Päätöntä menoa Raman ja Sitan luo

Nousin mopon selkään myös tänään. Päämääränäni oli eräs kahvila keskustassa, mutta loppujen lopulta en löytänyt sitä. Suoraan sanottuna eksyin. Mutta ei sillä ollut niin väliä, sillä päämäärä ei alun perinkään ollut kovin tärkeä, vaan pikemminkin pelkkä tekosyy lähteä liikkeelle. Keskustassa suhasin hetken ristiin rastiin ja siirryin sen jälkeen väljemmille vesille. Ensimmäinen pysähdys oli erään temppelin edessä. Kuvasin, ajoin taas ja pysähdyin toiselle temppelille. Kävin kolmen temppelin liepeillä ja viimeiseen Rama ja Sita-temppeliin uskaltauduin sisälle, koska temppelin pihalla hääräävä vanha mies minua sinne varta vasten pyysi. En tohtinut kuvata temppelien sisällä, mutta jälkeen päin kuulin, että se olisi ollut ihan ookoo. Ensi kerralla sitten. Kivaa minulla oli, vaikka en kahville päässytkään!

 

Hanuman 

Temppelivierailu sai minut kiinnostumaan Raman ja Sitan tarinasta. Nopealla haulla löysin pari erilaista versiota.

The Story of Rama and Sita

My name is Sita. I lived a long, long ago, in a world of gods and magic. My husband was Rama, the son of king Ayodya. We were married when we were very young. For a short time, we lived happily in the city with his father and step-mother.

Rama was supposed to be the next king, but King Ayodya's new wife was jealous. She convinced King Ayodya to send Rama away from the city. She forced Rama to live far away, in the country, for 14 years. I loved Rama very much, so I went with him into exile.

One day Rama and I went for a hunt in the forest. I saw a beautiful white deer and asked Rama to catch it for me.While Rama was chasing the deer, a wicked King, called Rahwana, appeared. Rahwana thought I was very beautiful, so he kidnapped me. I screamed, but I was not strong enough to fight him. Rahwana took me to his kingdom and tried to convince me to marry him.

When Rama found out that Rahwana took me, he got very angry. Rama went to fight against Rahwana, and he was helped by Hanoman, his servant who was a white monkey.

Rama and Hanoman defeated Rahwana, and they brought me back to the kingdom of Ayodya to live. Everyone was happy that Rama was back and they named him the King.

 I thought our lives would be happy now, but I was wrong. Rama was still jealous of Rahwana. He believed stories that I had been unfaithful when Rahwava held me captive. It was not ture! I loved Rama and I was a good wife.

I pleaded with Rama and cried for his mercy, but he refused. There was only one thing I could do to convince Rama that I had been good. I knew that if I was really pure, fire could not hurt me. So, I set myself on fire when Rama was watching. The flames were hot and the fire roared, but I walked out without any burns. Finally Rama and all the people in the kingdom believed me! Our story has become a legend, an Indian fairy tale story, called Ramayana.  
(http://www.coedu.usf.edu/culture/Story/Story_India_Rama.htm.)

Rama, Sita ja kumppanit

The Story of Rama and Sita

This is the story of Prince Rama and his wife Sita. Prince Rama was the son of a great King, and was expected to become King himself one day. However his stepmother wanted her own son to become King, and tricked her husband into banishing Rama and his wife Sita to live in the forest. But this was no ordinary forest. This was the forest where demons lived, including Demon King Ravana. 

Ravana had twenty arms and ten heads. There were two eyes on each head and a row of sharp yellow teeth. When Ravana saw Sita he wanted her for himself and so decided to kidnap her. Ravana placed a beautiful deer into the forest. When Sita saw the deer she asked Rama if he could capture it for her so they could have it as a pet. 

However when Rama was out of sight Ravana came swooping down in a chariot pulled by flying monsters and flew off with Sita. Sita, although afraid, was also clever. Being a princess she wore lots of jewellery and she dropped herjewels, piece by piece onto the ground to leave a trail for Rama.

Sure enough Rama, realising he had been tricked, discovered the trail, and also came upon his friend Hanuman, King of the Monkeys. Hanuman promised Rama he and all the monkeys would help Rama to find Sita and they searched the world looking for her.

Eventually a monkey located Sita on a dark, isolated island, surrounded by rocks and stormy seas. Hanuman flew to Sita to make sure it really was her. She gave him her last precious  pearl to give to Rama and prove it really was her and she had been found. 

The monkeys helped Rama for a second time by throwing stones and rocks into the sea until they had built a great bridge to the island. Rama and his faithful army battled with the demons until they were victorious. Finally Rama took his wonderful bow and arrow, specially made to defeat all evil demons, and shot Ravana through the heart, killing him. 

There were huge celebrations when Rama and Sita returned to the kingdom. Everyone placed a light in their windows and doorways to show that the light of truth and goodness had defeated the darkness of evil and trickery.  
(http://ashmistry.com/assets/The_Story_of_Rama_and_Sita.pdf.)