Lanka

Sita's Tree

"Ravana, quit making a fool out of yourself. We both know how this is going to end," giggled Sita, as she sat at the roots of the Ashoka Tree.

"Sita, I own you now. We have been over this way too many times. I can pick and choose how you treat me which means that you must obey," Ravana firmly professed.

"OWN ME? I am Queen Sita, so quite frankly, I have no interest in your being. You are dead to me," Sita snarled.

Sita began to get comfortable under the tree, just as she did each morning and evening to relieve her daily stressors. The tree made her feel liberated from all of Ravana's hocus-pocus.

Sita stood tall with anger. "Even if I did love you (which I don't and never will), I would never treat my lover in such a way that you do. So desperate and rude to approach a woman in such a direct manner. This attitude is not acceptable here, or ever," Sita shouted with her hands firmly pressed against her hips.

"Is this Sita or the Ashoka Tree talking? HELLOOO?? Sita? Oh no, she's been taken by the evil tree," Ravana cried.

"Ha ha ha, Ravana, you are just a mindless boy who clearly does not understand the importance of patience. Those who value and trust the power of the tree will be the ones who benefit from the divine gift of freedom on the other side of unhappiness", Sita said with confidence as she rose to her feet and lifted her right heel to her inner thigh to enter Vrikshasana. Her intelligence and peacefulness radiated like a sun setting on hot pavement.

Sita rose to the heavens where she was greeted by virtue and respect, that which she should have always received. Now Sita was able to live in the Ashoka Tree Grove Heaven in Lanka and look down on Ravana who made her feel so small that she had to continue trusting in those who trusted in the Vrikshasana.

"But I never told you to leave me, Sita. You are MINE! You would not even be in Lanka if it were not for me... you are going to pay for this, do not ever forget that!" wailed Ravana as Sita's overwhelming freedom brought on a heavy rainstorm, where she left Ravana to drown in both his tears and the downpour of raindrops that collected in the grove near the Ashoka Tree.

Ravana transformed into a sea monster, just like the one Hanuman faced as he crossed to Lanka. Ravana lived a miserable life in the cold depths of the ocean, with Sita's happy spirit living in the tree right above him. It was agonizing for him, but one day he will realize that he made Sita feel just the same, and she came out on top in the end.

Anytime a man held a woman captive as a prisoner to take to the Grove in Lanka, he would soon be demolished by the spirits in the tree that Sita now resides in. As a gift, all women were welcome to join hands as they trusted in the soil and perfected the Vrikshasana.

Author's Note

As I started brainstorming for my version of 'Sita in Lanka' I quickly realized that I wanted to put an emphasis on Sita's character because she is such a role model as a woman. As you can tell, I stuck closely to the original story told in the Ramayana, but twisted it up by making Sita the one in charge because of how powerful she was by trusting in the Vrikshasana. I think telling the story through Sita's perspective creates a different tone than the original. She is an individual who knows that her worth, strength, and wisdom cannot be broken by anyone, especially by Ravana's forceful attitude. She stayed grounded in the Ashoka Tree Grove in Lanka through practicing and trusting in the Vrikshasana, or better known as the 'tree pose'. I decided to take out Brahma's character because he acted as her savior in the original, so this time I wanted her to save herself. Not only is it ironic that the pose is named after the tree which was situated in the original snippet of the story that I based mine on, but also a reflection of Sita's actions and maturity. When the demon king Ravana kidnapped Queen Sita and brought her to Lanka he naturally assumed that she would fall for him just like all of the other women did. Sita drew strength from nature to keep her focus on Rama to find mental freedom over overwhelming feelings. In the Ramayana, Sita is described as the mind or individual soul and Rama is represented by the lord or cosmic soul. Sita is grounded by the impact that the patient and stable tree made on her. I decided to create a negative stigma around the men in this story to add drama, and I believe that turning Ravana into an evil sea monster perfectly portrays how he treated Sita. If you are interested, I attached a video in this section to learn the Vrikshasana.

Bibliography: Source. 'Indian Myth and Legend' by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Image Information:

Rama and Sita return from Lanka. Source: Flickr.

Ravana and Sita. Source: Image Library.

Video Information:

"Tree Pose Benefits / Steps / Yoga Fitness / Art of Living Yoga" video on Youtube.

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