Tuesday 15 November 2011

I wish Raavan was My Brother......

Swaroopnakha ( beautiful features), the sister of Raavan, as her name suggests was very beautiful. Once when Ram , Laxman and Sita were in exile, she sighted the two very handsome brothers. She approached Ram and expressed her desire to copulate with him. This was not a strange occurrence. Our society was far more open minded and liberal in context of natural desires than most of our political leaders would like us to believe. Women , Apsaras, across the various Ganas had the liberty ( when unmarried) to approach men they desired. This also lead to polygamy in a lot of cases, not only that marriages was not only of one kind. Marriage could also be for s few months, with or without witnesses. In this context Swaroopnakha did not do anything which was morally incorrect or unacceptable. Ram declined here saying he was there with his wife, however sent her to Laxman. The question here again is if it was so wrong on her part as to imply " she was asking for it" why did Ram not chide her or give her a strict no, why did he send her to his younger brother? Laxman not only humiliated this young girl, he cut off her ears and nose ( features that are considered signs of beauty of a woman) it also implies by a colloquial phrase in India " nak kat gayi" that implies further violation.
Swaroopnakha goes crying to her older brother Raavan. He is infuriated by her condition, he is angry at her humiliation. I ask this which brother wouldn't be?

Once when I was a fresher in college, I don't even remember the incident, it was that trivial, all I remember is my brother getting upset when he kind of figured out somebody was trying to intimidate me. I remember him telling me, don't be afraid, just tell me, I'll go break their house, set their shop on fire. It did not come down to any of it at all.  In fact it came to nothing. However it made me happy, I had an older brother willing to protect me, to fight on my behalf.There have been times later in my life, my adult life, I wished my brother was around, I prayed someone would stand up on my behalf and tick off the people hurting me. People who thought I had no one. I know women who have suffered molestations, violations, rape, abuse but have not dared come forward. Their brothers turned against them for bringing shame on the family, even though the girls were the victims. As a therapist I hear sad stories of such kind. Swaroopnakha was empowered in the knowledge her brother wouldn't blame her. He was on her side.

Raavan goes to the forest looking for the two men who violated his younger sister and to the extent of deforming her forever!!!!! when he reaches Sita is alone. Raavan knew his anger was towards the two men, could he not have retaliated then and there? He too could have violated, deformed or worse to Sita, HE DID NOT.... he abducted her. He kept her in a beautiful garden, she was denied nothing, She had personal guards to protect her 24 hours. Sita was in Raavan's imprisonment for several months. Ravaan never tried to force himself on Sita....

Raavan was a big Shiv bhakt, he worshipped Shiv so steadfastly, he pleased Lord Shiva and gained boons from him. He is supposed to have 10 heads indicating he had the wisdom and knowledge of ten ordinary people. He single handedly turned his kingdom into " Sone ki Lanka" Lanka of gold. His people were happy under him. What was his failing? A timid younger brother, who was jealous of his power, his fame, his throne and crown. This sibling sold out Raavan to the enemies. He double crossed him.As Raavan lay dying Ram took lessons from him on how to run a kingdom....

As a woman, as a sister I do not see anything wrong with Raavan. I would love to be Raavan's sister. He would protect me, punish the people who dared to harm me, he was powerful, he was wise, he worshipped the Lord, He was a good king. As a brother, he did not fail his sister. He was the older brother to the hilt. Any man who dares to violate, humiliate or disfigure his sister deserve to be punished. Every brother across the globe is protective of his  sisters. He takes it upon himself to take care of her. In India we have a festival where sisters tie a band on the wrist of their brothers' reminding them to protect them always.Unlike Ram who cast out his wife because "people" were unsure of her chastity, Ravaan did not discard his sister. Not once did he blame her or shame her.  It is no wonder in parts of South India, ,Sri Lanka, Sumaitra, Java , perhaps more places, Raavan is worshipped. From where I see this story Raavan was justified, Sita was the victim of first circumstances then of Ram. I don't know if Ram was ever the ideal man or husband, but Raavan sure was an Ideal brother....




9 comments:

  1. Honestly there are reasons one too many that points out the failings of "RAM" as a man as a king, brother and husband , so why is it that he is eulogized to the extent of making him some avataar . he was a weak king of a small principality of north india with weaker morals ... WELL this passage has the guts galls to call spade a spade and is eloquent and brave enough to unveil the 'god mask' of that stupid king whose wife faced the consequences of his failings .... BRAVO !!!

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  2. I would just suggest to read Ram Charitmanas in detail. You will have all the answers there. Nice articulation though.

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  3. Each character in mythology was built to teach some lessons.There are lessons to be learnt from Ram to Ravaan. Your post is thought provoking. Wonder what the women activists have to say?.Do we really need a brother to protect us.....? Well wriiten though and very interesting thoughts.

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  4. Mr Ashu ... Merely Reading does not necessarily educates one , it just lets one accumulate knowledge not wisdom ... So reading all the eulogies of RAM does not make him "GOD" and infallible ... and moreover you should read and re-read the passage carefully it talks about the greatness and graciousness of ravan , also this is just an illustration of a protective brother-sister relationship... reference to the ramayan or any text eulogizing that king is just a reference point ... i think Mr Ashu should open his mind and look into other perspectives that exists and is relevant and contemporary...

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  5. hey jatayu,

    sorry for missing the word 'understand'. Please read and understand Ramcharitmanas ,all your confusions will be cured.

    by the if you are married,let a raavan take your beloved, i m sure we will find gracious reasons to appreciate him and his act together.

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  6. Truce...!!!this post was not about Ram the husband, it was about Raavan the brother. Although, now I'm very tempted to write about Ram the husband. There are various books, by various equally distinguished writers such as Valmiki, everyone has their own take. I've read quite a few, in fact I suggest Raavan Sutra for a well rounded perspective on the issue .As many characters, those many perspectives. :) as many readers those many views too...with understanding do doubt.

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  7. i have always believed that religion and theology ought to be debated and deliberated. and nothing is ever a final edict written in stone. and unless this continues there would never be any growth, beyond the doctrines of brahmanical belief, interpretation, and even misguided mischief that have perpetrated vision of communities over time. best. anando

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  8. What I don't understand is why the so called puritans lack the understanding of the term'tolerance'. Why the saffron brigade and the pseudo-religious always draw lines and preach in their earnest self-righteousness. And every single time they totally miss the point. Coming back to the thought, well I agree on so many levels and believe you me, had started working on a modern day story which just wanted to shed light on the bigger picture on the events of Ramayana. Until the disastruous Raavan came into being. Every one who walks on earth is a mortal, a human. The puritans might have their views, but Ram was a mortal. Just debating on a 'purely human' point of view, Ram was a king, a husband, a father and a son. In a social and marital context his role(as a husband and a father) is ambiguous and utterly flawed. Personal opinion and I don't want someone knocking at my doorstep with copies of ancient literature. From a humanitarian point of view Raavan was wronged(as a brother) and a false monster was created which has survived in pop myth for centuries. But one needs to see beyond and be neutral and not think of those 'pre-destined leelas' for a moment to see the point in this write.:)Congratulations Nikeeta and would look forward to read more.

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  9. Hi Sumeet,Thank you for your encouraging comment. It is so refreshing to hear another like minded person's point of view. I hope you enjoy my other posts too. Look forward to more comments from you.. regards N :)

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