Reading Notes A: Krishna Darma's Version of Bharata as King

What most surprised me from Krishna Dharma'a version of The Ramayana is the detail that he goes into as to how each character felt. The focus on Bharata's anger and Dasaratha's sorrow is awesome and really added a new layer of depth to the story. My favorite part, was when the messenger came back he saw Dasaratha fainted on the floor, only to wake up and die again. In R.K. Narayan's version of the story, Dasaratha was only viewed to be in total silence and sorrow, but Dharma portraying how Dasaratha was passed out on the floor portrays a deeper sense of sorrow. I very much appreciate Dharma's more detailed depictions of the characters emotions and that really adds to me understanding of the Rama as a character.
Lastly, I like the depiction of Bharata's insisting that Rama should rule and the tone that Rama replies to him. At one point, the author used the word 'love' to describe how Rama looked at Bharata. Little details and nuances as to how the characters interact with each other make the story a lot more compelling and drawing to the audience it seems.


a photo of Bharata and Rama's sandals king bharata

Bibliography:

The Ramayana by Krishna Dharma - the ramayana