Ramayana - Lesson 2 - Sara Hofer | Library

Instructions

from “Vishnu’s Loophole” (1) 
from Ramayana: Divine Loophole 
by Sanjay Patel 

At this point, the gods were in deep trouble with demons running amok (2)  over every corner of their world. They had no choice but to pay a visit to Vishnu, the god of preservation and general cosmic referee. The blue god of justice calmed everyone down and quickly pointed out that Ravana’s plan had a divine loophole: Ravana only asked never to be defeated by a god or a demon—he was still vulnerable to humans and animals. Suddenly, there seemed to be hope. Vishnu then gathered the gods together and revealed a secret: He would reincarnate (3)  himself on Earth as a human to rid the world of Ravana. His avatar (4)  would be known as Rama, the blue warrior. 

1 loophole: An escape or way out of a law or requirement 
2 running amok: Behaving in an out-of-control way 
3 reincarnate: To be reborn or recreated in another body 
4 avatar: A god’s bodily form on earth 

Patel, Sanjay. Ramayana: Divine Loophole. Chronicle Books, 2010, p. 18.

1

Read this sentence from the passage.

“The blue god of justice calmed everyone down and quickly pointed out that Ravana’s plan had a divine loophole: Ravana only asked never to be defeated by a god or a demon—he was still vulnerable to humans and animals.”

What does was still vulnerable to mean in this context?

1

Read the sentence from the text and the definition of the word referee.

“They had no choice but to pay a visit to Vishnu, the god of preservation and general cosmic referee.”

referee (n.): An official who makes sure players follow the rules; someone to whom people look to make decisions

Which piece of evidence best supports the idea that Vishnu is acting as a referee in this passage?

1

Ramayana - Lesson 2

Ramayana - Lesson 2

How does this passage’s description of Vishnu’s plan develop the story?

How does this passage’s description of Vishnu’s plan develop the story?