« Week 3 Discussion

Isabel Bogaert

Visvamitra

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I really enjoyed this the character Visvamitra. The part that I really enjoyed with him was when he was sharing all of the different stories of the gods with Rama (pg. 72-84). These stories were so captivating, and I haven't heard many like this so I thought they were fascinating. Rama in the story can't get enough of these stories either (pg. 76) and that is how I felt reading along with these stories. Visvamitra also seems to be the person who gets Rama started on his adventures as a teenager. His father, Dasaratha, didn't want to allow Rama to be fighting in the world, but Visvamitra seems to be the one who is able to convince him otherwise (pg. 59). It also is said that Visvamitra is "dharma itself" (pg. 61), which I thought was very interesting. Visvamitra seems to be Rama's mentor in a lot of different ways so I think it is interesting that this is a characteristic that will later be shared between both of them. 
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  1. Post by Rachel McKelvy
    Re: Visvamitra
    I also saw Visvamitra as almost a mentor to Rāma, which helped me relate better to the relationship between the two of them.  He seems to be a super knowledgeable character, what with telling the stories of the gods and filling them in on the rāksasa Rāvana and a little of his history.  The text even refers to him as "the repository of all virtue," so you know that this man has to know what's up.  It makes sense that Rāma would greatly benefit from having a relationship with this character, and their relationship could even feed into the portrayal of Rāma as an ideal man.  
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  2. Post by Emma Palmer
    Re: Visvamitra
    Isabel, I love your thoughts. I like how you pointed out how Vishvamitra is said to be "dharma itself" (61). I think Vishvamitra representing dharma and his relationship with Rama as someone who follows his own dharma is important to note. I can see the relationship as significant in explaining dharma. 
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