Story Week 4: Sita's Test
Image Credit. Shri Rama and Maa Sita. Source: hindufaqs.com.
Sita was finally at peace. Rama had finally come to her rescue and he was crowned King. Sita had rejoiced at seeing the crown, that had been stolen from him so long ago, finally on his head. It was a beautiful morning. She was lounging on a sofa in one of the castles tall towers which had a huge window and overlooked the garden. Tylindi, her head maid, had gone to get some mango for her to snack on. When she heard the door open she thought it was Tylindi, but, to her surprise, looked up to see her handsome husband Rama."Rama, my love, what are you doing here?", inquired Sita. He looked very troubled and Sita could tell that whatever he said next would not be good. "Oh, Sita, some of my advisors question the time that you were in Ravana's custody. They want me to send you away and find another queen who cannot be questioned". At this Sita fell to the floor in shock. How could the advisors want this? It was madness! She was not to be questioned and nor would she stand to be. "Take me before them", she demanded of Rama, "and they shall not question me anymore".
Rama was quiet as they walked to the room where the advisors met. He could not believe that Sita demanded to see them so adamantly. He kept his many questions to himself as he thought about what exactly she was going to say. Sita stood before the advisors calm and strong. "Wise advisors, while I do think that your request to send me away is unnecessary and spiteful I stand here ready to prove myself to you". The advisors carefully eyed each other wondering exactly what Sita was about to do.
Sita waved her hands in a manner full of pageantry and then the air beside her was filled with thick gray smoke. Hanuman appeared and the advisors and Rama gasped at the power of Sita. "Thank you for coming dear Hanuman", said Sita. "Of course Sita", he said and then turned to the advisors. "Your Queen has called me here so that you may know that she is innocent and is the rightful Queen". Hanuman then called upon all his power and showed the advisors all of the time he had seen Sita while she was captured by Ravana. Sita also showed the advisors her memories through Hanuman. The advisors were able to see that Sita's strength and love for Rama that kept Ravana at bay. "Now you see that I am the rightful Queen and that there is no reason for questioning me", said Sita full of authority. Rama looked at his Queen with regret in his eyes and Sita knew that she would never withstand questioning from Rama or the advisors again.
Author's Note:
I developed this story based off the test of fire that Sita had to endure to prove that she was innocent in the Ramayana. However, I changed it because I did not like the fire test. I also wanted Hanuman to have a part in this story and to be on Sita's side. I hated that Rama put her through this after she had been in captivity for so long. It did, however, make the story more interesting so that's why I decided to rewrite it here.
Source: Sita Tested. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914). [800 words].
Hey Hannah! I'm really glad to see that you're enrolled in Indian Epics! I took the class a few semesters ago and enjoyed it so much that I am now in Prof. Gibbs Myth and Folklore class. As you might remember, I am a religious studies major and so I really love to see people like you show interest in classes like this. I really liked your interpretation of the story, because I remember not being so fond of the fire trial either. I wonder how the original story would have changed if it was written like this in the first place. Perhaps the questioning accusations of Rama would change entirely. What if Hanuman played a bigger role in talking to Rama before his accusations? It makes me wonder how the ending of Sita and Rama would have changed if he would have stepped in a little more. I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future, and if you ever need any help/advice just let me know!
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ReplyDeleteI loved your interpretation of the fire trial. The original was definitely not my favorite thing, I’m glad to see you changed it up! Your portrayal of Sita was great too. She came off very strong and composed, like a true queen. Sita had it rough in the original, it’s nice to see she’s getting some love in a few of the stories here! I’m excited read more from you!
I loved your retelling of this story! I too was a little shocked when Sita was put through the ringer so to speak to prove herself. I believe this was to be sure she was still worthy of being queen and hadn’t succumbed to the magic of Ravana. I liked how you changed the test from fire and how Sita seem so powerful in this story. She is very authoritative and proves herself worthy of being queen by her strength. It also made Rama look weak and pitiful how he could question her so. I like how you portrayed him in this! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHey Hannah! I enjoyed your retelling of the fire trial. I also thought it was wild that Rama was willing to force Sita into the fire to prove that she was loyal. I know the original story had said that Rama was sure that Sita had not cheated on him, but I still thought it was not right to force her into a fire. I enjoyed how you retold the story using the power of Hanuman, and that Rama and his advisors would not question her again.
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