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 (10[1])elephants (10[1]-5[1])walk over him. In this text, a demon disguised as a golden deer is used (10[1])to distract a princess (10[1])of Ayodhya (“eye-OHD-yuh”). This text’s antagonist orders Hanuman’s tail to be lit on fire, (10[1])which (10[1])he uses to burn down (-5[1])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 (10[1])by (10[1])Valmiki, written before the Mahabharata? ■END■ (10[1]0[3])

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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