Well,
shortly after we fell in love
and married, Rama was banished from his home city of Ayodhya by his
father,
King Dasaratha. Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why would his own
father
banish him?" Believe me, it was not because they were at odds
with
each other. Actually, it was quite the opposite. King
Dasaratha had
made several promises to one of his wives, Kaikeyi. These
promises
included two gifts of her choice. Kaikeyi saw Rama as a threat to
her and
her son, Bharata. She thought that she and Bharata would suffer
if Rama became
King. Bharata was the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi saw
this as
her chance to give the crown to Bharata, and ensure their livelihood
for the
years to come. Bharata reluctantly took the crown. His
heart was
heavy with sorrow, just like mine. He knew this was not right for
Ayodhya. He knew Rama was best for the people, but life was not
going to
happen that way.
The
day came that Rama had to leave.
As he
prepared to leave, he begged
me to stay in Ayodhya. He thought my life would be much better in
a
familiar place that housed my friends and family. He also feared for my
safety. The dark and scary forest of Dandaka would be our home
for the
next fourteen years. It was an ominous and unknown place, and
offered no
security or safety.
The
thing is, I couldn't do
it. I couldn't stand not being with him. Forest or no
forest, I was
going to be there by his side.
So, I knew what I had to do. I packed up our things, and left
with him.
He was right to fear for my safety. One day Rama left, he
was
fetching
a beautiful and elegant golden dear that I had seen from afar. He had
told me
to stay inside with Lakshmana, his brother, until he got back.
Well, after Rama had left to chase the dear, I had
heard Rama yell in pain. That's when my heart had started
pounding. I
could
not stand it if something happened to him! It had taken me long
enough
to find
the man of my dreams. I could not be losing him now! So, I sent
Lakshmana, who
did not want to go, after Rama. I had to know if he was alive and
well. Right after Lakshmana left a brahmin approached me for some
alms.
I knew Rama and Lakshmana had told me to stay inside and not to talk to
anyone. Lakshamana had gone so far as to draw a magical circle
around
me. If I stayed inside the circle, I would be safe. The brahmin
asked for my offering. He said I had to
bring it
to him outside. I knew this was not a good idea, but it was my
duty to
help the brahmin. So, I stepped outside and gave him some
food.
To my
horror, it was not a brahmin
at all. It was the evil and terrible King Ravana, ruler of
Lanka!
I was taken captive by Ravana. During the whole time he held me
prisoner, I was
not allowed to curl my hair or put on make-up. It was
horrible.
Every
day
and every night I prayed that Rama would rescue me and, eventually, he
did. He later told me that I was foolish to have worried because
he
could never live without me. He said he would do anything to make
sure I was safe. I believed him, and still believe him!
But
that was the least of my worries. Now, that takes us into another
story for another time and another manicure! And I need a
manicure to tell it, honey. This story is pretty tough for me to
tell because it was a time in my relationship with Rama that was
extremely rough.
If
you are interested, you can follow me to the dryer while my hair
sets....