Hello, this is Jana and welcome to Story Nouri and the third episode of the Indian epic, the Ramayana.

In a moment, I'll be continuing the story with two new voices, my sister-cousins, Parveen and Elizabeth.

This episode features plenty of palace plotting and intrigue.

But first, I'm going to give you a little reminder about the characters.

King Dashritha of Ayurthia had three wives.

Kausalia, the eldest most revered wife and mother of Rama, Sumitra, the mother of the twins, Lakshmana and Shatrugna, and Queen Kakei, the youngest queen and mother of Barata.

All four sons of the wives have a little of the God Vishnu in them, but Rama has the most,

and is therefore the most godlike of the brothers.

In the previous episode, Rama married Princess Sita and returned with her to the kingdom

of Ayurdiya.

Some time later, his brother Bharata left the palace to visit his relatives in another kingdom.

So now let's continue with a story which introduces a new character to the plot.

Mantra, a servant loyal to Queen Kakei, mounted the stairs of the royal palace, rising like the moon.

As she climbed, she could hear drums and musical instruments,

and her nostrils were filled with the buttery scent of sandalwood.

When she reached the flat rooftop, she paused to catch her breath

before gazing out over the city of Ayordia,

which that evening was more splendid than ever.

For the past few days, workers had been scrubbing the stones of the royal streets until they dazzled in the sunlight.

And now the soldiers in bright uniforms were lining the pavements

and crowds were gathering behind them.

Mantra was not alone on the rooftop.

...