“Come away with me; be my queen over all of my wives.”
“Queen?” Sita could not help but show at least a fraction of her interest seeping into her voice.
Ravana heard that little fraction. “Yes, my love. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. You deserve nothing less than to be the queen over all my queens, wife to the Great Lord Ravana. Come away with me.”
“But I cannot leave Rama; what would he do without me?”
“Did Rama consider you when he chose to go away to the forest, even after his brother begged him to return? Did he consider taking his brother’s offer for the sake of his beautiful wife?”
And with these words, Sita was convinced. Flying on a chariot, Sita and Ravana rushed off to Lanka, Ravana’s island. Rama and Lakshmana soon returned to their home, having realized the golden deer was a trap. When they found Sita gone, Rama promptly killed his brother, whom Rama believed had failed to protect his wife. Rama remained secluded in the forest, continuing his exile while mourning Sita—whom he presumed to be dead. However, months passed and eventually word got round that Sita was residing happily in Ravana’s palace, presiding over all the other fair queens. At this news, Rama decided his life was no longer worth living. He could not imagine living the remainder of his life in shame, unfit to be king due to his own wife leaving him so cruelly. Rama performed his funeral rights and killed himself, leaving a note of his wish for his brother, Bharata, to continue to rule in his place.
“Did Rama consider you when he chose to go away to the forest, even after his brother begged him to return? Did he consider taking his brother’s offer for the sake of his beautiful wife?”
And with these words, Sita was convinced. Flying on a chariot, Sita and Ravana rushed off to Lanka, Ravana’s island. Rama and Lakshmana soon returned to their home, having realized the golden deer was a trap. When they found Sita gone, Rama promptly killed his brother, whom Rama believed had failed to protect his wife. Rama remained secluded in the forest, continuing his exile while mourning Sita—whom he presumed to be dead. However, months passed and eventually word got round that Sita was residing happily in Ravana’s palace, presiding over all the other fair queens. At this news, Rama decided his life was no longer worth living. He could not imagine living the remainder of his life in shame, unfit to be king due to his own wife leaving him so cruelly. Rama performed his funeral rights and killed himself, leaving a note of his wish for his brother, Bharata, to continue to rule in his place.
Sita, who had been at Ravana’s palace for nearly a year now, was lounging among the many wives and concubines of Ravana one day. The sun was shining beautifully, the servants brought her fresh fruit, wine, and any luxury she could possibly desire. She wore only the finest silks, or nothing at all—that silly Rama had always forced her to cover herself and “look decent.” Ravana appreciated Sita’s beauty and did not mind her sharing it with the world. Sita could wear anything she liked. On this day, however, Sita caught wind of some discomforting news. Apparently her previous husband, Rama, had eventually realized he had been abandoned, not widowed, and committed suicide. Though dismayed to hear such news, she was also a bit relieved. She had always worried Rama’s silly pride would one day lead to him storming the palace and forcefully taking back his former wife. He could be such a stubborn man. Now it seemed, Sita could truly live in peace, no more forest-dwelling for her…
Author’s Note: Obviously I changed this story quite a bit. I completely altered the portrayal of Sita’s character and chose to let her go with Ravana willingly. In the original, Sita went along with Ravana forcibly. That was an important point in the story, because the audience only viewed Sita as innocent and loyal due to her unwillingness. It also provides the unbreakable motivation of Rama, who feels obligated to protect his wife, in the original. In my version, Sita is very different. Her perspective on the events and other characters is very harsh and cold. She resents Rama for putting her in the position to either live away from her husband or be confined to the forest—neither of which is an ideal position. She blamed Rama for that and because she held on to that resentment, she felt no remorse when her ex-husband killed himself due to her actions. I wanted to do this in order to illustrate how different the story would have been had Sita changed. Her change in character managed to make Rama look weak—clingy even—because such a high level of love and affection is no longer being returned, changing the perception of his love for Sita from endearing to desperate. I chose the image below because it is a picture of a harem, and one woman in particular happens to be partially nude. This is similar to the end of my story, when Sita is with the other wives and Sita is more exposed than the others. Although it depicts a harem in Arab lands, it still fit my topic quite well. I also really liked the attitude and mood conveyed in this image. It feels relaxed and slightly sensual, which is how I imagined Sita’s final scene to be as well.
(Image from Wikimedia)
Bibliography:
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
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