SCHOOL SKIT

Teacher: Good afternoon class.

Students: Good afternoon teacher!
Teacher: So our lesson for today is about the story entitled “The Ramayana and Mahabharata”. Please
take out your copies. Please read the first three paragraphs….
Student 1: Ma’am!!

DASA-RATHA-VIYOGA
(The Death of the King)

The three companions - Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana - leave Chitrakuta, haunted by the memory
of the visitors from Ayodhya. On their journeys, they visit a number of holy men and women and slay
many wicked rakshasas. For ten years the companions move through the forest, visiting asramas. They
are welcomed by rishis and establish a happy life for themselves even in the darkest jungle.

When only three years are left of his exile, a rishi named Sutheekshna tells Rama that he must
seek out the great sage Agastya and obtain his blessing. Agastya is renowned as a slayer of rakshasas; he
managed to defeat two powerful ones that made a habit of eating rishis.

Agastya offers the two princely brothers a number of magical, supernatural weapons, including
the powerful bow of Vishnu and armor that cannot be pierced by any weapon. He tells the brothers that
they must go to the south to eliminate the rakshasa menace, and sends them to a place called Panchavati.
Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana follow his orders, heading to this lovely place. They meet Jatayu on the way,
a magnificent eagle that can speak in the voice of a human being. He was loyal to Dasaratha, and pledges
his service to Rama as well.

Teacher: Okay, thank you. Please take your seat. Next, please read.
Student 2: (goes to the front and clears throat, makes vocal exercise) Everybody, eyes on me, please
listen!
Student 5: Ay, pabida,
Student 2: What did you say?
Student 5: Nothing…(eye rolls)
Student 2: (reads)

Panchavati is a lovely place, but it is only a short while before the travelers are harassed by the
rakshasi Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana. She attempts to seduce first Rama, then Lakshmana, and
attempts to kill Sita when they rebuff her advances. The princely brothers defeat her easily, chopping off
her nose and ears. She flees back to her cousins Khara and Dushana, rakshasa lords who preside over vast
armies, and persuades them to go to war over the terrible insult she has received.

Seeing the advancing rakshasa army, Rama sends Lakshmana away with Sita, and faces the army
of fourteen thousand rakshasas alone. He defeats them using his magical weapons.

But one of the rakshasas, named Akampana, escapes and brings the news to the court of Ravana
on Lanka. Ravana is a terrifying rakshasa with ten heads, and he is thousands of years old. He is a great
scholar, irresistible to women, and an undefeated warrior who has been blessed by the gods Brahma
and Siva. He is shocked and infuriated by the news that Akampana brings, of a single man who defeated
fourteen thousand rakshasas, including his cousin Khara. Akampana suggests that Rama's greatest
weakness is his wife Sita; if she were abducted, he would die of a broken heart.
 Ravana consults with his uncle Maricha about how best to defeat Rama. Rama defeated Maricha
when Rama was only a youth; one of Rama's magical weapons plunged Maricha thousands of miles into
the sea. Maricha tells Ravana that Rama will be his doom, but Ravana is determined to seek revenge
against the prince.

Student 3: (enters the room late) G-good afternoon ma’am, good afternoon classmates.
Students: Good afternoon Student 3. Why are you late?
Student 3: I’m sorry classmates, I am late because I had LBM….went to the comfort room three times
Students: (laughs)
Teacher: Enough! Next time be careful with what you eat. Go to your seat and get your copy
Student 3: (takes out copy and reads)

Ravana's wrath is increased by the appearance of his sister Surpanakha, who had been mutilated
by Rama and Lakshmana for attacking Sita. She tells Ravana about the incomparable beauty of Sita,
kindling his lust as well as his fury. He cajoles and threatens Maricha until the other raskhasa agrees to
assist him, and hatches a wicked plan.

Ravana and Maricha travel to Panchavati, and Maricha transforms himself into a beautiful golden
stag. Sita, who loves animals, is utterly enchanted by him as soon as she seems him, and she asks Rama to
capture the deer for her. Rama chases after the deer, who leads him deep into the forest. Slowly, Rama
realizes that this is no true creature of the forest, but a rakshasa. He shoots the stag with an arrow, and
Maricha takes on his rakshasa appearance once again. Before he dies, Maricha calls out for Lakshmana
and Sita in a perfect imitation of Rama's voice.

Hearing this terrible cry, Lakshmana plunges into the forest to help his brother, leaving Sita alone
in the hut. Ravana takes on the form of a wandering ascetic and approaches her. As soon as he sees Sita,
he falls madly in love with her. When he has gained her trust and been invited into the hut, he reveals his
true self and demands that she be his queen. Sita refuses, saying that she loves Rama far too much to ever
leave him.

Students: Ayieeeee, sanaol.

Teacher: Sssh!
Student 3: Ravana grabs Sita and takes her away in his sky chariot, ignoring her screams of protest. (fart
sound)
Teacher: Okay next.
Student 4: (starts to read very softly) Jatayu the golden eagle sees the princess being captured, and attacks
Ravana to try to save her.
Teacher: LOUDER!
Student 4: Jatayu the golden eagle sees the princess being captured, and attacks Ravana to try to save her.
He injures the rakshasa, but Ravana cuts off his wings and leaves him for dead. Sita takes advantage of
this momentary confusion to take off her jewelry and drop it to the earth, leaving a trail for Rama to
follow.
Teacher: WITH FEELINGS!
Ravana brings Sita far away to his kingdom in Lanka. He demands that she submits to him and
become his queen, but she refuses once again. He tells her that she has a one year to consider his love,
after which he will kill her and eat her alive. Sita weeps in terror, but refuses to give in.

In Panchavati, Rama and Lakshmana realize that they have been deceived. When they find the
hut empty, they realize that Sita has been kidnapped, and they follow the trail south. They find the dying
Jatayu, who tells them that Ravana has kidnapped Sita. The brothers perform funeral rites for Jatayu, and
then continue their search for Ravana and Sita.
 On the way, the brothers meet a terrible demon named Kabandha, who has the form of a body
with no legs or head, only arms and a gaping mouth. After they dispatch him, he explains that Indra
transformed him into this ugly shape; formerly, he was a celestial archer. Thankful to be liberated from
this terrible punishment, he tells the brothers that they will find victory against Ravana if they
seek Sugriva, the prince of vanaras (a magical race of monkeys) who lives in Rishyalooka.

On their way to the monkey king, the brothers meet the female mystic Shabari, who has refused
to die until she meets the holy Rama. She offers them her blessings and departs for heaven. Rama weeps
for Sita, but Lakshmana consoles him and urges him forward in their quest.

Teacher: So that was the third chapter. Sita was put in great danger, right? What do you think might
happen next?
Student 5, 6 and 7: (talking at the back)
Teacher: You three back there! Why are you so noisy? Do you want to come here in front and be the
teacher instead?
Student 5: Ma’am! I want to be a teacher when I grow up! (student 6 and 7 smacks student 5)
Teacher: Okay come here and be the teacher.
Student 5: (stands up and goes to the front) Hi I’m the new teacher, why are you standing? You sit down
(points at the teacher) Hehe just kidding ma’am.
Student 5: So class, before anything else- let me read to you the fourth book.

RAMA-BHARATA-SAMBADA
(The Meeting of the Princes)

From his perch on a mountaintop, Sugrivasees the approach of Rama and Lakshmana. He is

terrified that they are warriors sent by his brother Vali to kill him, but his advisor Hanuman reassures him
and goes down to ascertain the identity of the two men.

Appearing before Rama and Lakshmana as a brahmana (a member of the priestly class),
Hanuman inquires why they have come to this isolated place. The brothers explain the story of their exile
from Ayodhya and Sita's abduction. Hanuman tells them that his king was also exiled and his wife
abducted.

Hanuman takes the brothers to Sugriva, who explains his miserable exile at the hands of his
duplicitous brother Vali; though the mountain of Rishyamooka is safe from Vali due to a rishi's curse,
Sugriva still fears that his brother will find a way to kill him. The human princes and the monkeys swear
their eternal friendship over a sacred fire. Sugriva proclaims that fate has caused their paths to cross, and
brings out the bundle of ornaments that Sita dropped in the forest when Ravanakidnapped her; Rama
weeps and thanks him for this sign, vowing to kill Vali and restore Sugriva to his throne and his wife.

Teacher: Student 5, please sit down.

Teacher: Okay you and you and you, please read the next paragraphs.
Student 6: (falls asleep, student 7 nudges her so she stood up and wiped her drool)

Sugriva explains the cause of his estrangement from his brother. Once, his brother fought with an
Asura and the two disappeared into a cave. Sugriva heard agonized screams from his brother and saw
blood leaking out of the cave. Certain that Vali is dead and that the Asura is looking for a new victim,
Sugriva rolls a stone in front of the cave's mouth and performs funeral rites for his brother. The ministers
crown him king in his brother's absence, and he rules justly.
 That is, until Vali's unexpected return. Vali believes that his brother betrayed him and attempted
to trap him in the cave when he was still weak from his battle with the Asura. He dethrones Sugriva and
attempts to kill him, but Sugriva escapes to the mountain sanctuary of Rishyamooka.

Rama and Sugriva go forth to take back the monkey kingdom of Kishkinda. Sugriva engages in
hand-to-hand combat with his brother, expecting Rama to shoot Vali with an arrow; however, the two
look so similar that Rama is unable to tell them apart, and Sugriva is forced to retreat. He angrily berates
Rama, who calmly explains the situation to him. The two return to Kishkinda, and Sugriva and Vali fight
each other once more. Just as it looks as though Sugriva will lose, Rama sends an arrow through Vali's
heart.
Teacher: Next. Okay where’s your copy?
Student 7: (borrows copy from student 6, they quarrel a bit) Here ma’am!

With his dying breath, Vali asks why the noble Rama has engaged in such a duplicitous act; he
killed another living being in a sneaky and unfair manner, and moreover, he murdered Vali despite the
fact that the monkey king had done him no wrong. Vali tells Rama that he understands his vow to
Sugriva, but Vali would have been happy to help Rama find his lost wife and he would have done so even
more quickly than Sugriva. Vali asks Rama to make sure that his son Angada is well cared-for. Rama
replies that he has performed this action out of dharma, and he holds Vali as he dies.

Sugriva assumes the throne. The four-month rainy season has arrived which makes it is
impossible to travel, so Rama and Lakshmana take shelter in a cave. They plan to go in search of Sita
with Sugriva's help after the rains end, but fairer weather finds Sugriva holed up in his harem, focusing
more on drinking and women than on justness and ruling. Hanuman reminds Sugriva of his duty to Rama
and Lakshmana, and Sugriva sends out a summons for all vanaras to return to the kingdom to launch the
search for Sita. Still, the monkey king continues to lounge around rather than assisting Rama and
Lakshmana.

Teacher: Last but not the least. With feelings okay? (hands the student some biscuit)
Student 8:
Rama grieves terribly for his lost wife, and finally Lakshmana goes to confront Sugriva about his
broken promise. Lakshmana's terrifying appearance startles Sugriva out of his drunkenness, and he
assembles four different search parties to find Sita, sending one out in each direction. Sugriva at last
proves to be a valuable ally; he has a strong understanding of the lay of the land due to his long
wanderings.

A party including Hanuman and the crown prince Angada (son of Vali) heads towards the south,
where they encounter many strange sights, such as vicious rakshasas and magical cities. At last they find
themselves on the seashore; still, there is no sign of Sita. Suddenly the eagle Sampati, brother of Jatayu,
appears. Though he is old and has singed wings (he flew too close to the sun when he was young), he has
sharp eyesight. Hanuman asks him to look for Sita, and Sampati peers over the ocean - and sees Sita
crying in a garden! But this island is hundreds of miles away; the monkeys debate how they will
get there. Jambavan the king of the bears reminds Hanuman of his parentage: his father is the god of the
wind. Hanuman doubts himself, but Jambavan urges him to remember who he truly is. With renewed
faith in himself, Hanuman grows extremely tall, and after launching himself from nearby mountains, he
flies through the air to the island of Lanka, where Ravana is keeping Sita prisoner.

Teacher: Okay please sit down. Next meeting we will be having a short quiz so study well. Class
dismissed.