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.
20 comments:
I agree. It's really hard to fathom what it was like for a newly married girl to be kidnapped and put where she starved herself. But it is very commendable how she maintained the faith that her husband would soon come and take her away from the hell she living.
I know what you mean about gender normative values. The ending of the Ramayana is particularly frustrating, but I do think that these values were an extremely important part of Indian culture, and to a certain extent remain today. I think it's important to respect theses stories and the values they teach even when we might not agree with everything. However, I did really enjoy your fun twist on the story. It made me think about how different our culture is from theirs.
I think this was a really clever twist on the original story. I'd like to hear more about how Rama went about his world conquest and, if it ever happened, how that spell was eventually broken. In addition, I'd like to hear more about Rama and Ravana's family life. Their wedding would be interesting.
If you're going to create sequels to this story or you want to expand this into something much longer, I would suggest teasing the solution. Perhaps there could be some magical means by which Rama would be made to stop loving Ravana. You could make some minor punctuation fixes, such as adding commas between the last word of a quote and the ending quotation mark. Overall, I think you had a strong story. Adding additional details to the story, such as character backgrounds or elaborating on certain events, would give a more complex story, but this story stands on its own.
This a very interesting modern twist on a very old piece. It's probably unnecessary to try to establish modern gender normative values onto an older piece because it somewhat violates the historical aspects of it, but it still makes for an interesting story idea and you've done a very good job with it. Overall it was a pretty fun read and it's pretty well done. It could use a quick editors eye as it has a few typographical errors but those are easy to fix.
I'm not sure what your future plans are for the piece but you could certainly expand on it and perhaps even create sequels for it, maintaining this new stylistic approach you've taken with the source material. It could make for a very interesting portfolio collection if you maintain this kind of idea/style throughout.
Overall you've done a really good job with this. I enjoyed reading it! Good luck with any and all future revisions!
I love the twist that you out on this tale. Usually you hear about kings such as Ravana kidnapping a women or having a battle over some women. You do not hear about men getting kidnapped by other men that want them, so I really enjoyed reading something so refreshing. I think that if you added more details or went more into depth with this concept it could be a great idea. You could write more about their life together or even the life of sita without her husband or even lakshmana's with his brother. You could even focus on Shurpanakha's life once she see's her brother with the love of her life. There are so many different twists that you can add based on this story to the lives of the other character. I look forward to reading more of your stories, and seeing where you have taken them after this.
I think that the queer role that you implemented was very interesting. It gave the story of the Ramayana a very modern twist which was fun to read. As I was reading, the line "I must have him" spoken by Ravana was very intriguing. It is very powerful that you still kept Ravana a jerk thinking that he can do whatever he pleases. I wonder what would happen if somehow Sita and Rama's love could prevail over Ravana's grasp that he has on Rama. It would have been fun to read what Rama and Ravana do with one another now that they have the whole world to themselves. Do they travel? Just hang out with each other? Do they have any incredible love-struck adventures with one another? Does Ravana ever lose interest in Rama? Overall, this was a very interesting change from the original story and it was very fun to read!
I really enjoying reading your story. I loved the modern twist that you did with the characters and story. The kidnapping scene was very intriguing to me and something that I enjoyed reading. I would like to see more details and more depth with this part of the story and other parts as well. More specific details never hurt, especially when telling a story that changes scenes so often. You could also add minor punctuation changes to your story that come from just reading over your story again. I think that you have several options for creating sequels that still keep this story or this specific approach to telling the story.
Overall I think you have done a great job with this story and I definitely enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading more of your stories and good luck with your revisions!
This story had a huge twist in plot. This made the story very unique and a great read. I enjoyed this story because it had Ravana interested in Rama instead of Sita. Even though it seemed slightly wrong to read this story, I am glad you chose this route.
There was great transition from paragraph to paragraph, and minimal grammatical error. The dialogue used made the story come to life, and the characters seem more passionate with their words. I found the ending a bit confusing and thrown in, but after a few more read, it seemed otherwise.
I didn’t realize that all of the stories we had read so far, as you have pointed out, are all “boy-girl” pairs. The fact that you changed the plot to point this out was brilliant. I didn’t think it was too much. Also the fact that evil in your story is greater than good also added to the greatness of the story.
I loved this! You were able to use this huge plot twist and still stick to the main parts of the story. That can be hard to do. You're very right, the entire epic was based on heterosexual relationships and I can honestly say, until now, I didn't notice. I guess since this epic is so old, it most likely wasn't common to write stories of homosexual couples. You did a wonderful job of modernizing this story. I personally would have never thought to alter the story in this way but I am glad that you did. It is always cool to be able to see a story from a completely different perspective than what it was written. I also feel that when you take a story and make it your own it really stick with you and you're able to recall that story a lot easier! Well done, I am very impressed!
This was a very interesting story! You definitely took a twist much different than any of the other stories I have read. Most of the other stories elaborate on a certain scene, but I love that you chose to have Rama captured instead of Sita. I definitely didn’t see this coming! I also thought it was interesting that it was irreversible and that Rama would never return to Sita. I think it would be interesting to hear more from Sita. After Shurpanakha vanishes, we never hear Sita’s reaction. I think that there is room for some more creativity here! Perhaps Shurpanakha could show her Rama and Ravana together in love. This would be heartbreaking for Sita and it would be interesting to see how she would react. You could even have Sitar try to save Rama, and him just be repulsed by her and choose Ravana.
These are just some suggestions if you decide to add anything more. I think you did a great job! This was very creative.
I have read and commented on this story before, but I will go into more detail for your project feedback. I do still really like the idea. Your dialogue is captivating, especially between Rama and Soorpanaka-as-Sita. However, your narrative could use more detail in the middle section. Currently, Rama's eating the apple and falling in love with Ravana sound more like stage directions than prose. It would be really neat to read a detailed description of how Rama becomes overwhelmed with a sudden longing for Ravana, so much that he is compelled to leave Sita and travel all the way to Lanka. This might also help build up to the ending so that it won't feel so rushed. That being said, I do also love the way your story ends. With the idea of karma being disproved, it would be very difficult for life to go on as normal in this world of epics.
Hello Jake,
This was a very interesting take on Saraswati Nagpal’s Sita. I was very curious as to why you chose to take the story in that direction. I think making it a same-sex type story distracted from the story in a way. The story could have been written in a bit clearer fashion. I found this story quite hard to follow and comprehend. I would have also liked to have seen the story written in more traditional format apposed to the quotes you chose to utilize. I find that using this method can make a story difficult to understand. I also think that if you would have provided more clarity as to why this mango was so special. Did the Demon King do this to the mango? Why was Rama so easily lured away for a celestial weapon? Overall this was a pretty good story and I enjoyed reading it! I look forward to reading more of your writings later in the semester.
Hi Jake! I found that I enjoyed this story quite immensely. I agree with Jake I was wondering the same thing, why you chose to go in this specific direction. I found myself getting a bit lost and confused in the story though. It seemed a bit difficult to keep track of what was going on. I feel like the ending seemed a bit rushed as well, perhaps more of a buildup was needed? I did find the story very interesting as well as unique. I have never read any story like this one. Otherwise, I found it to be a good story and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future. Good luck for the semester!
Hey Jake! I've never heard the original story told in this way! I think you did a really great job with the concept of this story. I like that you made Ravana interested in Rama instead of Sita because I personally had never thought of telling it this way, so your story really interested me. I agree with you that the original stories stick so close to hardcore traditional gender roles, and that annoyed me too.
Overall, the way you wrote it was wonderfully done! Your transitions between paragraphs were smooth and the way you developed the characters was interesting. I would've liked to know more as to why Shurpanakha agreed to help her brother if she was also in love with Rama. I'm also curious as to how Sita's life continued on. The story seemed to end abruptly, but that might've been just because I wanted to know more.
Other than that, I think you did a really great job with this story! I can't wait to read more!
Hey Jake! I really loved this story from your portfolio because it's true that classical epics have little to no mention of same-sex attraction, despite the fact that it's a definite possibility. I think that you might have been able to flesh this one out a bit more as far as what about Rama Ravana is particularly attracted to, or even just why he wants him; and what if the effects of the mango wear off and Rama still chooses to be with Ravana? Is it not possible for him to realize that he might also feel the same way? Also, I like the little story you suggested in the author's note about Ravana asking Rama's opinions on what weapons to use before they go out with a hunting party; it's so cute, haha.
“…if roughly 1/10 people are somehow queer, then statistically one of Ravana's heads has to be as well.”
Brilliant. I think that holds up in Story Court. I love the twist you chose to put on this story, as well as the simple way you chose to announce it: ‘“I must have him,’ Ravana declared.” No buildup or big explanation needed, because we get it. I also how you use the mango—enchanted fruit is a classic—and play upon Rama’s bellicose obsession with weaponry. The part just as Rama eats the mango, though—is there a reason it’s set in *action asterisks*? Your normal third-person narration is great, and I feel like this might break it unnecessarily.
I’m also curious about the resolution…I feel like there are so many interesting things to go into! Obviously, this is the biggest change to the story. What is it that enabled Rama to break his in-born destiny? (After all, he is an avatar of Vishnu.) Maybe Brahma’s enchanted fruit just had an overriding power, or maybe the meaning of Rama’s destiny somehow changed. Does Rama become evil too, or does his own nature somehow change the nature of the kingdom that he and Ravana create?
Thanks for the story!
I came to your portfolio because the title of Ravana marring Rama caught my eye very quickly and I absolutely needed to know what on earth it was all about. After reading your story I was very glad I did! The idea behind it was so very simple but still also unique. I found it quite humorous that Ravan wanted Rama instead of Sita. I didn't understand the part of your story where you explain what is happening with asterisks. I mean, I understand what is happening, Rama eats the mango and stuff, I guess I just don't understand the stylistic choice of it. It does make the story even more unique because I haven't seen anyone else use that before. If that is the style you're trying to get at then keep at it! I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future! Keep up the good work!
I enjoyed this unique twist a lot so thank you for writing an interesting story! I enjoyed the twist and the characters and the plot but if the readers did not read this story prior then they don’t have much knowledge of who the characters are and why these changes of events are such a big deal. There was also a few times I had to re-read part of the writing to make sure I understand it before I moved on. I really liked how you mentioned that same sex marriage is a big thing going on right now and you writing about it shows you car. I haven’t heard something this unique in this class and I really enjoyed it. If you fix maybe some character background and just making sure everything looks clear and is explained fully than I think you will have a great piece that the readers will really enjoy.
Your portfolio is awesome! Your creativity is definitely on display here. This story was definitely my favorite. I agree that there should be more queer representation, but had never thought about it until I read your story. I probably would not have had Rama and Ravana fall in love just because Ravana was my least favorite character but event the king of rakshasas deserves love. It would have been interesting to see if Ravana still had other wives or husbands while being madly in love with Rama. The mango is genius... but would Rama have really eaten so quickly I'm not so sure! What if Sita then fell in love with Shurpanaka? Also, doubtful but another interesting twist to the story of the Ramayana. Sita loses the love of her life once again... I feel like she should be given more credit. I'm sure that she's a great woman, but Rama keeps on leaving her!
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