Rambha's Diary: The Growth
of Pain
Dearest
Companion,
Today is a very special day. Today I think I
found love. I was taken to the treasure Lord Vaisravana as a statue.
That is
why it has been so long since you have heard from me. The sage
Viswamitra
turned me into a stone! What a horrible thing! Luckily for me though,
the
yakshas gods, who I do not really care for, carried me off and that is
how I
got to
Lord Vaisravana. Oh gosh! I must go, I am being called! I'll be back
shortly!
With love,
Rambha
Dearest
Companion,
I forgot to
tell you yesterday of how I happened to come here to the home of
Vaisravana and found love. His name is Nalakubara and he
is very
dreamy. I hope he is the one. I would give anything to be his wife. It
just so happens that Nalakubara is the son of the Treasure Lord,
Vaisravana. I really think it is a sign how I happened here and have
found
love. I hope someday Nalakubara will be my husband!
With Love,
Rambha
Dearest
Companion,
Today is a
wonderful day! Nalakubara and I are going to be wed as the sun goes
down
behind
the hills! This is just the most perfect life ever. I could not
possibly ask or
even dream of asking for another thing!
With Love
Rambha
Companion,
Today, my life
shattered. Something very bad has happened. I do not know what to do. I
cannot
stop from crying. Ravana, the king of the demons, came to me the other
night. I pushed him off
with
force, but there was nothing I could to do. Ravana has always wanted
many wives,
especially an asparasa like me, since we heavenly nymphs are so
beautiful.. He saw me, as I was picking flowers and took me
where we
could not be seen. I tried so hard, but he was so strong. After he
raped me I
sat and cried and shook. No one was around, but I needed someone to
hold me. I
do not know how to tell Nalakubara of what Ravana did. Please help me.
Rambha
Dearest
Companion,
I told
Nalakubara today. He was outraged. I wept in his lap and shook as the
words
left my mouth. As soon as I told him, he stood silent for a little
while. Then, I
saw as the rage grew in him. Without speaking to me, he threw me out of
his lap
and left. I do not know where he has gone. I hope he returns soon. I am
scared,
companion. I hope I have not lost him.
Rambha
Companion!
Nalakubara came
back. He came back to me and held me! After everything, all I
wanted was
for him to come and hold me so I would know in the end it would be
okay. He
wouldn’t tell me where he went, but deep down in my heart I think he
went to
put a curse on Ravana. I think if he did this then some other woman
will be
saved from what I had to go through. Tonight I can sleep next to my
husband.
With Love
Rambha
Author's Note: I
have chosen to use Rambha's diary for my second story. Rambha just like
Sita
faced Ravana within the Ramayana. The outcome of Rambha's story is
different than
Sita's. When Sita was hurt by Ravana the curse was placed on Ravana so
he
could no
longer rape another woman. This is why Sita went unharmed when she
refused to
accompany him in bed. Even though Rambha went through so much pain, she
was able
in the end to keep other women from suffering what she had to go
through. I
wanted to express what Rambha went through not only in her diary entry,
but in
the story book because I feel that what happened to her affected major
female
characters such as Sita. Rambha is a very brave female character even
though
she does not play a major role in the Ramayana. Also, I wanted to
express the
marriage and relationship between Rambha and her husband Nalakubara who
stood
by her side through all of her pain. Not only did
Rambha suffer pain, but so did Nalakubara. I chose to write this as if
Rambha
was writing a diary entry. I think this is the best way to really
express how
she felt during the situation and how she informed her husband of what
had taken place, along with her husband's reaction.
Image
Information: This image was
chosen from a message
board on aol.
I find that this image captures the pain that Rambha felt as she
experienced physical and mental destruction of who she was as a person.
Bibliography:
- Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.