Crossing The River
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| Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana as they leave for Exile Source: Wikimedia |
Sita could tell there was something wrong with Rama. The love of her life sat still, in complete silence, with his head down. Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana had been traveling and fast approaching the border that ended their time in Ayodhya as they began their journey to the Ganges River.
"Rama, are you alright?" Sita asked, as she looked towards Rama.
"I'm fine," Rama replied sharply, avoiding eye contact with Sita as tears began to form in his dark eyes.
It was obvious that something was wrong with Rama, but he was too proud to talk about that. Especially to someone who viewed him as their protector. It was upset to be leaving the place where he was born. It may seem silly, but this place meant everything to him. Having to leave was always hard, but the circumstances of exile that surrounded this made it harder than ever. Rama did not know if he would ever return. Sometimes he wished he could just stay here forever and not have to worry about anything else.
Sita knew what was wrong with Rama, but just wanted to hear it from his own mouth. She realized that was not going to happen. Instead she reached for his hand and comforted him silently. It was then that Rama realized he was always going to be okay as long as he had Sita. Even if he had to leave the place he was from, he was going to be okay. Sita would always be there for him.
As the group crossed the border, Sita began to pray to Ganga for their save return. Crossing the Ganges River was not going to be an easy task. It was the third largest river in the world. It was miles and miles long, and there was no promise of them completing their tasks in a safe manner. The harsh and long waters rolled, as the three of them tried to collect themselves.
"I will walk first," Lakshmana said with pride. "Then Sita, then Rama."
The three got in their order as they looked at the great beast of water they would be dealing with. The Ganges River was nothing to take lightly. If Rama thought leaving his home of Ayodhya was going to be difficult, he had no idea how much harder this was going to be.
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| The Ganges River Source: Wikimedia |
The Ganges River has significance to nearly anyone who has heard or been in the waters. However, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were completely unaware of the new significance this river would have after they crossed it. Them crossing this river would lead to generations and generations of people using these waters for their own betterment. The water from the Ganges River would one day be used for people to feel closer to their gods. This water would have sacred significance.
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| The Ganges River at Dusk Source: Wikimedia |
"Are you ready for me?" the Ganges River shouted, taunting the three who dared to cross it.
Lakshama, Sita, and Rama froze at the river who just challenged them. They always knew this river was larger than life, but did not think it would be anything like this.
"It may seem easy to cross me, but I am not going to make this easy on you three," the river taunted.
Suddenly, the waters of the Ganges River went still as could be. It looked as if no boat, no creature, no anything had any impact on it. When out of no where, the river came to life. The great waters acted as if they were in distress. Waves crashed and stood taller than the people themselves. Bursts of water shot up into the sky, and then came crashing down. These heavy waves got the three who were on their way to exile soaking wet.
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| Waves Crashing Source: Public Domain Pictures |
Author's Note: This story of 'Crossing the River' is very similar to my retelling. Lakshmana, Sita, and Rama are leaving Ayodhya to cross the Ganges River. One alteration to this story was to make Rama leaving Ayodhya a bigger deal than it was portrayed in the original. After doing my story planning last week I learned the significance of Ayodhya to Rama and the significance the city gains later in life because of him. Ayodhya is Rama's birth place, but today it is one of the seven pilgrimage sites for Hindus. I wanted to make it a bigger deal that he was leaving and make him seem sad about it. The original makes him observe that he is leaving, but with really no emotions tied to this location. I also researched the Ganges River in my story planning. This is where I learned how large it really is. Obviously the story made it dramatic that they were having to cross this river, but I wanted to make it even more so. The significance of Ayodhya and the Ganges River are something I really wanted to bring to life. These things were undermined in the original story, and I wanted their size and significance to be brought to the forefront. I have also personified the Ganges River to add an extra scare factor to the story. This gives the three of them even more to worry about on their journey to exile.
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Bibliography: 'Crossing the River' by Sister Nivedita
