Like every Indian daughter, I had my 'Ramanyana narration' nights. My mother used to say:
" Sushmita, this story is of sacrifice , courage, obedience and selflessness. "
At that time I was fascinated by the selfless characters. But as I travelled more and walked more roads of life I realised that some parts are unacceptable to me.
Firstly Mr. Dashrata. He is straight from the bollywood masala flicks.Yes when someone saves your life you do feel that you have to pay him back. Thats human. But he's so emotional that he gave Kaikeyi some boons! Ok he gave them.
Now Mrs. Kaikeyi asks him to send his beloved son to exile.
Ok she was cunning. But why blame her. Mr. Dashratha could have said no.I really don't understand this.
And Mr.Rama. Agreed that you should listen to your parents. But every individual has a right to live the way he wants. When this right is raped you can't just sit. Fourteen years exile is not a joke.
Here I'm not saying that Ram should have fought for the kingdom.
He could have left the kingdom and lived somewhere else,the way he wanted.
And Mr.Ram is not a very good husband. He asked Sita to leave Ayodhya because of 'society pressures.'
That's a shame. How can you send away your wife just because some people said something?
He is concerned about others opinions about him and Sita.His actions are not at all heroic.
And Mrs. Sita. You could have been more independent.Your life shouldn't just revolve around your husband.I would've divorced him.
12 comments:
Well, Mr AB Vajpayee,ex-PM of India, and me also, are of the same opinion as your good self on the matter of sending {mrs} sita to vanvas under the 'societal pressure'. Wat was the logic like?!?--the king [rama] will follow the subjects' ways of thinking and set no standards of his own?!..even with all the virtuous character imbibed in him.
Scholars believe there is some aberration at this point in Valmiki's Ramayan from maharshi Vashisht's ramayan. Valmiki wrote the then popular version around 17th century, at the Ghats of Chitrakut, and at the famous Sanket mochan Temple of Varanasi.
@Mannu
Thanks for that information.
Compared to the Ramayana, The Mahabharata is full of deceit, dishonour, bad decisions from the side of the heroes (They put on stake their own wife in Gambling!!). But When you look at the book as a novel rather than a guiding force in life, you'll appreciate the novel. It doesn't glorify the heroes, doesn't emphasize the villainy of the villains. But yet, in a subtle way, it glorifies the victory of good over evil. (even though the "good" was evil in itself)
Now, with the Ramayana, I think If you look at it from a perspective treating it as a piece of art, you'll see that all characters are human. They make mistakes.
I believe that Mr. Valmiki didnt want his Hero to be glorified as a God as he is today. He didnt want Ram's qualities to be considered Ideal for people to follow. Yes, he has a lot of good qualities, but he has bad ones too, and that makes him a good character.
Mr. Valmiki would be shocked at they way his creation is being used today to motivate people to commit crimes against each other (Godhra).
Ramayana is a story of Arians winning and driving the indians[local inhabitants] out, and Mahabharata is a story of Bramhins overpowering over other casts.
More later.
Mannu,
are you sure you are speaking about Valmiki and not Tulsi das?
@Sushmita
Congratulations for having your Disillusionments defined regarding an anti- human epic called Ramayan.
It hails rejection of human values, self worth, killing the human excellence and suffocating social expectations.
You sure are growing the right way.
Good blog once again.
@Mannu - U r talking of Tulsidaas.
@Sushmita - Hehehe...poor Valmiki! Sita doesnt divorce Ram, but she does pack some spunk - she returns to where she belonged rather than let him see her a second time....lol!
sorry buddies..accepted it is Tulsidas i intended..valmiki is orignal and tulsi is the re-write.!
most otherreferences remain same.
inconveniences regretted!
Why Ramayana was written?
It is seen in history, that The victors are hailed by epic tales. And Ramayana is another such tale where, the philosophy, the social structure, the people of the victorious clan are hailed.
Ramayan is centered on two main characters.
Rama and Ravana.
Seeta is the cause of this story.
Ravana, essentially is a talented character, an Arya, though he denounced that identity of his. The portrayal of this character shown that how an able man can destroy himself.
Ravana was Almighty, the highest power that a man can have was held by him.
Rama was the God, and that is as much you can say about him.
Ravana was destined to die in Rama's hand. And nothing except destiny could kill Rama.
Ramayana not necessarily puts good values in front of bad values.
It just classifies values, and says, justice is by the wish of God.
Kaikeyi was not a bad mother, she was a good wife. She was the best wife of King Dasaratha, and she wanted take revenge of her husband's humiliation in the hands of Ravana. Kaikeyi loved Rama more than anybody, and it was she who understood Rama's powers. The rest of the sons of Dasaratha was no good, and as such she chose Rama to take revenge against Ravana, to uphold the lost pride. She even sacrificed her husband's life for upholding his pride.
Dasaratha was an able warrior, and yet an impotent man, both biologically, and in character. He could not understand Kaikeyee's plan, nor could uphold his own choice. He died as a lame man, and that is the death he deserved.
Seeta, the goddess, the daughter of mother earth, was a righteous lady. She was the bait offered to break Ravana's strength. Ravana was torn inside his mind for kidnapping Seeta, and his brother left him for doing it.
Seeta was the weapon of Aryan's again the might of Ravana. And she played this part, for she loved Rama.
Rama knew that he was the hero. So whatever he did was always heroic. He married Seeta by breaking the Haradhanu and not by loving her.
He dumped Seeta on his people's wishes. He never loved, and yet he made her pregnant.
All he deserved was the Golden Statue of Seeta, that he used in His Yagna..
Rama was a weak man, a greedy man, who was looking for heroics. He never wanted the life of man, and all through out his actions stink of godliness. And his Godliness was self-doubting and as such Seeta has to pass through Fire three times, and devotion of Hanuman is questioned. rama was always feeling his way.
In short, Ramayana is a book that you would like to read to know how an impotent man is made the hero, how a savage is destroyed, how a woman must be tortured, how you must not judge your mom and dad.
It is a book that you must read to know how this society works. And then,. you separate yourself from society.
I would like a blog on Mahabharata, which is a better book, which must be read.
ramayana is for idiots, and it is fabricating and spoon-feeding at their extreme.
I just cannot agree with you!
According to me, Kaikeyee was a damn objectivistic lady. She is my symbol of excellence.
First of all, Money cannot be important that much that reasons are. And King Dashrath and Kaikeyee were defeated and disgraced by Ravana, while Ravana was exploiting a great part of Kaikeyee's own made empire. So she had a primary objective to safegaurd her and her own people's rights. It was not only her righteous motive, but responsible duty too.
While King Dashrath was engaged in emotional unreasonable attraction towards his child (Rama) Kaikeyee was reading and watching all of her four kids progress right from the times when She managed Rishi Agaustya to let rama help him complete his research which was being disturbed by Tadaka and Marichi.
So Kaikeyee was since always knowing that if rama ill work hard, he will gain enough power to safegaurd the people of her own empire against the crimes of the dictator Ravana.
Second most important thing is, In Valmiki ramayana, King ram after killing ravana came back to Ayodhya and there was FIRE TEST for SITA. and then they lived happily ever after. In Valmiki ramayana there is no Uttarakhand and Sita was never sent to jungle by king ram
rolf
crazy post.... i rate it 10/10
reminds me of my favorite flick 'jaane bhi do yaaron'.
FYI... the RSS folks are looking out for you!
in my opinion a lifelong exile to kenya would be a good option ;)
world wud be so different if we were someone else and the very person we think is the most incorrect in makin decisions
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