I am the
ocean. Everybody worships me for my deepness and wideness. No one has ever been
able to cross me or sail on me. I am against it. No one can rule me and there
is no being in this whole planet that can defeat me. I have swallowed thousands of
air vehicles and flipped hundreds of boats. Inside me live my worshipers, my family,
my friends and all that I can call mine. Every drop of water in me is a part
of me. I am home to many of my friends; they are fishes, tortoises, green
plants, rocks, sand, scorpions and everything that you can name. Nagas and
Makaras are my brothers that I love dearly. I do have my pet dragon who
guards me day and night.
 |
| Bridge to Lanka |
Image link: Picture
We all knew
about Sita being abducted by Ravana, because we saw Ravana pass right above us.
My pet dragon tried to stop Ravana but was not able to do so because Ravana could not be destroyed, thanks to a boon he had received from Brahma. I could see Rama
right on the shore, anxious, stressed and eagerly waiting for a way to cross me
to get to Lanka. When my pet dragon tried to stop Hanuman from crossing me, Hanuman killed my pet dragon. I was sad. I cried the tears of blood and the
sky could see it. A few days after Hanuman's leap I saw Rama on the shore silently meditating. I
felt his love for Sita and him wanting to cross me. I couldn’t let it happen. I
am the ocean and no one can cross me. I just ignored his call and went back to
nap. A cool and calm breeze was relaxing me and I was silent.
Suddenly I
heard screams; the fishes were hiding beneath the rocks, the tortoises in their
shells, the green plants were busy trying to take their roots off from the sand
and the sand and rocks were calling upon the wind to create the wave and carry
them away. I got up and saw that Rama was threatening to dry me up and pierce me with his god-given arrows. This is not possible. I am so huge and deep. Rama doesn’t have
such a power to do so. I stayed calm. Then again there were shafts piercing me. One of the shafts hit the rock,
blasted it and killed the fish hiding beneath it. The other shaft burned the
sand and the plants. I still wasn't convinced that I should help Rama. Then
slowly the shafts started hitting my palace. It almost killed the Nagas and Makaras.
I started to get a little bit worried. Then I heard Rama say that he would now
use the Brahma arrow and dry me up. I could not let it happen and by this time
I realized his power. I couldn’t let Rama destroy my whole world. I
decided to help Rama. I rose up and bowed to Rama. I agreed to bear the pain of
the bridge over me and let him and his army cross me to get to Lanka.
I had to use
all of my power to carry the bridge that Rama and his army built on me.
Sometimes I would not be able to hold up a part of the bridge but then I prayed
to lord Shiva and I was filled with so much power that I could hold up the
bridge as long as I wanted. Then after a few days all the army crossed over me
using the bridge that I was carrying.
I am strong. I am much deeper and wider, thanks to Lord Shiva for the blessings. I will always bow to Rama but no one shall cross me or sail on me.
I am the ocean. Everybody worships me for my deepness and wideness. No one has ever been able to cross me or sail on me. I am against it. No one can rule me and there is no being in this whole planet that can defeat me.
I am strong. I am much deeper and wider, thanks to Lord Shiva for the blessings. I will always bow to Rama but no one shall cross me or sail on me.
I am the ocean. Everybody worships me for my deepness and wideness. No one has ever been able to cross me or sail on me. I am against it. No one can rule me and there is no being in this whole planet that can defeat me.
Author’s Note:
In the Ramayana by Sister Nivedita it explains how Rama
fought with the ocean and threatened to destroy all the animals in the ocean
and dry up the whole ocean. This is the story of the
creatures living in the sea when Rama wanted to cross the ocean. I do believe
that the ocean creatures had a story to tell when all the arrows that Rama shot
in the ocean were coming for them. I do believe that the ocean who at last
agreed to suffer and hold the bridge firm has a story on his side. In the
Ramayana by Nivedita, it tells about Rama’s silent, concentrated prayers
towards the ocean for help to build the bridge.
After three days of his prayers Rama was angry and then loosed dreadful
shafts towards the ocean which distressed the Nagas and Makaras of the sea. Nagas have a mixture of human and serpent-like traits. Makaras have a mixture of terrestrial animal and aquatic animal. The pet dragon is described as the mother of Nagas. When Hanuman flew over the ocean to Lanka, The pet dragon tried to stop Hanuman from crossing the ocean. When
the ocean didn’t respond to Rama he threatened to dry up the ocean and then
only the ocean rose up and spoke to Rama. So, here this week I retold this part of story from the view of the ocean and the creatures
living in the ocean during that moment.
Bibliography:
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhist: Ramayana
Author: Sister Nivedita
Year 1914
Source: Ramayana
What an interesting perspective! I always enjoy reading everyone's stories because they are so creative. I liked how you retold the tale from the perspective of the ocean and its creatures. There are two sides to every coin, right? I also liked how you took the qualities of the ocean as we understand it (vast, powerful, etc.) and used them in its personification.
ReplyDeleteIf I could suggest a few things, you might try adding a few breaks in the body of the the story. Once you have completed an idea, add a break before you begin the next idea. This will make it easier for the reader to follow as he reads and to relocate passages after he is finished reading. Also, there are some comma errors throughout the tale. Just a few examples:
"...green plants, rocks, sand, scorpions[,] and everything that you can name."
"We all knew about Sita Being abducted by Ravana[omit] because we saw Ravana pass right above us."
"Far before I knew[,] it was three days past..."
Thank you for making such a lovely tale! I look forward to seeing your final project at the end of the semester.
I like the concept of using the ocean as the setting of the story. I enjoyed the way you retold the events that transpired when Hanuman tried to cross the ocean. Your writing was clear and concise. The picture you displayed was a great choice. One suggestion would be to turn your picture landscape style. But, overall it was great. I actually understood that chapter of the readings better after your synopsis.
ReplyDeleteShristi, the perspective you used on this story was great. It was awesome viewing this particular part of the Ramayana from a different angle. I really like how you characterized the sea as an old proud soul. One thing I think you could improve on is the paragraphing. The larger middle paragraph seems to run a little long. I think some simple adjusting to that paragraphing could really improve the pace of your story.
ReplyDeleteSo, obviously this best and coolest part of this story is your use of POV. I don't know what made you think to use the ocean ad the central character, but well done! It's brilliant!
ReplyDeleteHowever, that being said I felt as if you did not capitalize on this aspect as much as you could have. The ocean did not seem like a wholistic and three dimensional character to me. Let's take a look at what we know about her from your story:
-She's strong and bends to no one (in theory)
-She has a tender affection for all the creatures and objects which make her up
-She is extremely calm and passive
And those are the big points. I think these are all great. Use them more in the story!
Like when Rama starts killing her friends- where is the emotion? She just "gets a bit worried?" I understand she may be calm and level headed, but the ocean has storms and tidal waves too! She should be angry with Rama! She thinks there is no one alive who can defeat her! Show me that tenacity. She shouldn't just sit back and let Rama assault her pets/friends.
Also, are we meant to read the ending ironically? I enjoyed how you ended it by bringing the story full circle, but really she is no longer undefeated, so by repeated this it almost seems like she's living in denial.