Tellings and Re-Tellings of the Ramayana

 

This was my very first introduction to the Ramayana, from a movie that has been one of my favorites since I was about 6 years old: “A Little Princess.” This is the opening of the movie, and watching it now as an adult, I realize that this exact moment, as Sarah climbs up the Buddha statue, re-telling the epic tale of Rama and Sita, with an elephant playing in the lake behind her, may be THE reason why I am so drawn to live in this part of the world.

 

Since watching this for the first time, I’ve now heard, read, and sang hundreds of re-tellings of this story. My favorite mantras are to Hanuman, the monkey-faced God, who helped rescue Sita from the evil demon Ravana, and whom many scholars consider to be the most Jesus-like figure in Hindu mythology. In my travels, I’ve come across this story time and time again.

 

It’s the story carved into the walls of the ruins at Angkor Wat in Cambodia:

 

 

It’s the story performed during the Balinese kecak dance:

 

 

In hatha yoga, it’s a story that inspired the names of many of our asana; specifically, the poses named after Hanuman:

 

Anjaneyasana (Anjaneya means “son of Anjana,” and Anjana was Hanuman’s mother)

 

And of course, Hanumanasana.

 

The Ramayana tells how Hanuman took a massive leap across the ocean from India to Lanka to find the kidnapped Sita, and our front splits pose represents this leap.

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The original (Valmiki) Ramayana is believed to have been written between 1,800 and 2,500 years ago, and it is one of the foundational scriptures in the Hindu religion. I bring this all up because, after years of fawning over many, many different versions of this same story, I recently read a translation of the original Ramayana, and I found myself on a roller-coaster, fluctuating between awe and–to be honest–disappointment. And there are a few reasons for that.

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RAMAYANA CONCERN #1: Some of my favorite stories about Hanuman are missing from the original Ramayana.

One example is a story that supposedly inspired the above low-lunging pose, anjaneyasana, and is depicted in many pieces of Hanuman art all around India. The story has it that, after Sita was saved and returned safely home, Rama and Sita wanted to offer Hanuman thanks for all of his help in the battle. So they formally presented him with jewels and pearls, but instead of accepting the gifts of thanks, Hanuman began chewing on them instead (he is a monkey, afterall). When asked what he was doing, he responded by saying that he was searching for Rama and Sita in the pearls, because without their presence, they were valueless. Those who witnessed this mocked him and said, “well, what about your own heart then? Is it valueless without their presence?” So Hanuman knelt before them (anjaneyasana) and opened his chest to show them his heart: in some tellings, their names, “Rama and Sita” appear on his heart, and in others, their images.

 

Another example of a “missing story” tells of one of Rama’s first meetings with Hanuman. Some versions tell it like this:

 

“Lord Ram gave Hanuman a quizzical look and said, “What are you, a monkey or a man?” Hanuman bowed his head reverently, folded his hands and said, “When I do not know who I am, I serve You and when I do know who I am, You and I are One.”

 

Baba Ram Dass, from his guru Maharajiji tells it in more detail: “When Rama asks Hanuman, “How do you look upon me?” the great monkey gives a three-part answer, “When I believe I am the body, then I am your faithful servant. When I know I am the soul, I know myself to be a spark of your eternal Light. And when I have the vision of truth, you and I, my Lord, are one and the same.”

 

When I realized these stories were not from the original source, I looked into their origin and found something kind of amazing. Later saints and poets, channeling the gods, brought forth their own versions of the Ramayana, providing greater detail and insights into the deities and the stories. The above two stories are found in the Vaishnava saint Tulsidas’ versions of the Ramayana, which is accepted by many Bhakti yogis as part of the canon.

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RAMAYANA CONCERN #2: War, war, and more war: the “manly” tale.

Spoiler alert: nearly half of the original Ramayana is a long-winded description of the war between dharma and adharma–Rama and his vanara (monkey) army, versus Ravana the evil demon and his rakshasas (demons). Every minor battle, “who fought who,” when, and what weapons were used… blow-by-blow, the description of the war rages on, for nearly half of the 24,000 verse story.

 

Whenever we think about ancient texts, it’s important to remember the time and culture of their origin. The patriarchy is real, y’all. The original Ramayana is SO MASCULINE in the way it’s told. But what’s amazing is that this story grows and flourishes with all its re-tellings, and women in India have been passing the story on to their sisters and daughters in uncountable amazing ways that focus more on the love, the loyalty, and the kindness of our dear queen, Sita, rather than on the violence of war. (I love this article on the topic).

 

Even the above video from “A Little Princess” has a different take from the original. In the original, the deer is not wounded, but is instead a mythical golden and beautiful creature, and Sita wants this rare animal for herself. Rama’s brother, Lakshmana, is there to serve as protector of Rama and Sita, so when Rama goes out to fetch the golden deer for his beloved Sita, Lakshmana stays behind to protect her. When they later hear the cry of pain that sounds like Rama, Sita urges Lakshmana to go and save him. Before he leaves, Lakshmana draws the circle of protection around Sita and their ashram in the woods to protect her, but when the demon Ravana (disguised as a beggar man) asks to enter, she lets him in.

 

The “Little Princess” version is itself a more feminist re-telling of that story: in the video above, the kind-hearted Sita beseeches Rama to go help a wounded deer, and he leaves her behind in a circle of his protection. When she hears Rama cry out for help, she leaves the circle herself to try to save him, only stopping to help a poor stranger. She is depicted as far more courageous, selfless, and kind in this modern, western, children’s depiction.

 

Which brings me to my last concern.

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RAMAYANA CONCERN #3: Queen Sita, and Rama’s treatment of her.

Rama’s treatment of Sita at the end of the original Ramayana is nothing short of appalling. The entire story tells the tale of their pure and beautiful love, of Sita’s devotion to Rama and her zero-hesitation decision to follow him into the forest in his exile; it tells of Rama’s despair and pain when Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, how he can hardly eat or sleep until she is found, and of Sita’s undying faithfulness to her husband–the only woman in the world who could resist Ravana’s charms and stay chaste. Rama fights an epic, world-shaking war for this love.

 

And despite it all (again, spoiler alert), after Sita is saved and the two are living in bliss once again, Rama BANISHES SITA TO THE FOREST based on rumors he doesn’t even believe. That’s right: though he knew with absolute certainty that she had remained faithful to him while she was trapped by Ravana, some of his townspeople doubted it, and that was making him look bad. So he sent her away to die alone. You know, like “lovers” do. (I won’t even get into how all the male heroes of the story had multiple wives and no expectation of chastity… that’s a concern for another day.)

 

I am not the only woman in history to be dismayed by this ending, and this is where I find myself extremely inspired:

 

Women’s feminist re-tellings of the Ramayana are straight FIRE.

 

For example, in Bengali poet Chandrabati’s 16th century Ramayan, the story is told entirely from Sita’s point of view as basically a giant eye-roll at Rama. In the original, Rama is portrayed as nearly infallible and universally adored, but Sita barely suffers the fool in Chandrabati’s version.

 

A more recent version called “Sita’s Ramayana” is a gorgeous graphic novel by Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar which shows Sita as a much more courageous, much more active participant in everything that happened to her throughout the epic poem. She is an empowered hero, rather than a wilting flower.

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HOW THESE CONCERNS ARE A GIFT TO HUMANITY

These concerns have been shared by many, many people throughout history, and this has spurred an incredible gift to the world: the story keeps getting told and retold in ways that illuminate the hearts of new and more varied audiences.

 

My advice is to listen to as many stories as you can, across as many cultures as you can, and find the ones that resonate with you. Find the ones that open your heart and expand your mind, hear them, read them, and tell them–your version. And then:

 

Tell them again.

 

Om Janaka Nandinye Vidmahi

Bhumi Jaya Dhimahi

Thanno Sita Prachodayat

 

(Om, through the joy-bringing daughter of Janaka, we know.
Praise The Earth, her mother. We meditate.
Through Sita, we are enlightened.)