Abuse of Power
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Once Ravana
obtained his power, my brother started to fulfill his every
desire.
Nothing was sacred and nothing was off limits, because who was to stop
him? Kumbhakarna
and Surpanakha
both wielded their own power under the protective shadow of Ravana.
No one could stop the three as they laid claim to everything in
sight.
The gods weren't happy with the actions of my siblings and sent the
great god Vishnu down to earth as a human to end their reign.
Vishnu
born on earth was given the name Rama, and these events set the course
for the great battle between the Rama and Ravana.
The first one to set eyes on Rama was Surpanakha. Spending time away from home, Surpanakha crossed paths with Rama, his wife Sita (avatar of Lakshmi), and Lakshmana (Rama's brother). At first sight, Surpanakha wanted to be with Rama and pursued a relationship with the great being. Rama rejected her, something that she hadn't experienced in a long time, and she grew very angry. After she attacked Sita out of jealousy, Lakshmana disfigured her badly. Luckily, Rama intervened, spared her life, and released her. Her second retaliation resulted in a large rakshasa army being crushed by Rama and Lakshmana. She then turned home defeated, but with a plan.
At home, I had become disgusted by the actions of my siblings, especially Ravana. My brother acquired a bad habit of collecting beautiful women from across the lands. This resulted in a large group of wives, but Ravana was very charming, leading many to actually fall in love with him. Kumbhakarna, the ultimate symbol of gluttony and sloth, ate large meals and slept for many days at a time. It became difficult for me to live within the walls of the palace, as I had many opinions and teachings that never seemed to interest them. The love one feels for family was no longer enough for me to continue to look the other way as they spiraled out of control. Surpanakha arrived home and described to Ravana what had happened at the hands of Rama. She told of the great pain she endured when they disfigured her, and how the two brothers took out a complete rakshasa army. She also enticed him by describing the great beauty of Sita to him. She knew how to get his full attention, as Ravana spent days in agony because of his desire for Sita. I had witnessed Ravana's actions in the past and knew he would eventually seek out Sita for himself. This was the first time I warned him of the power that he would awaken by stealing Sita away from Rama. I had heard the stories already in circulation about this human, and reminded my brother about the limits of his powers. I guess it was hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact that he could enslave gods, but was vulnerable to humans. Pride took hold of him, and I'm not so sure my hand didn't push him towards stealing Sita by second guessing his powers. As he walked out the doors of the palace, I knew this would be the beginning of his downfall.
Through deception he returned with the beautiful Sita, and sneered at me as if to say, "I told you so." Many days went by without any word of Rama, or a rescue party. I never dared to talk to Sita myself, but I did work with a friend I had made there at the palace. Trijata was a fellow rakshasa who had the same sympathies that I carried. We had talked many times in the past, and she listened to my views and studies. Since she was a female, she could get close to Sita without arousing suspicion, and we worked together to make sure Sita was taken care of while she stayed with us in Lanka. Trijata befriended Sita, gained her trust, and quietly helped her through her imprisonment. Trijata really became a great ally to me and I still think of her to this day.
One day a monkey by the name of Hanuman arrived on the island, sent by Rama to find Sita. I wasn't informed completely of the details of her kidnapping, but soon became aware that the long time that had passed was spent locating her. Hanuman had snuck by the guards of the palace and spoke to Sita, but was captured upon leaving. I later found out from Hanuman that he allowed himself to be caught to deliver a message to Ravana. The great chamber hall was filled with locals as they paraded Hanuman in, shackled in chains. Hanuman stood unafraid and gave an ultimatum to Ravana, "release Sita and I or go to war with Rama." Ravana laughed at the monkey and sentenced him to death. I knew I couldn't allow it and pleaded on his behalf to Ravana. By some far chance it actually worked. The soldiers, hungry for war, helped the monkey's case too, asking for his release so he could return with an army to battle. Again pride or arrogance filled my brother and he spared the monkey's life. The monkey did return soon after, and with him came death looking for my evil family.
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Author's Note: This part of the story reveals many details similar to the plot line of the Ramayana. This quickly explains how certain events took place to allow Ravana and Rama to engage in battle. Surpanakha and Kumbhakarna are described as riding the coat tails of their very powerful older brother. The clash of ideals between the narrator Vibhishana and Ravana are outlined more firmly in this part of the story. I wanted to set up the betrayal by Vibhishana, and give him the ammunition to explain his actions towards his own family. Trijata is introduced in this section too, and takes on a new role not described in the original text. She is described as a friend and ally of Vibhishana which gives the story a nice twist. Since she showed passion for Sita, I felt she would have talked to Vibhishana as they seem to share the same ideals. This chapter builds off the previous stories and sets up the climatic ending to the Ramayana. It also reveals some of the past demons Vibhishana was describing in the introduction. It all leads to the final battle and the effects that still resonate with Vibhishana in the present time.
Bibliography
Ramayana by William Buck (1976).
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The first one to set eyes on Rama was Surpanakha. Spending time away from home, Surpanakha crossed paths with Rama, his wife Sita (avatar of Lakshmi), and Lakshmana (Rama's brother). At first sight, Surpanakha wanted to be with Rama and pursued a relationship with the great being. Rama rejected her, something that she hadn't experienced in a long time, and she grew very angry. After she attacked Sita out of jealousy, Lakshmana disfigured her badly. Luckily, Rama intervened, spared her life, and released her. Her second retaliation resulted in a large rakshasa army being crushed by Rama and Lakshmana. She then turned home defeated, but with a plan.
At home, I had become disgusted by the actions of my siblings, especially Ravana. My brother acquired a bad habit of collecting beautiful women from across the lands. This resulted in a large group of wives, but Ravana was very charming, leading many to actually fall in love with him. Kumbhakarna, the ultimate symbol of gluttony and sloth, ate large meals and slept for many days at a time. It became difficult for me to live within the walls of the palace, as I had many opinions and teachings that never seemed to interest them. The love one feels for family was no longer enough for me to continue to look the other way as they spiraled out of control. Surpanakha arrived home and described to Ravana what had happened at the hands of Rama. She told of the great pain she endured when they disfigured her, and how the two brothers took out a complete rakshasa army. She also enticed him by describing the great beauty of Sita to him. She knew how to get his full attention, as Ravana spent days in agony because of his desire for Sita. I had witnessed Ravana's actions in the past and knew he would eventually seek out Sita for himself. This was the first time I warned him of the power that he would awaken by stealing Sita away from Rama. I had heard the stories already in circulation about this human, and reminded my brother about the limits of his powers. I guess it was hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact that he could enslave gods, but was vulnerable to humans. Pride took hold of him, and I'm not so sure my hand didn't push him towards stealing Sita by second guessing his powers. As he walked out the doors of the palace, I knew this would be the beginning of his downfall.
Through deception he returned with the beautiful Sita, and sneered at me as if to say, "I told you so." Many days went by without any word of Rama, or a rescue party. I never dared to talk to Sita myself, but I did work with a friend I had made there at the palace. Trijata was a fellow rakshasa who had the same sympathies that I carried. We had talked many times in the past, and she listened to my views and studies. Since she was a female, she could get close to Sita without arousing suspicion, and we worked together to make sure Sita was taken care of while she stayed with us in Lanka. Trijata befriended Sita, gained her trust, and quietly helped her through her imprisonment. Trijata really became a great ally to me and I still think of her to this day.
One day a monkey by the name of Hanuman arrived on the island, sent by Rama to find Sita. I wasn't informed completely of the details of her kidnapping, but soon became aware that the long time that had passed was spent locating her. Hanuman had snuck by the guards of the palace and spoke to Sita, but was captured upon leaving. I later found out from Hanuman that he allowed himself to be caught to deliver a message to Ravana. The great chamber hall was filled with locals as they paraded Hanuman in, shackled in chains. Hanuman stood unafraid and gave an ultimatum to Ravana, "release Sita and I or go to war with Rama." Ravana laughed at the monkey and sentenced him to death. I knew I couldn't allow it and pleaded on his behalf to Ravana. By some far chance it actually worked. The soldiers, hungry for war, helped the monkey's case too, asking for his release so he could return with an army to battle. Again pride or arrogance filled my brother and he spared the monkey's life. The monkey did return soon after, and with him came death looking for my evil family.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: This part of the story reveals many details similar to the plot line of the Ramayana. This quickly explains how certain events took place to allow Ravana and Rama to engage in battle. Surpanakha and Kumbhakarna are described as riding the coat tails of their very powerful older brother. The clash of ideals between the narrator Vibhishana and Ravana are outlined more firmly in this part of the story. I wanted to set up the betrayal by Vibhishana, and give him the ammunition to explain his actions towards his own family. Trijata is introduced in this section too, and takes on a new role not described in the original text. She is described as a friend and ally of Vibhishana which gives the story a nice twist. Since she showed passion for Sita, I felt she would have talked to Vibhishana as they seem to share the same ideals. This chapter builds off the previous stories and sets up the climatic ending to the Ramayana. It also reveals some of the past demons Vibhishana was describing in the introduction. It all leads to the final battle and the effects that still resonate with Vibhishana in the present time.
Bibliography
Ramayana by William Buck (1976).
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