Second Story: The Golden Statue

The days became easier as the warmth from the sun grew greater and the group continued on their journey. Gone were the barren plains where they had felt the pain of hunger for the valleys of the south were much more lush than the plains of the north. All around, game scrambled for the hunters to trap, and skilled bowman dined on the delights of unsuspecting fowl. Most delightful of all the wonders that surrounded them, was the sweet aroma that filled the air from the groves of berries and fruit that grew in the fields surrounding the path. In honor of the pilgrims' sacrifice, the local farmers were nothing but generous and gracious in sharing their blooming crops with the group. The farmers' sacrifice was an honor to the sacrifice of the pilgrims themselves. Perhaps the after the crops were picked and the next seasons seeds were sown, the farmers too would follow in the footsteps of those on this pilgrimage. One day they would too lock up their belongings and leave the comfort of their homes, making a pilgrimage of their own. Honoring their own commitment to their faiths and make the journey just like these passing people were doing.

As the sun rose high in the sky, the group took refuge in the shady orchard of a local farmer. The group was sprawled out, taking in the shade and eating their fill of the budding fruits in the orchard. The local farmer and his wife, an elderly couple, tended to the group's requests as attentively and generously as they could. They in fact where thrilled to hear about the group's destination of Rameswaram, where Rama had offered thanks to Siva after having saved Sita and defeated Ravana in Lanka. As a matter of fact, a legend that their orchard just so happened to sit on the very grounds from which Sita herself had sprung miraculously into existence. This was supposedly the reason for the orchard's continued fertility.

Under the watchful eye of the gentle farmer's wife, a child of one of the passing pilgrims played while the child's mother washed their garments in the river. Suddenly, a screech erupted that carried both tones of surprise and bewilderment came from the direction of where the pilgrim was washing. The noise had come from the mother of the very child whom the farmer's wife was tending to. With in moments, the group had pretty much gathered around the woman. She was sitting up on the bank of the creek that fed the orchard, holding in her hand an object partially covered in mud from the bank of the creek. The object itself was not much longer than one's arm. Through the mud, however, you could see the unmistakable glimmer of gold. As the woman washed the object off, it became apparent that the object was in fact a gold statue. There were no distinctive markings, but the figure of a woman was apparent. Few of the pilgrims, and certainly not the farmer or his wife, had never seen that much gold before in their life. To them it represented a small fortune, and one of deep religious connotations.

Shocked, the farmer's wife gasped in amazement as she recognized the statue. The statue was in fact the fabled golden statue of Sita, which had been so fleetingly in Rama's possession. The statue had been commissioned by Rama to stand in Sita’s place beside him after he had banished her from Ayodhya. Although this status was a famous legend familiar to all the pilgrims, the actual statue itself had disappeared long ago. Certainly no one had an idea of where it could possibly be resting, but for years it lie, buried in the side of the river, waiting for the constant force of nature to eventually reveal it.

After the eventual shock of the incident wore off, the group came to the conclusion that the statue was the reason for the orchard's fertility and that the orchard was the intended rightful resting place of the statue. At the newly sacred orchard, they all made a solemn vow, along with the farmer and his wife, to bury the statue in the bank of the river again and never to speak of the incident. The notion of greed never even crossed their minds, as the moving spirituality of the incident was sacred enough to seal the group in silence.

Author's Note:
For the purpose of this story I wanted to build upon a writing assignment I saw in an earlier week's options, while continuing with the nature of my pilgrimage frame story. Unlike last time when the group was tested but prevailed, this time they were witnesses to a once-in-a-lifetime, unimaginable spiritual event, all the while enjoying the lush riches around them. I wanted to convey a sense of favor from the gods for the sacrifice they are making by going on this pilgrimage. In the story they find the golden statue of Sita. Sita herself was born and unusual birth, for she rose from the fields; her name means "furrow." To the group it becomes obvious that that these were in fact the fields from which Sita had risen and years after she had left this land her statue found its way back to its rightful resting place. In the end I wanted the group to feel as if their Dharma was being rewarded through the experience, and encourage them to continue on their selfless path of pilgrimage. Other than the referenced golden statue from the Ramayana, my only other creative inspiration was the story of Sita's emergence from the earth. I wanted to convey that idea through the cyclical return of the statue as a metaphor for life's revolving nature.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. O'Flaherty, Wendy D. Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism. Pub.: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-61847-1. p.59

Fruit Orchard. Web Source: Tewin Orchard