Sita the Rakshasa
When King Janaka found a literal baby
in his backyard, his first thought wasn’t who it belonged to or how it got
there. It was whether he could conceivably distract or reroute his wife in the maybe
ten seconds before she caught up to him and insisted they expand their nursery.
His efforts were futile, however, as the queen had eyes as sensitive as a hawk
and ears even more so. The baby became theirs, left alone in a ditch with no
indication of her origins. Rumors circulated on the outskirts of the kingdom
that she had been gifted to the royal couple by the gods themselves, as part of
a great destiny she had yet to fulfill. As Sita grew older, her ethereal good
looks served only to reinforce the notion that she had been given a divine
purpose, so it came as no surprise when that purpose revealed itself to be
marrying the legendary Rama.
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- - -
When she was kidnapped by Ravana in exile, Sita was taken to an isolated island in the middle of the sea, where she had only various plants and many rakshasas for company. Surprisingly, the demon-women received her well, and they gossiped over flower crowns and self-defense sessions throughout the time od her imprisonment. On the night of her rescue, the rakshasas saved her life, barely stopping Ravana from abruptly ending it in his wrath. Their insistence that her death would tarnish his victory, though believable on the surface, was a guise. As they told her after, they were really trying to keep Ravana from unknowingly murdering one of their own. Sita took the nature of her true parentage quite well, all things considered. As a child, she had never considered the possibility that she was the monster people would tell their children hid under their bed at night. As an adult, she took it in stride, only cried a little, and accepted the locals' offer to teach her how to use her newly discovered horrifying monster powers to shapeshift into a gardener (they decided to start with the least threatening thing they could think of- a fire-breathing dragon was at least a Level 2 on the Shapeshifting Scariness Index).
- - -
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After the rescue and subsequent exile of his beloved, Rama’s
reclusiveness became a topic of gossip among the king’s subjects.
“He misses her, and can't bear a life weighed down by the knowledge of her betrayal” said one.
“He misses her, and can't bear a life weighed down by the knowledge of her betrayal” said one.
“He is torn between duty and love”
countered another.
“No” said a third. “He’s just
really passionate about his unhealthy number of horticultured houseplants.”
They met the incredulous looks of their company with evidence:
They met the incredulous looks of their company with evidence:
"I really don’t know how he has
room in his chambers to move, there are so many. Almost every day I see the
poor gardener tasked with bringing him another. That man is overworked, but
at least it pays well…yesterday I saw some pricey looking jewelry under the lotus flowers in his arms."
Author's Note: I was alternately confused and incensed with the ending of the Ramayana and how Rama and Sita's relationship changed after he rescued her from Ravana's clutches. I was also surprised to see that Sita was found abandoned as a baby. I feel this story answers two big questions: A. Why were the rakshasa ladies so nice to Sita on the island?, and B. Why did Rama reject Sita a second time after she literally survived a trial by fire to prove her innocence? Perhaps he discovered a secret that would politically destroy him politically if it were to get out. Like that his beloved, the beautiful Sita, was born a rakshasa and raised unknowingly in the world of man. Thus, her exile would be necessary to ensure his reign's longevity. Despite his unwillingness to see her go, Rama is a man of duty and honor, and would feel compelled to keep his position for the good of the people, even at the expense of his own happiness...unless some newfound shapeshifting powers were put to good use.
Works Cited:
PDE Ramayana:
Author's Note: I was alternately confused and incensed with the ending of the Ramayana and how Rama and Sita's relationship changed after he rescued her from Ravana's clutches. I was also surprised to see that Sita was found abandoned as a baby. I feel this story answers two big questions: A. Why were the rakshasa ladies so nice to Sita on the island?, and B. Why did Rama reject Sita a second time after she literally survived a trial by fire to prove her innocence? Perhaps he discovered a secret that would politically destroy him politically if it were to get out. Like that his beloved, the beautiful Sita, was born a rakshasa and raised unknowingly in the world of man. Thus, her exile would be necessary to ensure his reign's longevity. Despite his unwillingness to see her go, Rama is a man of duty and honor, and would feel compelled to keep his position for the good of the people, even at the expense of his own happiness...unless some newfound shapeshifting powers were put to good use.
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| Image Info: A photo of a Lotus, which in Buddhism symbolizes purity of mind, heart, and body. Perhaps something a local gardener would bring by the palace... Source: Mythologian.net. Link. |
PDE Ramayana:
- M. Dutt. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20MNDutt
- R. Dutt. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Dutt
- Gould. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Gould
- Griffith. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Griffith
- Hodgson. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Hodgson
- Mackenzie. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Mackenzie
- Nivedita. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Nivedita
- Oman. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Oman
- Richardson. http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20
- Ryder http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Ramayana%3A%20Ryder
Brenna,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great story! It was very well written and followed the story of Sita the Rakshasa great. I think the best part of the story was the beginning when King Janaka found Sita in his back yard and was going tot try to keep it a secret from his wife. This was a great story and I look forward to more stories to come!
Hi Brenna! I loved how they were able to stay together in the end with Sita pretending to be a gardner! It was such a clever story and I loved basically every word. It was such an interesting twist to the story and explained things that had left questions in my mind. I think Sita as a Rakshasa is a wonderful twist!
ReplyDeleteHey Brenna! I am obsessed with your story! I love how you were able to answer some questions and make up a few things that actually made for a smooth yet surprising story. Im curious on who you figure the real parents of Sita are? Maybe you could make up a story describing her real background a little more in depth. Or possibly, even have one of the rekshasa's that was with her in her time of kidnapping be her mother or sister! Keep up the good work, I look forward to reading more of your stories!
ReplyDeleteHey Brenna! I liked how you stuck close to the original, but wanted to end it the way you thought it should have. It had just enough modification to show how you wanted it to go, while retaining the plotline of the original. It shows a strong bond that Sita was willing to live disguised so that they could remain together and not destroy Rama's reputation. Great story!
ReplyDeleteBrenna, i genuinely enjoy reading your stories. As an objective reader, I would have to ask how the rakshashas recognized that Sita was one of thir's and how she realized that she was a rakshasa. Is the only "ah-ha moment" where the readers learn the ironic position that Sita is where she talks about the rakshasas"trying to keep Ravana from unknowingly murdering one of their own"? I am not questioning your choice of words and forming your story, but I am just a little confused. Either way, I love the plot twist of the story and I love how you included things like the gardener's jewelry peaking through to tell your audience things that the characters in the story might ironically be unaware of. Great job girl!
ReplyDeleteHey Brenna,
ReplyDeleteI honestly love reading your stories. I like how our change it up in your own way and that is the reason I like your stories. Its close to the original but then you change it up a little which makes the ending different. You are great at writing stories. I am looking forward to reading more. Keep up the good work.
Hi Brenna, this is a very interesting take on the nature of Sita. I had never considered that perhaps she was a Rakshasa, but rather, I had just assumed that maybe she was going to be under the power of Rama trying to restore peace to the nation. But I really like how you were able to form Sita into a completely different character. This was a great story, and very exciting to read!
ReplyDelete