In Which Ravana Marries Rama
After Shurpanakha told her brother, Ravana, of Sita's beauty, he was intrigued. However, he was even more enthralled with his sister's description of Sita's husband, the incomparable Rama.
"I must have him," Ravana declared.
So, Ravana launched a devious plan. He ordered Shurpanakha to disguise herself as Sita and take an enchanted mango with her. This mango, awarded to Ravana for his austerities by Brahma himself, made the person that ate it fall madly in love with the Demon King. Back in the woods, Shurpanakha lured Rama away with whispered promises of yet another celestial weapon, and when he was in a grove deep in the forest, she materialized as Sita.
"Why have you come so deep in the forest, my love? I was merely enjoying a stroll when I came upon the most beautiful mango tree... look at this mango, my dearest. Is it not the fullest and most appetizing fruit that you have ever seen?" asked Shurpanakha-as-Sita.
"My love! You have ventured into the forest without protection! Why have you abandoned the safety of our home?" asked Rama.
"All in the pursuit of sustenance for my husband. Please, Rama, won't you eat this mango?" pleaded Shurpanakha-as-Sita.
*Rama takes mango and eats it*
*Rama is instantly transported to Lanka, where he falls at the feet of his now-beloved Ravana*
*Sita awakes from a long nap back in the forest as the figure of Shurpanakha looms over her*
"Hello Sita," crooned Shurpanakha. "Ravana has taken your husband for himself... if I can't have him, then no woman, especially you, can either!"
Shurpanakha then vanished into the night air, leaving Sita to languish in sorrow.
In Lanka, Rama and Ravana were enjoying their new life together. Bound by the power of Brahma's magic, Rama was smitten with his many-faced King, and Ravana delighted in the beauty of his new lover.
"My dear Ravana, how have I gone all of these years without your gentle embrace and sweet kisses?" Rama mused. "Your abduction of me from the temptress Sita was truly the happiest day of my life."
"Rama, you shall never need to see her wretched face again. We will live together and rule over all of Brahma's creation together. You were created to destroy me, but perhaps, in failing to do so, you will only help to build my vast power," Ravana theorized.
Unfortunately for Sita and the gods themselves, the magic of Brahma's mango could not be undone. Ravana spent his life expanding his kingdom to all the reaches of India, while Rama used the celestial weapons the gods had given him in pursuit of his beloved's plan for world domination. The gods, powerless to stop Ravana as he grew more powerful, left to find another land over which they could rule. Rama had broken the rules of fate on which the power of the gods rested, and with their omniscience shaken, they had little reason to remain in the land of their creation. Ravana was happy, and because of this, so was Rama.
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Rama and Laksmana Attack the Demon Ravana Ramayana – Malwa, 1640 A.D.
Source: Wikipedia |
Author's Note- The original source for this story is the scene in
Saraswati Nagpal's Sita wherein Sita is abducted by Ravana. I wondered what it would be like for Rama to be abducted instead; I mean, if roughly 1/10 people are somehow queer, then statistically one of Ravana's heads has to be as well. I wrote this story because I didn't like the utter lack of queer representation in the Ramayana... there are so many wonderful opportunities for characters to experience same-sex attraction, but yet, there wasn't a single queer character. Instead, the story was largely heteronormative and based on gender roles. In addition, I found a certain irony in allowing Ravana to control Rama with one of the celestial objects that Rama was so impartial to throughout the story. If you've read the rest of my blog, you know that I despise the fact that Rama is basically given whatever he wants/needs in the form of magic weapons. I chose the image that I did because I almost re-imagined it as Rama and Ravana going out for a hunting party or something similar... Ravana is brandishing his weapons and asking Rama to choose which he likes best before they go continue their conquest of India.
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