Almost ten thousand years had passed since Rama’s return to
Ayodhya. Sita spent the years happily by his side; she devoted her life to Rama
and did everything she could to keep his subjects happy. On a cool winter
evening, Sita came into Rama’s chambers to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace
and share the news that she was pregnant. Rama was so excited and overwhelmed
that he called a meeting with his closest advisors. At the meeting Rama’s
advisors congratulated him and warned him about the challenges of parenting,
but one advisor remained silent. At first Rama disregarded Bhadra’s silence. “Maybe
he just doesn’t feel well.” he thought to himself, but his advisor’s lack of
feedback eventually got the best of him. “Have you nothing to say in regard to
this wonderful news?!” Rama shouted across the room. “My king, we have all
prayed that the gods might someday bless you with a child but I fear what the
people of this kingdom might say about any child that comes from Sita.” Bhadra
responded. “What is that supposed to mean? The people of this kingdom have
never spoken ill of my lovely wife.” The room was silent as each of the other
advisor’s watched Bhadra try to come up with the most gentle way to break the
news to Rama, each of them torn between letting the events unfold or stopping
Bhadra. Once Bhadra gathered his thoughts, he continued “Only in the darkest of
alleys do your lowest subjects challenge Sita’s loyalty, but rumors spread like
a plague. Despite the test of fire, many of your subjects have come to doubt
your wife’s loyalty during the time she spent in captivity. They say that the
only reason Ravana kept her alive was that she offered herself to him.”
As rage and jealousy consumed him, Rama stormed out of the
meeting hall and headed for Lakshmana’s room. When he reached his destination,
Rama ordered Lakshmana to take Sita deep into the forest and abandon her.
Lakshmana knew that there was no logical reason to banish Sita, but he did not
dare to challenge his brother in such a furious state.
The next morning Lakshmana invited Sita to the forest and
she happily agreed to accompany him, unsuspecting of the events that were to
unfold. When they reached one of the most beautiful parts of the forest,
Lakshmana stopped the chariot and Sita climbed out, marveling at the beauty of
their surroundings. Upon seeing the joy on her face, Lakshmana began to weep.
“How can you be sad in such a wonderful place?” Sita asked.
“My queen, I am afraid that you do not understand the true
purpose of this adventure. Unfortunately, one of Rama’s advisors has instilled
doubt in his mind about your loyalty while you were in captivity. In an
irrational rage, Rama stormed into my chambers and order me to bring you to the
forest and abandon you. I have brought you to this enchanting corner of the
forest because it is one of the most beautiful and safest places on Earth, and
the only place that I could ever possibly leave you.” Lakshmana felt terrible
and continued to weep.
“Lakshmana, this is not your fault. In a moment of weakness,
Rama has fallen prey to his emotions. Rama acted rashly as his heart was
consumed by jealousy. Who am I to judge him for such a flaw when my own greed
is what drove Rama to chase after that golden deer, ultimately leading to my abduction?
Rama will eventually overcome his emotions, but until that time I will remain
in this beautiful garden and raise our child. I do not blame you for this
unfortunate situation. Return to Rama and keep him safe.”
Author’s Note: I really didn’t like this part of Buck’s
Ramayana, and I don’t know if this version made it any better. It always seemed
like Rama had a higher level of understanding when others wronged him, so I
thought it might be nice to portray Sita in the same way as she endures this
injustice.
Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's
Way
Hey Austin! I definitely felt that this part of the Ramayana was very upsetting as well! After everything Sita had to endure, for Rama to doubt her was so cruel! I do think that your storytelling improved it in a lot of ways. While I still find myself angry at the Rama in your storytelling, I felt much better about the way that Lakshmana left her. It was much better to see that Lakshmana cared enough about her to take her to the safest, most beautiful part of the forest. I also like how understanding Sita was about the situation. If you told your brother to abandon me in a forest, I wouldn't be so understanding! It definitely helped to show that Sita also had a higher level of understanding. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI also don't know whether your retelling made me like or hate this story more, haha. You made an interesting choice in having Rama abandon Sita out of jealousy and anger, but this made the story more believable even as it made me question Rama's love and virtue. I also found it interesting that you compared Rama's emotional decision with Sita's greed in desiring the golden deer, a comparison that holds true to some degree but which I would never have made. Great work!!
ReplyDeleteHey Austin, interesting spin on Rama and Sita's fallout. I think an honorable and noble man such as Rama would never let a little gossip get to his head, but I am not infallible. I think this goes against the Rama we see in the rest of the story, but no person is without faults. Interesting twist that Sita was so understanding of her banishment.
ReplyDeleteHi Austin, I also wrote a story on Sita being banished but I ended it differently because I thought it was really unfair towards Sita. But after reading your version of the story the whole situation does make Ram’s decision to banish Sita a little bit better. And I do agree with you on how Ram had a different way of thinking with people who did wrong to him, he always a different approach to things.
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