Book Review: How Sita's Story Shows The Power Of Mind

Sita – A Tale of Ancient Love. Bhanumathi Narasimhan. Penguin eBury Press. Pages 304. Rs 340.

Sita and Rama are both real and metaphors for life's deepest love and wisdom, says Bhanumathi Narasimhan, author of the new Penguin India release, 'Sita – A Tale of Ancient Love.'

But why this abiding interest in the character Sita? "Sita's story is the power of the mind! She may have breezed through a see-saw of emotions while encountering mountainous, awkward stumbling blocks of emotion and event, but nothing gets lodged in her consciousness except for her immaculate feelings for Rama," says Bhanumathi.

"Sita's subtle strength, the way she made her choices and faced challenges and positioned herself as a rock with implicit faith and unconditional love mirror her as a woman of strength. Sita chose acceptance and grace over self-pity," she adds.

Bhanumathi Narasimhan, who is also the sister of founder of the Art of Living, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, is an author of bestselling books that have been translated into twenty-two world languages. She holds a Master's Degree in Sanskrit literature from Bangalore University. She has also created soulful albums of sacred chants and melodious bhajans.

The book itself takes off with Sita being at the Ashoka Vatika.

“Ashoka Vatika is a beautiful garden and Sita finds a deep connect with nature. The book flows as a series of reminiscences while Sita is in the garden, tucked away in the secret part of the Lankan Palace. When you look back at events in your life, you see them from a more complete perspective, with greater maturity,” feels Bhanumathi, whose work is also illustrative of the 'Ancient' and 'Eternal' love that Sita and Rama share.

Why does the story unwind through Sita's memories? “Her father Janaka was a Brahmagnani and she was known for her refined intellect. Many saints and seers would visit Janaka that helped Sita absorb and internalise the finest values to get worldly wise. When you are anchored in wisdom, even a storm cannot toss you about. This is why the story from her standpoint gave me a new approach,” says Bhanumathi.

teenage amusements the sisters have had in this excerpt.

The broader understanding one gains is Sita’s affiliation with the world of nature, her role in leading Rama to his task on earth, and how the metaphors of fire and earth, wind, wisdom and ignorance wrap up in the bigger battle at Lanka.

“You know Sita chose everything that she wanted to? Why is it that Sita or Rama could lift the bow that hundreds of others could not move even an inch? Shiv Dhanush was used as a perfect compatibility test while choosing her partner," says Bhanumathi.

"What was Sita’s understanding of the world around her, what did agnipariksha mean to ‘the Bhoomija’ the way she faced it? She chose to go to the forest because she placed her worship and adoration to Rama above comfort. She could have won over Ravana herself, she was so powerful, or she could have left with Hanuman too. But she waited for Rama, and she knew the role she had to play to perfection,” she explains.

Once when Sita is consumed by the twinkles in the sky at Ashoka Vatika, her memory drifts to her stay at Panchavati during the exile when Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, relaxing in the open sky, are in a mood for quizzing! Rama had lovingly turned to Sita and said, ‘You have to pose a question that I can also answer, Sita!’

‘This one is just for you!’ says Sita, smiling.

Lakshmana could not help laughing aloud. ‘What is so funny, Lakshmana?’ asked Rama. ‘Bhabhi has just described you and called it a puzzle! Of course your ways are most puzzling, but the thought of you trying to solve a puzzle to which you yourself are the answer is quite hilarious!’ said Lakshmana.

Although it is common understanding that it was a life filled with sacrifice for being Rama’s life partner, the book reiterates that wherever Sita was, there was abundance and constructive wisdom accentuating her spirit, in only what seemed to be a battle.

While the events of the Ramayana and those impacting Sita directly are quite well-known, very little is understood about the state of her mind, explains Bhanumathi.

However, the balanced interpretation in Bhanumathi’s book of the powerful Ravana again defies popular conception and is an eye-opener. Ravana’s visionary powers laced with yogic energies that could summon Gods to earth, his artistic propensity and his wisdom (gyana) to envision and execute his destiny gets etched as a positive persona that flashes across in several exchanges in this book. Although Ravana is known for being indestructible and a conceited autocrat.

Everlasting epics with never-ending meanings! It is to the power of our storytellers like Bhanumathi that will help open up layers of connotation and significance, like the one about Ravana taken from an excerpt from this book: