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Sita Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth Who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes Indra, a hundred You and I, only two.
What is there to gain from the Sita story retold over and over? Plenty, really. Curiosity is what draws one to the book — Why should it be read if one knows the Ramayana? What more is there to know? The delightful, compelling manner in which Devdutt reintroduces the tale is bewitching. The stellar narrative is the fuel that propels the flow, so lucid. No heavy religious overtones, or undertones, here. Just an enjoyable story well told. The freshness lingers. To view it through a Hindu prism would be to "see the stars and miss the sky", for it is about dharma or human potential. In that sense, the Lanka war is more about thoughts. Immense research has gone into the book, but it isn’t heavy for it. One would imagine months of gruelling labour as he gathered information from exhaustive sources and ancient narrations and put them poetically over 300 pages. Keeping the reader absorbed in a tale well known across India is a feat. His monochrome illustrations are simple, yet powerful in depiction. Devdutt seeks to rediscover the Ramayana as "one of the many maps of the human mind". The story is about the wisdom to overcome hunger, be it physical, emotional, intellectual or social. "There’s great joy in satisfying oneself. But greater joy when we satisfy ourselves by satisfying others. Still greater joy when we don’t need satisfaction. And even more joy, when despite not needing satisfaction, we give it to others," says Hanuman.
What does this make Ram? Who is Ram? Is he the "Maryada Purushottam" king, ideal son or cruel husband? What is honour? What is it to be honourable? Should a war be won by unfair means? Would it be true victory? Who decides what is fair? In that, Ram is not just God; he is a man who falters. Asked about reputation, Agni tells him it is a human measuring scale that makes no sense to nature. Nature does not judge. It is later that Sita reveals herself as Gauri, also Kali. She had let herself be abducted, and rescued. She didn’t need Ram. "With or without Ram, I am complete," she says. Ram follows rules and respects boundaries. These are "human constructions, inherently cruel, as they create artificial hierarchies and notions of appropriate conduct". So, was it right for him to banish a pregnant Sita? There are no clear answers, only a constant grey. Ravana was not all evil; Ram does not expect to be understood. Sita is composed throughout, but questions values and beliefs. She is certain the husband of Sita will never remarry, but of Ayodhya’s king she can’t say. She tells Lakshman sorrow comes "when we resist reality, for a dream’. There are multiple layers a reader must comprehend and unravel to reach his/her own truth as the lines between heroes and anti-heroes blur. Both Ram and Ravana invoke Shiva’s blessings. Shiva is asked who will win. "Both’, he says. "Ram will win because he will make Ravana see. Ravana will win because he will finally open his eyes". In another time, Shiva tells Ravana that God is not an external trophy to be possessed; He is internal human potential to be realised. For a subject associated with traditional spirituality, the book is not about it. It throws up questions on virtue and vice, truth, deception and loyalty. It makes one reflect through the wisdom of the ages. It’s a delectable book highly recommended for knowledge that enriches life by just so much. Sita talks of Narayana, the sleeping Vishnu — human potential waiting to bloom — to see another’s point of view; to expand the mind. The book gives one that chance.
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When Sita sees Ram after
she is freed, she knows at that moment he is the scion of the Raghu
clan, not a lover. Ram had wept for her, yet when he sees her he says:
"I have restored the honour of my family name`85this was the
reason this war was fought, not to save you`85I would like you to go
freely wherever you wish, to Vibhishana, to Sugriva, to Lakshman`85 I
stake no claim on you.’