My favorite character in this week’s reading was Sita, so I took notes on her episodes.
Sita is adopted by King Janaka. When he finds her he seems overjoyed and declares “She has chosen me to be her father!” With the marriage test, it’s also clear that Janaka knows his daughter’s strengths and wants to have her marry someone that matches/is worthy of her. I love seeing this father-daughter love, and I think it will make Sita stronger.
It’s actually really cool that in one of her origin stories, Sita is sort-of the daughter of Ravana. I would expect her to be a powerful warrior or a big help in defeating Ravana with the blood of his enemies within her. She might not be an actual warrior because she’s a woman, but I can tell she’s going to play a big role.
Sita is very self-assured and bold. Even when she’s a baby, she tells Ravana to his face that she’s going to see him destroyed. I am a big fan.
The foreshadowing of Sita’s conflict with Ravana is great. First, he falls in love with her cooking without knowing it’s hers, and then he fails to string the bow.
I wonder how Sita felt about Ravana trying to string the bow. She didn’t know it was him, but I bet she got bad vibes.
I wonder why Sita went to pray for a husband. Was she lonely? Was she worried her father would give in and marry her to an unworthy man? Maybe the episode with Ravana happened shortly before and she was scared a fearsome man like him would pass the test.
I love a good love-at-first-sight moment like with Rama and Sita, but Sita also feels like the kind of woman who would fall in love with more than just handsomeness. I bet she was thinking that Rama was attractive, but she discerned other good qualities about him.
When Rama broke the bow because he was distracted by Sita, I think that was a really adorable moment/detail, but I like that the story also implies it’s foreshadowing for something bad.
I like that the story doesn’t rush Sita and Rama’s initial relationship. They get married quickly, yeah, but they’re still learning about each other. They really do seem like a good match because they communicate.
Bibliography:
Tiny Tales from the Ramayana, Part A by Laura Gibbs. Source.