Week 2: Soorpanaka's Deceit (Storytelling)

I sat in our cottage while Rama and Lakshmana worked outside in the forest. Lakshmana had disappeared into the woods, but I could see Rama working just outside the cottage, humming quietly to himself.  

I went back to my cleaning until I heard Rama’s humming stop. I waited a second, listening before I heard him begin talking, but he sounded dazed. Not like he sounded when he talked to Lakshmana. I peered at the window to see a beautiful woman walking towards him from the woods.

She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She looked perfect with beautiful clothes and an abundance of jewelry covering her person.  No one of this beauty could be a mere human. She must have been disguised, or else been an incarnation of a goddess.

She sauntered over, never taking her eyes off my husband. Rama had stopped his work and was talking to her as she continued to approach him. They stood talking for a while. I couldn't hear what they said, but Rama was shaking his head, ‘no’ and the woman seemed to be getting frustrated. 

I decided it was time to see what was going on. I slowly walked out of the cottage, scanning the forest line, hoping to see Lakshmana, but to no avail.

As I approached the woman turned to me, a look of shock crossed her face as I approached Rama before her eyes darkened in hate. Rama turned to me then, “Sita,” he said as he extended his hand for me to hold as I approached.

The woman’s beautiful face had clouded with anger. She began yelling at Rama, I couldn't catch exactly what she screamed because of her franticness, but I understood enough to know that she was warning Rama about me.

“She’s a rakshasa! A demon! An enchantress!” the woman yelled, pointing at me. “You mustn't trust her!” Rama nearly smiled at these accusations, probably assuming that the woman revealed what she was in her lies against me.

Then the woman changed into her true rakshasa form as rage consumed her. She was Soorpanaka, the sister of Ravana.

Rama cursed the demon. Rama was angrier than I had ever seen him. “Go now! I don’t want you here. Leave before us my brother returns or else he will harm you.”  After some arguing, Rama turned and with his arm still around me, we walked into our cottage, leaving Soorpanaka alone. As we shut the door, her wail echoed around the building. 

The rakshasa's cry of despair must have worried Lakshmana because he soon returned but the demon had gone. “Don’t worry Rama, I’ll stay by the house from now on. I’ll make sure to protect Sita anytime you are away,” Lakshmana said.

“Thank you brother, I appreciate it. But I’m not too worried. She left on her own without any harm befalling her. I think she understood to leave us alone,” Rama stated confidently.

Lakshmana nodded at Rama but I wasn’t as convinced. Before she revealed her true self, Soorpanaka had shown so much distain and hatred towards me. I had little doubt she would be back soon, trying once again to marry Rama. Only next time, I feared she would to get me out of the way first. 

Events of Panchavati Forest. Wikimedia

Author's Note: I retold a part of the epic The Ramayana by Narayan. The section I retold was about when Ravana's sister tried to seduce and marry Rama by tricking him into thinking she was a beautiful, good person, instead of the rakshasa she was. I chose to retell this part of the epic because I felt like it was the beginning of Rama's fight since exile against the rakshasas and directly led to Ravana entering the story as Rama's main enemy. This one event sets into motion the next few chapters and fights for all of the characters.

I didn't change much of the story. The main change I made was telling the story through Sita's point of view. I condensed the dialogue and didn't use the exact phrases the character said and shortened the exchange between Soorpanaka and Rama. 

Story Source: Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana. Pg. 62-69