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| Hanuman and Sita in Ravana's garden Image Source: Flickr |
Hanuman was standing at the edge of the cliff. Across the turbulent grey waters was the vast island where the city of Lanka stood. Hanuman took a few steps back and made the mighty leap across the sea. The wind almost seemed to cradle his feet and prolong the leap until he landed on the rocky shores of Lanka. Once he entered the city limits he could not help but marvel at the beauty of the city and its inhabitants. How could a city ruled by such a ferocious rakshasa be so full of riches and glamour?
Hanuman wandered the city until the found the palace walls. He was sure the lovely Sita was within those walls. He scaled the large wall and found himself in the garden. Being sure to stay out of sight he saw a raven haired maiden sitting under a large willow tree. He face was the epitome of sadness.
Not to startle her he slowly approached her but stayed a safe distance away from her. She looked up at him and said "You can tell Ravana that I am not going to move from this spot. No matter how many servants he sends for me. I cannot sleep or eat while I am away from my dear husband. I refused any sort of nourishment until I am reunited with him once more. Go now! Leave me be."
Hanuman looked at her with sympathy and said "Dear lady, I am not one of Ravana's servants. I was sent here to assure Rama that you are safe within these walls. He will be coming soon to defend your honor. Do not worry any longer. Your beloved is coming for you. Here, this ring was also sent for you so you know my words are true. Do you recognize it?"
Sita looked at the ring Hanuman placed in her open palm and let out a small gasp. Her eyes were filled with emotion and she whispered "This is Rama's ring. You must be telling the truth! How else could you have gotten this? Thank you so much for this small trinket that has filled me with so much hope."
With a small smile and a bow, Hanuman snuck out of the garden and into the city. He had another task at hand. It was time to provoke his capture so he may be brought before the so called mighty Ravana to convey Rama's request for piece. If Ravana agreed to return what wasn't his then no war would come to this city. And if he didn't, then he would regret ever setting his eyes on the bride of Rama.
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Author's Note:
I was struck with the idea for this after reading the comic Rama: Retold From the Ramayana by Amar Chitra Katha. I wanted to focus more on Hanuman's trip into Lanka to make sure Sita was not harmed. It must have been a lovely moment for Sita to have some sort of reassurance in such a dark time. This story does follow the actual plot very closely I just figured it could use more dialogue and detail than the comic provided.
I enjoyed reading your story because it was a nice change. I have not had the chance to read a storytelling post about Hanuman yet. I think that you portrayed their meeting in a really nice and simple way. Like you said in your Author's Note, it must have been refreshing for Sita to have that moment while she was being held by Ravana.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose to focus on Hanuman in this story. I have yet to read a story that focuses on him and this specific meeting. I feel like this portion is often shortened or a bit overlooked, so I really enjoyed getting to read your story! You did such a great job going into further detail of Sita meeting Hanuman during her time with Ravana. Great job!
ReplyDeletewow that was a great story. I liked how you used Hanuman's point of view. I feel like his POV is often disregarded since the story is mainly about SIta and Rama. I liked how you illustrated his thoughts. Coming from his background, I feel like that would be close to what he actually say about the city. I cant wait to read the next one
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