Week 2 Storytelling: The First Ramayana

"Why has Master Rama forsaken us? He leaves us behind even though we have served him so faithfully for all these years..."

"Don't be so dramatic. You know that King Dasaratha order the young prince to leave behind Ayodhya to live in the forest for the next fourteen years. Besides, Rama will have no use for servants such as ourselves while living the life of an ascetic. It is our duty to serve Bharata faithfully while he rules in Rama's stead and to prepare for Rama's return."
 
Although the latter spoke words of reassurance, he too was already missing their master. They had been apart for a matter of mere minutes, but a feeling uneasiness fell over him as he gazed back at the prince. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that future events in the forest would change Rama for the rest of his life and not necessarily for the better.

"I suppose you are right, as always brother. Our master gave his word that he would serve this penance, and one as honorable as the young master would never go back on his word. As he said himself, 'A word given is like an arrow, it goes forward. You cannot recall it midway.'"

As the pair traveled back to the palace, they each reminisced on their time with the prince. They had been with him for many a year, having come into his service shortly after Rama travels with the great sage Viswamithra, but each could remember when they met him as though it was yesterday.

"Remember when we met the young master?" said the former, " We were sold to him in Mithila, and though anyone else would have looked upon us as simple belongings, objects to be used and tossed aside, he immediately treated with such kindness and care. I knew immediately that he was different, that he would make for a wonderful master."

"Ah, yes," stated the latter, " Even then, Rama had become well known for his strength, kindness, and unflinching honor. Do you recall the story of how he defeated the the terrifying Thataka and her demonic sons?"

"Oh, that was a wonderful story. When the young master met Thataka in the desert. Though most mortals would have cowered in terror, he swiftly struck her down and freed the region from her awful reign. Then, during Viswamithra's yajna, her sons attacked in order to exact revenge, but our master was ready. With one arrow he struck down Subachu and with the other he send Mareecha flying all the way to the ocean."

"What a wonderful story indeed! The prince's feats seem to become greater with each of your tellings. Don't misunderstand me, he is a great warrior who demonstrated immeasurable power in his defeat of the demons, but I distinctly remember that Mareecha fled into the forest after Rama's arrow narrowly missed his head."

"Don't be silly! No one knows the young master better than myself, and I know that he would never miss a shot," exclaimed the former. In response to the latter's seeming apprehension of this sudden boasting, he continued, "You don't be believe that I know him best? I can prove it. Do you remember when the young master first laid eyes on the princess? He gazed upon her for only a moment, and to the passerby he would have seemed unaffected by her beauty. But, I knew better. Our master shifted slightly from his normally rigid posture and set back slightly onto his heels. It was the closest I have ever seen him come to being knocked off his feet. It was love at first site."

"I remember that as well. The princess did always have a strong affect on the princess. He seemed to spend every night gazing at the window thinking of her, right up to their wedding."

"The wedding! We had to prepare for the journey home at the time, but I wish we could have been in attendance. I heard that the entire population of Ayodhya came to see it..."

Even as they entered into the palace, into the throne room, the pair continued to recall their many experiences with their Master, as well as the stories they heard along the way. As they were placed upon the throne, each secretly hoped that these memories would last them as they began the long wait for Rama's return.

Bharata asking Rama for his footwear
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Author's Note:
This story was a lot of fun to do. I came up with the idea while searching through some of the other story telling styles. The premise is for the story is that Rama's sandals, which were taken from him by his brother Bharata at the start of his exile from Ayodhya in order to symbolize his eventual return to the throne, are recalling some of his various exploits while they are being taken back to the palace of Ayodhya, including his defeat of the demon Thataka and her sons and Rama's wedding. I didn't make many changes to these stories. In fact, the disagreement about Mareecha, between the two, comes from the fact that that story has been told in both ways, and there isn't a definitive version. Of course, I made up the part about Rama buying the shoes, and the story is very colored by the sandals' perception.
 I chose the title 'The First Ramayana' because Ramayana roughly translates to "exploits of Rama," and the story is a recounting of his most prestigious exploits. In my mind, the two sandals would continue to discuss all the stories of Rama up to that point while they wait on his return. The characterization of the two sandals was an interesting challenge given I only had a few lines of dialogue to build them upon, but I really wanted to try to make them distinctive characters. Likewise, I enjoyed the challenge of hinting at their true nature while never revealing that they are sandals.


Bibliography:
Narayan, R. K. (2006-08-29). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics) (p. 16). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. link