Testing New Stories for the Week

Hello World!!

Sita froze as she heard his refusal echo in her head. "I will not take her with me! I just cannot!.... NO! You need to understand!" Rama's voice echoed all around. She felt tears beginning to swim in her eyes. She couldn't even bring herself to look up at him. She had loved him with all her heart, and she would never betray him. Why didn't he believe that? Why was he treating her in this manner? She had done nothing wrong. She felt a tear sliding down her cheek as she felt herself begin to crumble. No. She refused to let this break her. She had been through so much recently. She had dealt with the kidnapping and worst of all with Ravana. This is what she was getting in return. She immediately composed herself as she reached up to wipe the tear. It was now or never. She couldn't take it anymore.

Sita walked up through the trees to Rama and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned around and immediately stiffened. There was something different about Sita. Some new confidence about her. She had a sudden change in her demeanor. She seemed a bit different, although he couldn't put his finger on it. "Rama, I can prove that what you are thinking isn't true. Nothing has changed. However, I do have one condition which I won't be able to tell you until I prove myself," she said with clarity. He simply nodded and stepped back from her.

A Scene From The Reenactment of the "Agnipariksha", Source:theboldindian.com

She turned around and bowed her head in a prayer to the God of Fire. She prayed for him to keep her safe if she hadn't done anything wrong. She opened her eyes to a large, rectangular pit of fire before her and without any further hesitation she walked into it. She had made it to the middle when the she found a man standing in the middle of the fire beaming at her. It was  the God of Fire before her. He turned her around and presented her to Rama. She looked up to see his proud face filled with happiness. "I always knew you could do no wrong, but I needed to prove to everyone else this simple fact as well," he clarified. He walked over to her to hug her when Sita stopped him. All the people gathered around seemed even more shocked than Rama. "I believe we had an agreement," she stated.

 "Anything you desire my dear," Rama said.

 "You felt the need to prove to everyone that I had done nothing wrong, but if you had faith in me I do not understand how anyone else mattered. I believe that you did what you felt was right, but now I must do the same. I cannot stay with you any longer. I do not wish to have to prove myself to others or even you for the rest of my life. So, all I am asking for in return is for you not to stop me." She finished her declaration with a step away from Rama. She looked to see his heartbreak show in his face. He looked down at the ground and whispered, "As you wish." She turned around and began running. As she ran away, she felt herself free for the first time. She smiled as she continued running as far as her feet would take her. This wasn't an ending, but a new beginning for her.

Author's Note:
I didn't completely agree with this specific scene in the book. I don't find it necessary to worry about what other people think. We should do what we believe in and what our heart allows us to do. We shouldn't bother ourselves with ridiculous notions of how others will react. The only thing that should have mattered in this situation, in my humble opinion of course, is that Rama believed Sita was pure and that should have been the end. I don't believe that anything else should have mattered. This is why I chose to give Sita an ending that while proving her innocence allowed her to be free as well. She can now live life according to her terms without having to prove anything to anyone. I think that in this way she is standing up for herself and allowing herself to be happy and content.

This story is very special to me, because I have found myself fighting or what I believe in during various circumstances. It is unfortunate that even today there are many cultures and places that look down upon females. These cultures place men on a higher status above women. I think that it is important for a woman to show the people around her that she is in charge of her own destiny and is capable of taking care of herself. In this story I allow Sita to make that choice and empower people to make a choice for themselves.

Bibliography:
All information has come from Narayan's Ramayana, (link to Reading Guide A) 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Section D

Hello World!! 

So, for this reading I have a bit of a rant. Once Ravana had been killed and Sita was safe Rama refused to take her home with him. REFUSED. Your wife was KIDNAPPED by someone and she spent the entire time entrusting you with all her faith, hope, and expectations, yet all you can do is refuse to take her home. 

I have always had a problem with this part of the Ramayana. It just doesn't make any sense to my why Sita was the one who had to prove her purity through the fire. She never asks Rama to give her any clarifications or prove his innocence. She TRUSTS him, yet still she felt the need to prove her purity and Rama even goes as far as to say that the test was necessary. I suppose being a woman of the 21st century I just cannot fathom the fact that he needed this test to convince himself. In all honesty, had it been me I would have just said goodbye and left. Trust is incredibly important to me, and clearly that was not present in this relationship. I do understand that this was a different time period and is written according to the culture of that time, but it still seems unfair to me. 

Sita's Test, Source: www.indianetzone.com

 
Other than that, I thought the story was a good read. It had numerous lessons and wisdom to bestow upon us, and I always love learning from books and cultures. I do understand today why this wonderful piece of literature is still relevant in today's day and age, and I find it endearing that people have such a fond attachment to this literature. I wish that my culture had such an interesting story as well that I could learn from. I wonder what it would be about?....

All information has come from Narayan's Ramayana, (link to Reading Guide A).

 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Section C

Hello World!!

I feel that as the reading continues, it is becoming more and more complex. It is a bit difficult for me to keep track of everything, and even more so than before. However, out of all of the chaos that occurred in this reading section from the search parties to Hanuman's entry into the epic, the one thing that stood out to me was how Ravana abducted Sita.

A painting of the Abduction of Sita, Source: fineartamerica.com

I can't help but wonder, if Sita's personality had been the opposite or if she had chosen to go with Ravana willingly how different the story would have been. I think it would have been incredibly interesting to see Sita turn out to be in love with Ravana and have made a plan to run away from Rama. I do realize that this goes completely against the entire story of the book and also changes the entire epic love story, but I'm just beginning to discuss the possibilities. What about after Ravana abducts Sita? Maybe there could be a scene where he chooses to show his affection with a romantic gesture? There is so much that could easily be tweaked to give a surprising twist to the current story.

I had the same thoughts about Sugriva. When she was taken by Vali, what could have happened next? Could he have been kind to her or been terrible to her? Would he have been willing to care for her as her husband had or would he have fallen in love with her? After all, anything can happen in a story if you're the writer.

Despite, all of the questions I am glad that we are finally getting to a climax! I have to say I felt that the story was getting a bit boring to be honest, but it's back to being interesting, yet again! I cannot wait to begin writing my own version of the story.

All information has come from Narayan's Ramayana, (link to Reading Guide A).