Reading Notes: Tiny Tales from the Ramayana Part C

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"The Rakshasis Taunt Sita"
  • Summary:
    • At the grove where Ravana is keeping Sita, the rakshasis that guard her are taunting her about her believing Rama will save her. One rakshasi named Trijata dreamt that Rama would destroy Lanka, causing the other rakshasis to stop their taunts. When her guards left, Sita vowed she would hang herself because she had lost hope. Little did she know that Hanuman was in the tree and had heard everything.
"Hanuman Addresses Sita"
  • Summary:
    • Sita was about to hang herself when she received omens that gave her hope, so she decided not to hang herself. It was then that Hanuman appeared from the tree and recounted the entirety of Rama and Sita’s story and what has been happening since she was taken by Ravana. All of that lead up to why Hanuman was before Sita right now.
"Hanuman Shows Sita the Ring"
  • Summary:
    • Hanuman introduced himself to Sita, telling her he was a messenger of Rama. She was hesitant to believe him at first, but then Hanuman showed her Rama’s ring that proved he was who he said he was. Once Sita believed him, Hanuman offered to carry her back to Rama, but she refused his offer. She wanted Rama to come to Lanka and save her himself.
I noticed a common theme among many of the tales in this section of the epic. There were multiple times when it seemed that hope was dwindling or would be lost, but the characters did not give up. They picked themselves back up and succeeded. Most of these instances when were literal, like when the monkeys and bears were building the bridge to Lanka or when Sugriva fought with Vali, but in the case of Tales 121-123, Sita ‘succeeded’ in a more nonliteral way. She regained hope that she would be saved, and despite Hanuman bringing her to Rama being the easiest way to go, she believed in Rama and chose to wait for him. This proved her faith in him and faithfulness to him, and it was very heartwarming to read. These 3 tales were all very emotional to read - and there was so much that happened in just 3 tales - which is why I enjoyed them and wanted to discuss them.

Sita and Hanuman: Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Tiny Tales from the Ramayana by Laura Gibbs, Part C
                     Page 13, Tales 121, 122, 123

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