Janaki (Mythological Monologues #10)

My softness 

Is often seen as a weakness

Do you say the same

About Mother Nature

When she never tires of giving?

I, Sita - the daughter of Bhumi

Nourish, Heal, Rejuvenate

Every living soul

Without any conditions

The purpose of my existence

Is to beautify and heal the world

With my love, compassion, kindness.

I chose King Janak as my father

The kindest and the most noble ruler

And became his loving daughter - Janaki

Who healed Mithila from drought. 

My love overflows

Like the rivulets and the seas

I choose companions and circumstances

That can help me express my love

And fulfill my purpose of living;

I chose Rama as my husband 

The man with all the virtues 

The personification of

The Divine, Supreme Love

For which sages and saints

Sit for years in meditation.

I chose to accompany him

On the fourteen years of exile

As life in a palace suffocated me

Can you cage the greenery of the world

In a castle for years?

Forest Life made me blossom

Which my husband realized

More than anyone else;

"Sita, You are Nature Herself",

I heard Rama whisper to me

When my eyes met His

While we exchanged smiles

And words of the heart;

Those years of exile were

The ones when our love

Bloomed like an immortal lotus

On a full moon night. 

The fateful day 

That marked our separation

Was needed to save the human race

From the torment of Ravana

And just like Mother Nature 

Who gives without second thought,

I- Janaki sacrificed my love and peace

So that Rama can kill Ravana

As planned by the Gods and the stars.

I stayed alive

In the Ashok forest of Lanka

Despite the mental agony

Afflicted on me each day

So that I can behold my beloved,

When he fulfills His destiny

And becomes the best king of Ayodhya.

If I could bear all those days of torture,

It was because Rama was there in my heart

Soothing my blisters and bruises. 

Rama's love made me invincible

Powerful than the five elements; 

I chose to give Agni Pariksha

To protect my beloved from humiliation

And see Him as the Great Ruler of Ayodhya.

Later, my beloved protected me 

From the insults of His subjects

By sending me to Sage Valmiki's ashram

He remembered forest life made me blossom.

Ignorant and prideful people

Often disrespect Mother Nature

As she gives and gives

Without asking any questions. 

But one day, when Mother Nature

Loses her patience, 

Her tears destroy everything

In the form of earthquakes, 

Hurricanes, tsunamis or typhoons.

I- Janaki kept on giving and sacrificing

My love for the peace of people

But they humiliated me

Separated me from my Beloved;

When my patience crossed its limits,

I chose to bring an earthquake

And become one with Mother Earth

So that people learn that

Every time Nature will be disrespected, 

Love and peace will elude them all. 

©Purba Chakraborty

11.04.2020

Note: Janaki or Sita is the central female character in the Hindu epic, Ramayana. She is the daughter of the Earth Goddess, Bhumi and the adopted daughter of King Janaka and Queen Sunaina. She chose Rama as her husband in her Swayamvara. 

Indrajit (Mythological Monologues #9)