Week 5 Story: Rama's Ire


Rama looked out across the swollen river from the underneath the overhang. The rain slammed into the ground and drowned out most conversation.  Rama sighed, angry about his inability to act. Sita, his love, sat far in the custody of a detestable rakshasa. Rama closed his eyes and imagined Sita kicking and screaming as she was carried by a crazed demon with ten heads. As he sat, he could feel the rage building within him. His blood pressure increased, and his vision tunneled.  He could bear it no longer, so he stood and paced. He got so worked up, that he walked straight up to a tree and slammed against it.  This shock snapped him out of his rage fueled trance. He realized how fixated on this he had become and decided to meditate. He walked out into the rain and sat down near the edge of the river. He watched the currents, carrying trees, sand, and debris, sweep by him. The confusion and restlessness that Rama felt, was mirrored in the turbulence of the river. He thought back to just one month prior when the river was not near overrunning its banks, and it flowed smoothly and uniformly. He imagined the pristine water untouched by the sand and sediment carried into the river by the rain. Then he thought only of the water with its clear glass-like surface. Then he did not even think of the water. He sat there thinking of nothing. For hours he sat with his mind blank, neither distracted nor focused. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Lakshmana. Happy that his brother had come to see him, Rama stood and embraced his brother. He thought of Sita, but he was no longer consumed with rage. With his mind calm, he focused on how he would defeat Ravana. 


Rama and the Ocean. Source


Author's note: 
While reading the Ramayana, I was often perplexed by the lack of specific description regarding the emotions of Rama. he was often just portrayed as stoic and holy. I wanted to humanize him a little more thoroughly and show how he might have overcome emotions that could have overwhelmed him.

Bibliography
R.K. Narayan. Ramayana. Kindle.  


Comments

  1. Kevin MonrealFebruary 17, 2019 at 4:08 PM

    Hi John,

    I was really impressed by the level of detailed you provided. I agree with you, that the emotions of the protagonist are not explored in great detail. I also like the fact that you also provided great detail as to Rama's surroundings, and how they affect him. It really paints a picture of Rama in you mind.

    Best,
    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  2. NitroDubbzFebruary 22, 2019 at 9:48 AM

    Whoa that was a lot of detail. I think it was cool to get inside of Rama's head for a little while, since the translate Ramayana is a very clinical, A to B type of story. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Simran DemlaMarch 8, 2019 at 12:16 PM

    Hi John,

    Your story was great and you are very correct. A lot of holy incarnations are not thought of to have a lot of emotion. They have already achieved moksha and are as calm and pristine as anything else. I like how you humanized Rama because he was in fact a human in his story. Vishnu did not remember his Godly self as a human. Rama also made many humanly mistakes that prove he was human. So I appreciate your story in that it gives him more of those qualities. Rama is always portrayed as calm and unangered. Here you show a side of him that does exist but is not shown. This was a great story and so detailed!

    ReplyDelete
  4. RACH1224March 9, 2019 at 11:06 PM

    HI John,
    Wow, I was really blown away by your story. I liked the amount of detail that you packed into your story. In Narayan’s version of the Ramayana, we get a small glimpse into the agony and guilt that Rama faces due to the abduction of Sita. I liked how you displayed Rama’s rage and vulnerability in your story as we don’t really get to see that side of Rama in the Ramayana. Overall, I enjoyed reading your story.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlexMarch 10, 2019 at 3:15 PM

    This is an interesting bit of insight into the Ramayana. Its nice to see Rama show a range of emotion, from rage at Ravana to love for his brother. I too like to see him shown as a bit more human. This was also an interesting description of meditation. My only complaint is that it is a bit short. It left me wanting for a bit more.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Victoria QuickApril 1, 2019 at 12:57 PM

    Hi John! I love how you wrote your story about Rama's feelings. You are right about how the Ramayana doesn't go into details with the characters emotions, so I'm glas you went in and wrote about Rama's emotions. Rama as a character is strong and powerful, so emotion and compassion isn't something he does often. It was a nice change of pace! Good job on your story!

    ReplyDelete

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