Reading Diary B Week 6: Kumbhakarna

            Kumbhakarna is a character who really sticks out to me.  For one, he is a Rakshasa who has a conscience.  For example, he urges Ravana to give Sita back to Rama because he believes that it is wrong to steal another man's wife.  However, Ravana's power and influence sways Kumbhakarna to fight Rama.  Kumbhakarna is interesting is his introduction.  He is introduced as someone who must sleep for six months for every day he stays awake.  Another thing is that they describe making this enormous breakfast, and then Buck describes Suka waking him up.  I thought that this part was hilarious because it takes the clashing of two giant cymbals.  It reminded me of trying to wake up a child or teenager to get up for school.  I thought it was a cute description, and it actually made me like Kumbhakarna as a character, which is why I hate what happened to him.

            The third and final reason that I found Kumbhakarna to be so interesting was what happened to him.  Kumbhakarna is described as a relentless warrior.  He will not die or give up.  In fact, he stays alive through a fatal arrow through his chest, losing both of his arms, and losing both of his legs.  After all this, Kumbhakarna is still described as trying to kill Rama.  “Still he managed to move, something carried him on,” (Buck 306).  After all that, Rama has to decapitate Kumbhakarna in order to stop him.  At first, I found Kumbhakarna to be really endearing, but after he has such intense hate for Rama, I don’t like him as much.  Aside from that, I think that Kumbhakarna is still an interesting character.

Kumbhakarna in battle. Source: Wikimedia