arabic language. It does not usually include works
written using the Arabic alphabet but not in the Arabic language such as Persian literature
and Urdu literature. The Arabic word used for literature is adab which is derived from a word
meaning "to invite someone for a meal" and implies politeness, culture and enrichment.
 Arabic literature emerged in the sixth century with only fragments of the written
language appearing before then. It was the Qur'an in the seventh century which would have
the greatest lasting effect on Arabic culture and its literature. Arabic literature flourished
during the Islamic Golden Age and continues to the present day.

The Boy Who Wanted A Drum – A Hindi Tale from India

Retold by Dianne de Las Casas

In the land of India, there lived a poor woman and her son. Her son was hardworking,
polite, and never complained about his ragged clothes and worn shoes. The woman wanted,
more than anything, to give her son a special gift. She asked him, “I am going to the market
to sell our grain. Is there anything you want from the market?”

The boy had secretly been wishing for a drum. He could feet the beat of the drum
deep inside his heart. “Mother, I would like a drum,” he replied.

The boy’s mother went to market and sold her grain. She knew she would never
have enough money to buy him a drum but she didn’t want to come home empty-handed.
On the way home, she found a sturdy stick. She picked it up and said, “I will give this to my
son.”

When she handed the stick to her son, he smiled and said, “Thank you, mama.” Then
he went outside to play. He saw an old woman lighting her chulha, her woodstove with some
dried cow dung she used for fuel. The fire would not start and big billows of smoke poured
forth. It stung her eyes and made her cry. The boy asked gently, “What is the matter?” The
old woman answered, “I cannot light my fire.” The boy replied, “I have a sturdy stick. You can
have it. You need it more than I.” The old woman was delighted. She took the stick and had
no trouble lighting her fire. To thank him, the old woman gave him a chapatti, a round, flat
piece of bread.

The boy walked on until he came upon a mother and her crying child. The boy asked
gently, “What is the matter?” The mother answered, “My child is hungry and I have nothing
to feed him.” The boy replied, “I have a chapatti. You can have it. You need it more than I.”
The mother, who was the potter’s wife, was delighted. She took the bread and fed it to her
hungry child. To thank the boy, she gave him a large pot.

The boy walked on until he came upon a couple arguing. The boy asked gently,
“What is the matter?” The man, a washer man, answered, “My wife broke the pot I use to
wash clothes. I cannot boil my clothes clean.” The boy replied, “I have a large pot. You can
have it. You need it more than I.” The washer man and his wife were delighted. They took
the pot and put their clothes inside. To thank the boy, they gave him a warm coat.

The boy walked on until he came to a bridge. There, he saw a man shivering in the
cold without so much as a shirt to cover him. The boy asked gently, “What is the matter?”
The man answered, “I was attacked by robbers and they stole everything, including my
shirt.” The boy replied, “I have a warm coat. You can have it. You need it more than I.” The
man was delighted. He put the coat on and it fit perfectly. To thank the boy, he gave him a
strong horse that the robbers left behind.

The boy walked on with his horse until he ran into a wedding party with musicians,
the bridegroom and his family. They were sitting under a tree with long faces. “The boy
asked gently, “What is the matter?” The bridegroom’s father said, “We need a horse for our
wedding procession. The bridegroom cannot arrive on foot! The man who was supposed to
bring us a horse is not here! What are we to do? My son will be late for his own wedding!”
The boy replied, “I have a strong horse. You can have it. You need it more than I.” The
bridegroom was delighted. “You have saved the day! Let us repay your kindness with a gift.”
He spoke to one of the musicians and then turning to the boy, handed him a drum. The boy
was delighted! “I have always wanted a drum. I can feel the drum beat inside my heart.
Thank you!”

They all celebrated their good fortune with music. The boy waved to the bridegroom
as he rode away on his strong horse. Then he ran all the way home.

“Mama, mama,” he shouted. Look at my new drum!” He told her his story and then
played her the song from deep inside his heart.

What’s More

Activity 2: FOR YOU AND FOR ME

Directions: Write the object the boy gave each person and the object each person gave the
boy in return.

PERSON OBJECT THE BOY OBJECT

GAVE HIM/HER GIVEN TO THE BOY
1. Little man ________________ _________________
2. Woman Cooking ________________ _________________
3. Village potter ________________ _________________
4. Washer man ________________ _________________
5. Man in Underwear ________________ _________________
6. Bridegroom ________________ _________________
 Lesson

2
Appreciating literature as an expression of
philosophical and religious ideas

What’s New

Activity 1: From Pictures to Words

Directions: Closely look at the pictures below and think of a word that you can associate
with them.

What is it?

Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. They differ from literary

texts by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual practices,
commandments or laws, ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and for creating or fostering a
religious community.

India has various religions sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions
which are the religions that’s that originated in the Indian subcontinent; namelyHinduism,
Jainism,Buddhism, and Sikhism.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and
customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today, with about 900 million followers,

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Hinduism is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam. Roughly 95 percent of the
world’s Hindus live in India. Because the religion has no specific founder, it’s difficult to trace
its origins and history. Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of
many traditions and philosophies. One fundamental principle of the religion is the idea that
people’s actions and thoughts directly determine their current life and future lives.
Vedas are the religious texts which inform the religion of Hinduism (also known as
Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal Order” or “Eternal Path”). The term veda means
“knowledge” in that they are thought to contain the fundamental knowledge relating to the
underlying cause of, function of, and personal response to existence. They are considered
among the oldest, if not the oldest, religious works in the world. They are commonly referred
to as “scripture”, which is accurate in that they can be defined as holy writ concerning the
nature of the Divine. Unlike the scriptures of other religions, however, the Vedas are not
thought to have been revealed to a certain person or persons at a specific historical moment;
they are believed to have always existed and were apprehended by sages in deep
meditative states at some point prior to c. 1500 BCE but precisely when is unknown.

The Vedas existed in oral form and were passed down from master to student for
generations until they were committed to writing between c. 1500 - c. 500 BCE (the so-called
Vedic Period) in India. They were carefully preserved orally as masters would have students
memorize them forwards and backwards with emphasis on exact pronunciation in order to
keep what was originally heard intact.

Short story, brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that
usually deals with only a few characters.
In Arabic literature the short story is the youngest of western fictional genres. Like the
novel, the short story owes its growth to the influence of European literature. Although it was
a new form with no relation to prose genres of the medieval and later periods, the Arab
tradition with its rich repertoire of anecdotes short narratives gave a big spurt to the
development of the short story. The short story has become the most popular modes of
literary expression during the course of twentieth century. At first thousands of short stories
were either translated or adapted from French, English and Russian languages by the Arab
writers.
The Three Princes is the English version of the story PEREGRINAGGIO DI TRE
GIOVANI FIGLIUOLI DEL RE DI SERENDIPPO published by Michelle Tramezzino in Venice
in 1557.

THE THREE PRINCES

LONG AGO on the Arabian Peninsula, when cities flourished along the major
trade routes that stretched across the desert to transport spices, almonds and dates, there
ruled in one of those cities a king whose daughter had come of marriageable age. Three
princes of nearby cities came to court her. But the princess looked at them with alarm. One
prince was bossy, the second prince was unclean in his habits, and the third suitor was vain.
"Father, I beg you, don't make me marry any of them!" she cried. The king loved his
daughter, but he didn't want to offend her suitors and risk angering his neighboring city-
states. "I'll think about it," he said. "Come back tomorrow." The next day, he summoned
the three suitors and the princess to his throne room. "Each of you is a perfectly worthy
suitor for my daughter's hand," he said. "Therefore, to make the correct decision I have
determined that the three of you must venture into the world for one year and a day.
Whoever returns with the most wondrous item will win my daughter's hand in marriage."
The princess was glad for the one-year extension and the king was equally glad to postpone
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the matter. The three princes set out together. After traveling for one week they came to a
well that was located before a fork in the road, beyond which the road branched into three
separate paths. "Obviously, this is where we should part," stated the first prince. "Don't
you think we know that?" said the second prince, wiping his dirty hands on his cloak.
"Listen carefully," the first prince continued. "One week before we return to the palace, let's
all meet at this well to compare what we found."
"I only hope the maidens don't slow me down by falling in love with me," said the
third prince, throwing back his hair. "It's such a nuisance." And so the three princes went
their separate ways. When the time came to return to the well, each one followed his
separate path that led back to the well. "You look a little the worse for wear," said the first
prince to the second. "I'm fine," said the second prince, blowing his nose onto his sleeve.
"What did you find?" "Only a crystal ball," said the first prince, as nonchalantly as he could,
"that shows anything you want to see that's happening anywhere in the world." The other
two were impressed (and a bit worried). Said the first prince to the second, "What wondrous
item did you find?" From under his cloak the second prince unrolled a carpet. "A flying
carpet. People who sits on it can be transported anywhere in the world they wish to go in
minutes." "If they don't mind sitting next to you," another prince murmured, holding his
nose. And now it was the third prince's turn to show what he had brought. "This vial," said
the third prince, "holds a magical healing ointment. One dab of it will restore the health of
anyone, no matter how sick. And they say if it's rubbed with true love, can even restore
youth." "Speaking of health," said the second prince to the first, "since you have a crystal
ball, let's take a look at our princess and see how she fares." The first prince waved his
hands over the crystal ball; its cloudiness disappeared and was replaced with an image of
the princess lying in her bed, still as death. Her father and the court physicians hovered over
her. "Isn't there anything you can do?" said the king. "Sire, we have done everything," said
the head court physician. "I'm sorry, but she has very little time left." The three princes leapt
up, alarmed. "Alas!" cried the third prince. "My ointment would heal her, but we're too far
from the palace - we'll never get there in time!" "Quick, everyone on my magic carpet," said
the second prince. "We'll get there in a flash!" Indeed, moments later the three princes
were standing in the very room they had viewed through the crystal ball only minutes before.
Everyone was so distraught they didn't notice the three princes had suddenly appeared in
the room. Without a word, the third prince stepped up to the princess' bed and with his finger
touched a dab of ointment on her forehead and set the ointment by her bed stand. She
blinked and seconds later opened her eyes. Then she moved her head, and sat up. "I feel
better," she said. "It's a miracle!" cried the father, and he embraced his daughter.
Later that night, the three princes appeared before the king. "Your majesty," said the
first prince, "each of us may have located a magical item. But there is no doubt that my
crystal ball is the most wondrous item of all. Without it, none of us would have known the
princess was sick in the first place. I submit that mine is the most wondrous item and
therefore I deserve the hand of the princess." "With all due respect," said the second
prince, stepping forward, "While it was informative to learn that the princess was sick, had
we had not been able to travel a week's journey in a blink of an eye on my flying carpet, that
knowledge would have done us no good. I submit that mine is the most wondrous item and
therefore I deserve the hand of the princess." "Good sire," said the third prince. "While it
may have been useful to learn the princess was sick and was helpful to arrive here as
quickly as we did, had we not had my magical ointment, all that knowledge and all that
quickness would have been in vain. I submit that mine is the most wondrous item and
therefore I deserve the hand of the princess." The king was perplexed. Each of the princes
made a good argument. And since the question was so close, no matter which prince he
selected, he was sure to raise the ire of the other two and their neighboring city-states. "I'll
think about it," he said, "Come back tomorrow." That night, the king summoned his viziers to
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ask their advice. "Sire," said his head vizier, "there is a wise old man who lives amongst us
who hails from very far away, a distant country called Russia. He is well known for his sage
advice, and if we allow him to make the decision, the communities of the princes who aren't
chosen will get angry at a country far away, and not at us." "Excellent thought," said the
king. "Summon him to court tomorrow." The next day when the three princes arrived to
hear which of them would be selected, at court stood a very old man. He hobbled on his
cane and spoke in a whisper. The three princes repeated why they thought they deserved
the hand of the princess. "As far as I'm concerned," asserted the king, "each of these fine
young men has an equal claim to my daughter's hand. And so," he turned to his guest, "I am
interested. You come from a faraway land. What is your opinion?" The old man coughed
and cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, first allow me to say that it is an honor to be in your
court." He raised a shaky hand toward the princes. "There's no doubt that each of you
brought a wondrous item that saved the life of the princess. But in my country, when it
comes to marriage, there are those who say that the young woman, whose happiness is at
stake, should have a say in the matter. And so I would ask our royal highness." He turned to
her. "Princess, whom do you wish to marry?"
The princess was silent a moment. She raised her head and faced the three princes.
"Each of you saved my life and for that I will always be grateful. Yet this old man is the only
one," she said, looking at the Russian, "who understands that the choice is one that should
be mine to make. And so, father, if you please," and here the princess stepped toward the
old man, "I choose him."

Gasps of shock throughout the court. Some ladies fainted and were carried out. The
king blustered, "But, but you can't!" The princess picked up the magic ointment, took the old
Russian's hand, and with a dab of the ointment rubbed the back of his hand. Instantly a haze
surrounded him. When she removed her hand, incredibly, the old man had straightened up
to become tall and dark, with the lines of an earnest young man chiseled on his cheeks.
Restored to the strength and handsome stature of his youth, he smiled at the princess.
"Each of you will have large tracts of land to rule," the king quickly said to the three
Rickshaw
princes. "We will never forget what you did for our royal family." The three princes, of course,
still had in their possession the magical items of the crystal ball, the flying carpet, and the
vial of healing ointment, and it wasn't long before they attracted lovely princesses from
neighboring lands to marry.

What’s More

Activity 2: WHICH COMES FIRST?

Directions: Read each statement carefully inside the box and arrange the events by writing
numbers 1-8 on the blanks.

_____1. The princess chooses the old man.

_____2. The old man from Russia asks the princes whom she wish to marry.
_____3. The three princes save the princess using the wondrous object they found.
_____4. They decide to look in on the princess using the crystal ball.
_____5. The three princes find the wondrous items.
_____6. The three men separate at the three way split at the desert.
_____7. Three princess is looking for a husband and has narrowed down her
choices to the three princes who are cousins.
_____8. The king decrees that the princess will marry the prince that is able to
return after a year of travelling with the greatest wonder.
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Activity 3: EXCAVATION GALORE
Directions: Answer the following questions to show your understanding of the short story.

1. Why does the princess dislike the three princes?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the king’s reaction to his daughter’s request not to marry any of the princes?
Why?
___________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

3. How did the king postpone her daughter’s wedding?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

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 Lesson

3 Appreciating Literature as an Expression

of Philosophical and Religious Ideas

What I Need to Know

In the previous lesson, you learned the distinguishing features of literature found in
religious text, myths, epic, drama and short story. You have learned the remarkable ways of
the Arab and Indian people depicted in such literary forms. In this lesson, you will be able to
show appreciation of their literature as an expression of philosophical and religious ideas.

What’s New

Activity 2: Connect a Word

Directions: Match the meaning of the word to the given word/s in the box. Use arrows
connect the word to its meaning.

abdicated
a. a. ancient Hindu scriptures
plucked b. kidnapped

Vedas c. dwelling of a hermit

d. take hold of and quickly remove
hermitage
e. not to take action
dissuaded

What Is It?

Now you are going to read a story in one of the best Hindu epics of all times in India.
It characterizes Prince Rama who wants to save his wife Sita from Ravana. Read and find
out how the events of the story happened.

The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic, composed sometime in the 5th century
BCE, about the exile and then return of Rama, prince of Ayodhya. It was composed in
Sanskrit by the sage Valmiki, who taught it to Rama's sons, the twins Lava and Kush. At
about 24000 verses, it is a rather long poem and, by tradition, is known as the Adi Kavya
(adi = original, first; kavya = poem). While the basic story is about palace politics and battles
with demon tribes, the narrative is interspersed with philosophy, ethics, and notes on duty.
It leans more towards an ideal state of things: Rama is the ideal son and king, Sita
the ideal wife, Hanuman the ideal devotee, Lakshman and Bharat the ideal brothers, and en
Ravana, the demon villian, is not entirely despicable.

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Rama is born

Dasharath, king of Ayodhya, had no children. So he arranged a Putra-kameshti

sacrifice (putra = son, kameshti = that which is desired). At the sacrifice, Agni (god of fire)
arose from the flames and handed the king a golden vase brimming with nectar. "Give this to
your queens", said the god and disappeared. The king had three wives. To the eldest, the
king gave half of the nectar; the second queen got a portion that remained when the queen
had drunk her half. To the youngest queen, the king gave the remaining half of the nectar
and again, the second queen got the portion that remained. In time, the queens gave birth to
sons: to the eldest was born Rama, to the youngest was born Bharat, and to the second
queen were born the twins Lakshman and Shatrughna.

 Rama, hero of the Ramayana, is the ideal son & king, Sita the ideal wife.

Rama marries Sita

When the princes had grown up some, the sage Vishwamitra arrived at Dasharath's
court and asked that Rama and Lakshman be "lent" to him to help him rid his hermitage of
the demons that were plaguing the ashram dwellers by defiling their sacrifices with blood
and bones, and by killing them off. After the two princes successfully rid the ashram of the
demons, the sage took them to the neighbouring kingdom of Mithila to show them the
swayamvar festivities of the Mithila princess, Sita, born of the earth. The king of that country
had adopted Sita as his daughter and, after Sita had grown up, had declared that he would
give her in marriage to anyone who could string the Great Bow of Shiva. No one could.
Several kings, princes, and commoners had tried and failed.

The swayamvar had been in progress for several months now and the bow still
remained unstrung. It was to this place that the sage Vishwamitra brought the two princes of
Ayodhya. Rama and Lakshamn entered the assembly hall where the bow was displayed in
all its glory. Rama walked over, picked up the bow, strung it, and plucked the bowstring with
such a twang that two things happened simultaneously: the twang was heard for miles
around, and the force of it broke the bow into two with so great a sound that the king and his
courtiers came running from their chambers to see what the commotion was about. When
the confusion had settled, Rama was married to Sita. His three brothers were married to a
sister and cousins of Sita, and there were many festivities and much rejoicing in the two
kingdoms.

Rama is exiled

Some time later, Dasharath decided he had grown too old to rule and declared he
would abdicate in favour of Rama, the eldest born and the crown prince. This is when his
youngest queen invoked an old promise that Dasharath had made to her: she demanded
that Rama be exiled for 14 years and that her own son, Bharat, be crowned king. Dasharath
refused but Rama decided to honour his father's old promise and left for the forests. He was
accompanied by Sita and by Lakshman, both of whom could not be dissuaded from following
him. In grief at the injustice of it all and at Rama's departure, Dasharath died within two days.

Bharat was not in Ayodhya when these events happened; he, and the fourth prince
Shatrughna, were away holidaying at Bharat's maternal grandfather's country. They were
summoned to Ayodhya in haste and, when Bharat learnt what had happened, he was
furious. He shouted at his mother, refused to ascend the throne, and gathered the townsfolk
around him to proceed to the forest and bring Rama back.

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Rama refused to return, stating his intention to serve his father's last wish by being an exile
for the full 14 years. Bharat returned with Rama's sandals, placed them on the throne, and
proceeded to rule the country in Rama's name. Meanwhile, Rama moved further south even
deeper into the forests so that the people of Ayodhya would not find it easy to keep coming
to his hut and begging him to return.

Ravana abducts Sita

One day, a demoness named Surpanakha saw Rama and, being charmed out of her
wits by his beauty, walked up to him and begged him to marry her. "I already have a wife",
said Rama and pointed to Sita. "Why don't you marry my brother Lakshman instead?" When
Surpanakha turned towards Lakshman, he declared he'd taken a temporary vow of celibacy
and sent her back to Rama. What followed was that the brothers took turns to thus play ping-
pong with her and when Surpanakha, by now angry beyond measure, rushed towards Sita to
kill her, Lakshmana cut off Surpanakha's nose and ears.

Surpanakha flew towards Lanka (modern Sri Lanka), ruled by her brother Ravana,
and complained. Enraged, Ravana vowed vengeance. He persuaded the demon Marich to
disguise himself as a golden deer and wander near Rama's hut. When Sita saw the golden
deer, she begged Rama to get it for her. When the brothers were out pursuing the deer,
Ravana arrived, abducted Sita, placed her in his flying chariot, and flew through the skies to
Lanka. When the princes, after having killed the golden deer and discovered it was a demon
in disguise, returned to their hut, they found it empty and started to look for Sita.

Rama meets Hanuman

During their wanderings, the princes came upon a group of monkeys who showed
them some ornaments of Sita's: the monkeys had seen a beautiful lady crying and dropping
her ornaments from a chariot in the sky that was being driven southwards by a demon.

Among the monkeys was Hanuman, who ultimately located Sita's whereabouts to be
in Ravana's kingdom in Lanka. Rama gained the help of the monkey chief Sugreeva,
gathered a monkey army, marched southwards, built a bridge across the ocean and crossed
over to Lanka. Rama, after an epic battle, was then able to kill Ravana and finally free Sita.

Sita faces a trial by fire

When Sita walked up to Rama, however, he refused to accept her since she had
been a living in a demon's palace all this while. Hurt, Sita entered into a burning pyre
intending to give up her life. However, Agni rose from the flames, carrying an unhurt Sita in
his arms and said:

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 “Here, Rama, is your Sita. She has not an iota of sin in her”.

Rama is crowned at Ayodhya

Since the 14 years were over by now, Rama then returned to Ayodhya, was crowned
king, and ruled the kingdom with great wisdom: no child died before their parents did, no
door needed locks against robbers, no farmland lay barren, no tree went fruitless, and there
was peace and prosperity all around.

Sita is banished

The Ramayana, as composed by Valmiki, is thought to have six chapters and to end
at this happy point. A seventh chapter, called the Uttar-Ramayana (uttar = post, after, that
which comes later) continues the story and ends on a slightly less happy note. This is how
the story continues: After many months of Rama's rule, rumours began to surface among the
populace regarding Sita's chastity since she had been abducted and imprisoned by a
demon. Mindful of the feelings of his subjects, Rama asked Sita to undergo an Agni
Pareeskha again. Sita refused, whereupon Rama banished her. Lakshman was deputed to
escort her out of the kingdom; he did so unwillingly and left Sita near the hermitage of
Valmiki.

Lava & Kush sing the Ramayana

Sita was pregnant at that time. Valmiki took her in as an ashram inmate, and she
gave birth to her twins there: sons named Lava and Kush whom Valmiki brought up with
great love and affection, teaching them princely skills such as archery as well as scholarly
skills such as the Vedas and other scriptures. Valmiki also taught them to sing the
Ramayana, which he had finished composing by this time. The twins, who were unaware of
their parentage and, hence, unaware that they were singing about their own family, would
recite the poem at gatherings. They became so well-loved for their sweet recitation that their
fame reached Rama's ears who summoned them for a performance. It was here at Rama's
court that the true story was revealed to the twins: that they, spitting images of the king, were
his sons and that their mother was none other than the Sita whom they sang of.

Rama, in remorse, asked Sita to return to the palace if she could prove her chastity again
before an assembly. Sita, in anguish, cried out, "O mother earth, just take me away from this
place forever!" Whereupon the ground parted, the goddess Prithivi arose on a golden throne,
took Sita in her lap, descended, and the rift closed. Sita was forever lost. Griefstricken,
Rama decided to live no longer. He abdicated the throne in favour of his sons and, along
with his brothers, entered the waters of the river Sarayu that skirted Ayodhya; their spirits left
their bodies and ascended to the heavens. https://www.ancient.eu/The_Ramayana/

What I Have Learned

Activity 3: Let’s Do the Timeline

Directions: Write down the important events of the story. Arranged it according to its
sequence.

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\

First Event

Second Event

Third Event

Fourth Event

Fifth Event

15