Week 4 Storytelling: Ravana's Plea

Dear Indrajit,

I have been under siege in Lanka for weeks now. Rama has come to Lanka in order to destroy me. There has been talk that the gods have sent this mortal, Rama, to destroy me because they do not possess the power to do so themselves. I am beginning to fear for my life my dear son. Rama has brought many forces and the tide of this great war is surely turning in his favor. I am not sure how much longer we can hold out, so I implore you to come to Lanka as quickly as you can to stave off this attack. Your prowess as a warrior and leader is much need in these dire times.

Sincerely, Ravana



Dear Father,

I have heard rumors that you stole Rama's wife, Sita, and are holding her captive in Lanka. Rama is just in his quest for retribution. A prince-warrior such as myself should not become entangled in matters such as these. This is a situation you have brought on yourself.

Sincerely, Indrajit



Dear Indrajit,

The rumors are true that I took Sita from Rama. I only did this because she is the fairest woman I have ever laid eyes on and she deserves to be with a king as great as I. If you do not come to Lanka and assist in this war, there will no longer be a Lanka to recognize your divine claim as a prince. I have seen you challenge gods on much weaker grounds. Why will you not help your own flesh and blood in his time of need?

Sincerely, Ravana



Dear Father,

My answer remains the same. I cannot be entangled in the matters of another's tarnished honor. You must find a way to make do with your forces at hand.

Sincerely, Indrajit



Dear Indrajit,

If you promise to come to my aid, I will step down as king of Lanka and relinquish my throne to you. There is no hope now left for Lanka besides the power that you posses. I hope you see this is truly how dire the war has become.

Sincerely, Ravana



Dear Father,

If your words are true then your plea for aid will be recognized and I will leave at once for Lanka. I only ask that it be me to challenge this legendary Rama in combat. It has been so long since I have had a challenge!

Sincerely, Indrajit

Image Source: Indrajit talking with Ravana (Left)

Sita in Lanka's gardens (Right)

Author's Note:

I chose to write in a series of letters this week. I have never used this style before so I thought I would give it a try. This story comes from the story of Ravana's Court in the PDE Ramayana. In this story Ravana's court tries to persuade him to give back Sita in order to stop the war with Rama and Sugriva. I thought it would be fun to have Ravana have a secret correspondence with his son, Indrajit. I found Indrajit to be a fascinating character because he was said to have beaten a few gods in his battles. I wanted to make Indrajit a sort of noble warrior that would not stop Rama in his just cause of retrieving Sita. I then showed Indrajit's rakshasa side by having him change his mind once he was offered power over Lanka.  

Bibliography:

Ravana's Court from Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India, condensed into English verse by Romesh Dutt (1899)

PDE Ramayana

Week 4 Reading Diary: Nine Ideal Indian Women

For this week's reading assignment I chose to read Nine Ideal Indian Women by Maharanee Sunity Devee. I read Sita's story and it seemed like it was exactly the same as the PDE Ramayana. The only difference in Devee's version was that the battles were rushed through and not explained very well at all.

Since I have chosen to make my storybook about Indra it was hard to find many interesting parts in this story because there was no reference to Indra in this portion.

I still cannot get over how bad Sita is treated in the end. She had to prove her honor was intact twice and the final time was just too much for her to bear. I was interested in the part where Sita was taken into the a cavern by Mother Earth, never to return. I think it could make a good story to have Sita be saved by Rama and then live together raising their sons.

I was also interested in the life that Sita lives when she is exiled. Maybe a story could be made to expand on what Sita, her sons and Valmiki did for the many years they were living in the forest. They could even have their own adventures.

Image Source: Sita and her sons saying farewell to Valmiki