Tossup

In this text, a wise man invents a new form of verse after watching two birds being shot while mating, which he teaches to the protagonist’s two sons. A character in this text who is cursed to sleep for six months at a time is woken up when a thousand elephants (10[1])walk over him. (-5[1])In this text, a demon disguised as a golden deer is used to (10[1])distract a princess (10[1])of Ayodhya (10[3])(“eye-OHD-yuh”). This text’s antagonist (10[1])orders Hanuman’s tail to be lit on fire, (10[1])which he uses to burn down his citadel in Lanka. For 10 points, Sita is kidnapped by the rakshasa (10[1])(“RAHK-shuh-suh”) Ravana (“RAH-vuh-nuh”) in what Sanskrit epic by Valmiki, (10[1])written before the Mahabharata? ■END■ (10[1])

ANSWER: Ramayana [or Rāmāyana; or Ramayanam] (The first line is about Valmiki teaching Lava and Kusha. The character in the second line is Kumbhakarna, a brother of Ravana.)
<Editors, Mythology>
= Average correct buzz position

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