Author's Note:
This is a story
book about Sita from the Ramayana. Sita
is the feminine protagonist in this piece of fiction.
I did not make any changes to the actual
story, except in the way it is presented. This
story is told from Sita’s perspective. I
also focus on bits and pieces of the story
that are the most important to Sita, instead of trying to summarize it
in its
entirety. Sita has just written and
published an autobiography about her life. In this story she has
been
invited to visit the Oprah show and talk about her autobiography. I used both William Buck and R.K. Narayan’s
versions of the story for this interview.
Both their versions are taken from the very long original of the
Ramayana. Although both versions are
greatly shortened from the original masterpiece, Buck’s Ramayana is
longer and
has greater detail; therefore, I used him as my main source. In the interview with Oprah, the show is
focused on Sita's experiences and trials in Lanka. She
has a lot to say about her experiences with
Ravana in his kingdom, Lanka. However, she
does briefly mention the story of Rama’s banishment and the struggles
she had
adjusting to that situation. During this interview she is
pregnant with
Rama's child; however, this interview takes place before Rama banishes
her from
the kingdom.
[Intro Music]
Oprah: Our guest today has written a
book that is already #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It is titled, My Life: Full of Waiting.
She has finished her greatly anticipated first book and is here to
share it
with us today. Come on out, Sita!
[Applause as Sita walks to sofa]
Oprah: Thank you for joining us today.
Sita: Thank you for having me. I am so happy that so many
people
are excited about my book.
Oprah: Tell us about
your book.
Sita:
My entire book is about the waiting I have
done in my life: waiting to marry Rama, waiting for the fourteen years
in the
forest to be over, waiting for the deer, and waiting to be rescued from
Ravana. My book states that you should not spend your life
waiting and
letting anticipation for the future deny you of today.
Oprah: I really love this book. It is inspiring so many
women. It is sweeping through the households of America and
giving women
hope. You have gone though the trauma of being kidnapped and are
still an
unstoppable woman. This really appeals
to anyone going through a difficult time in life. How
many people in the audience have read
Sita's book and loved it?
[Giant applause]
Oprah: When did you know you wanted to write a book about your
life?
Sita: I think when we got back home to Ayodhya, the kingdom where
Rama
and I am from, after being banished for fourteen years, I really
decided to
start writing the book. I had been keeping a journal on tree bark
the
entire time I was kidnapped by Ravana, but I had not planned on making
it into
a book until Ravana was killed in battle by my husband. Until
then, I
really did not know if I was ever going to get out of Lanka alive.
Oprah: For those of us who have not read
the book, can you tell us why you were in Lanka?
Sita: I was in Lanka because I had been captured by Ravana. I had asked Rama to catch a beautiful deer
made of gold for me. I wanted it as a
present. While he was gone I was
kidnapped by Ravana, who wanted me as his wife.
Ravana took me to his kingdom in Lanka, and there I waited for
my Rama
to come.
Oprah: Why did you
think Rama would save you? He is only a
man, and Ravana is a monster.
Sita:
Rama is no ordinary human being. He
has such powerful skills with war and fighting. He
is forever following the dharma. Dharma is
truth, and he was always protecting
the truthful. I was his true love. I knew he would save me.
Oprah: Was there a point where you
blamed yourself for what had happen?
Sita:
I think that is something all women struggle
with. We blame ourselves for things that
are not our fault, they are just fate.
At first I felt this must be my punishment for being selfish. I had wanted a golden deer covered in jewels. I begged Rama for it and he had no choice but
to get it for me. It was while he was
gone that I was kidnapped. I later realized my capture was just
part of
fate unrolling.
Oprah: Can you tell us about life with Ravana?
Sita:
He was a horrible monster. He was dedicated
to getting what he wanted, which was me.
Each morning as soon as he woke, he offered me everything he
thought I
wanted: a kingdom, treasures, his love, and more. Ravana
was trying to make me forget my love
for Rama. Ravana could not be mean or nice enough to me to make
me forget
Rama. He thought threatening my life and
screaming at me would work. He never
realized I would not choose him. I would
never cheat on Rama. Ravana was
therefore never satisfied. This is true in all of our lives. Sometimes we all just need to realize
something is unattainable and move on.
Oprah: Before you went into exile with Rama, your husband Rama
was
destined to soon inherit the Kingdom of Ayodhya. But
then he was banished. Do you find yourself
wondering what life
would have been like if Rama would have become King right away?
Sita: I think everyone questions the past. The key for all
of us is
to focus on the future. When Bharata
received the Kingdom instead of Rama, it was difficult to handle
emotionally
but I followed Rama’s lead and accepted it. I did struggle with
Rama’s
banishment when it first happened. I
spent a lot of time in the anger room at the palace. I wrote
about these
emotional struggles in my book.
Oprah:
I have a short passage from this part of your
book. “What will we do?
How can it be that I have gone from royalty,
the future king’s wife, to a hermit in one day?” Do
you have anything to say about this
passage?
Sita: I spent a lot of time waiting for
Rama to change his mind about agreeing to go into exile. His
loyal friends were willing to fight for
him to stay, but I respected his wishes and we left that day. Living away from palace luxuries was an
adjustment. But, I would go anywhere for
Rama.
Narayan,
R.K. The Ramayana: A Shortened
Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. New York City: Penguin
Books,
2006. 1-157.
Indian Epics Cover
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The Gods Affirm Sita's Purity. By artist
Nina Paley. Weblink.