Week 5 Story: Chasing After a Hopeless Love

There was once the Girl who imagined a life of happiness. Girl had always been fascinated with the idea of love and all the beautiful things it was associated with. She looked up to her parents and saw the happiness they had on the daily. She had always wanted to find the perfect boy, who could sweep her off her feet. Girl was seventeen when she met Boy, and she thought this was it. Everything started off as a fairytale, literally. The flowers, gifts, the perfect dates, it was all there. Words have a powerful role when it comes to love, but actions speak louder than those words. Over time, those actions began to change from the words she was receiving. The idea of that romantic love began to slip away, as manipulation and distrust began to creep in. As time went on, everything became more and more dark. Girl was left vulnerable and all alone, while Boy and the romantic idea of love ran away. The fairytale love was over and Girl realized relationships aren't meant to be like the movies. Love doesn't work like that, it's raw and real. Girl then realized, that young love wasn't meant to last. At least for the most part. There can be imposters, fakes, and even just other people who are as lost as you. And even sometimes, the love was real, it just wasn't the right timing. As people grow in life, they inevitably change. Love you have can change, it can grow, or it can disappear. There are different types of love, from family, friends, and life partners. They all have one thing in common though. Love should be trusting, but also independent. Through all the issues of life, love was just like everything else. Seemingly impossible until you find your true Golden Deer.

Author's Note: I took the story of The Golden Deer and turned it into a hopeless romance story. The Golden Deer is represented in my story as the idea of love and the tricks it can play on the mind. Sita is represented by "girl" in my story, as I wanted this story to be more abstract rather than assign character names. On the same level, Rama and Lakshman's roles in this story are combined to create the idea of "boy". Other than those aspects, I went more or less off base from the original story.

Source: The Golden Deer by Sister Nivedita


(Red Rose: pixabay)

Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita Reading B

Source: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita

The first story that caught my interest was Sita's Second Trial that I found refreshing from this viewpoint. Rama, at this point in time, has been governing Ayodhya for ten thousand years. Sita was now with child and Rama wanted to give her a special gift, so he asked if there was anything she desired. Sita wanted to visit the hermitages of the sages so Rama planned the visit. Rama was later that night talking with his counsellors and friends, and asked what the citizens had been saying of Sita. They then told him that everyone had been speaking ill of Sita and her time with Ravana. Rama's heart sank and he told everyone how faithful Sita had been in her time with Ravana. Rama knew he could not have a wife though that no one believed in. Rama instructed Lakshman to take Sita on the trip. Lakshman began to weep on the trip and when Sita asked what was wrong, he said he simply missed Rama. Lakshman then informs Sita he has been instructed by Sita to leave her there, as she has been renounced. Sita faints at this news. Sita asks Lakshman to send a message back to Rama, that she had always been faithfully and loving of Rama and she would never do anything to betray him. Lakshman returned to Rama and Valmiki's son found Sita along the river-side. Valmiki took Sita back to their hermitage and gave her to the wives to shower her with affection. Lakshman then told Rama the deed was done, and everyone was a mess of emotions. Lakshman left Rama alone and came across a dog waiting at the gates, and he asked what he needed. The dog replied he had a message for Rama, but he could not enter to tell him due to his ungodly nature. The dog simply would not enter.


(Sister Nivedita Home Morum: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita Reading A

Source: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita

From the section of readings by Sister Nivedita, the first story I loved from her viewpoint was the Golden Deer. Sita, Rama and Lakshman are in the woods when they come across a beautiful deer. This wasn't any average deer though, as it was Maricha, an obedient servant of Ravana. He transformed into a magnificent golden deer that attracted the eye of anyone who crossed its path. Maricha roamed around hoping to be seen by Sita and he eventually was. Sita begged Rama to either catch or kill the deer for her, and Rama, in his own fascination, agreed. Lakshman was weary though and warned Rama that it might be a rakshasa in a disguise. Rama chose not to listen and to leave Sita in Lakshman's protection while he went to hunt down the deer. Rama intended to bring back the deer skin with his arrival. Rama hunted the deer farther and farther away from his wife and brother and eventually grew tired. Maricha was joined then by another deer he created to trap Rama. Rama brought out his bow and arrow and shot the deer. As Maricha was dying, he assumed his own form and tried to draw Lakshman away from Sita. In Rama's voice, he called out for Rama's wife and brother. Once Sita heard this cry, she forced Lakshman to leave to go help Rama, even though Lakshman knew it was not a good idea to leave her alone. Sita said some cruel things and so Lakshman was forced to leave Sita alone in the woods. 

The next story following this one was Sita Stolen, which I felt added to this previous story. Sita was now all alone in the forest and Ravana assumed the form of a beggar to approach her. The forest fell silent because everything knew who he was and was scared of him. Ravana asked Sita to become his wife and he would give her palaces and jewels. This made Sita mad and she yelled at him how she was loyal to Rama. Ravana became enraged and turned into a monster that rose up into the sky. After a quick battle, Ravana grabbed Sita and took her away up in the sky. Sita dropped her belongings down in the hopes they would find their way back to Rama. 


(Sister Nivedita: wikimedia)