At one extreme is the character in the Valmiki Ramayana: an ascetic mastering anger and controlling appetite through disciplined penance. No longer is this the Ramayana, Rama’s journey. Volga writes: “Slaying, torturing, and discovering more and more forms of brutality were the goals of nagarikta, its ultimate purpose. Volga’s Sabari is not trapped in the traditional mould of the grateful devotee whose worth depends on divine acknowledgement. The transformation means that Sabari becomes the possessor of knowledge and the spiritual authority rather than the grateful recipient.