Week 7 Storytelling: Sita's Banishment

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.

 

(Nice Landscape: Beautiful Gardens)

“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

Week 7: Reading Diary B

The Wonderful Return:

·        I liked how this version of the story did a better job of introducing us to Guha’s character. His character was much less developed in Narayan’s version of the Ramayana.

·        I have mixed feelings about the changes made in regard to Rama’s return. In the previous version, I really liked how Bharata’s anxiety about Rama’s returned helped to establish his loyalty to his brother. His preparation to kill himself provided a suspenseful element to the story. On the other hand, Buck made no mention of Bharata’s anxiety. Instead, he established Bharata’s love for his brothers through dialogue and acts of service upon their arrival. Although I preferred the suspenseful aspect of Narayan’s story, Buck still did a very good job of revealing Bharata’s emotions through his words and actions.

·        I really liked how this chapter ended. It was very reassuring because almost everything that was said agreed with what I included in Rama’s letter from my storybook intro!

In What Dream:

·        I thought that it was an interesting addition that everything was able to communicate under Rama’s rule. Even inanimate objects could speak and tell stories.

·        How can Rama banish Sita, especially when she’s pregnant, simply because a few people in the kingdom refuse to believe that she didn’t sleep with Ravana? She even passed the fire test to prove that nothing happened between her and Ravana.

Farewell Again, My Lady and My King:

·        What a bold move by Sita to sacrifice herself in front of all of those people in order to prove her innocence. Rama must have felt terrible for banishing her due to other people’s beliefs about something she never did. Even if Rama recognizes how wrong he was, there’s no way of making up for his actions since she’s gone.

·        It was cool that Rama met his sons and finally realized who they were.

Week 7: Reading Diary A

Ravana and Time:

·        This is kind of random, but I don’t really understand what’s going on with all of the italicized text that’s scattered throughout the story. In an earlier chapter, the italicized text indicated something that the gods were saying but I don’t know if this is still the case. Sometimes they seem like random bits of poetry, or possibly quotes from another version of the Ramayana, that are stuck in to supplement the story.

·        The battle are described so much more thoroughly in this version of the story. Although it can be a little gruesome at times, it is definitely more exciting.

·        The previous version of the Ramayana didn’t make Jambavan such an important character in the war. I really liked how the single battle scene did so much for the development of his character and really helped him to earn a place in the story.

·        I was really surprised to see Ravana listen to Suka so patiently, especially with the types of things that he had to say.

·        What was up with Ravana’s letter? If he fully expected to lose the battle, why didn’t he just return Sita and avoid his death? He also seems to be aware of Rama’s true identity.

Here’s Love:

·        Hanuman’s ability to fly is mentioned all throughout the story, so why did he have to muster all of his strength in preparation for a jump to Lanka when he was looking for Sita? There was so much description about his preparation for the jump when he could have just flown there.

·        I really liked this chapter. It provided a feeling of closure after the battle and such a long time of searching for Sita. There was also some more character development.

·        I’m not exactly sure about the time frame, but I have a feeling that Rama should be in a bigger hurry to get back to Ayodhya.