Week 3 Story: The Creation of Sita
Mother Earth was the guardian of the world and the protector of all its
creatures, who lived in harmony on the majestic landscapes
of her body. Where her hip curved the
waves of the ocean cascaded; where her knee bent the canopies of the forest
bowed.
It came to pass that Mother Earth felt the pangs of emptiness in her womb, and saw the shadows cast in the absence of life there. She decided that she would create a child, and that she would model it after the human children that she loved to watch laughing and playing with one another.
Mother Earth began to gather the most beautiful elements of the world. She picked wild grasses for the child's hair, and dyed them a lovely ebony color with the juice of dark berries. She brought soft coral for the child's lips and smooth ivory for her skin. Her legs grew from the branches of the sturdiest maple trees, her veins infused with the sweetness of the sap. Her arms were winding rose vines just before bloom.
One final piece remained missing: the child needed the ability to see. Mother Earth searched far and wide, but she could not find any element of the earth suited for the little girl's eyes. She decided to go to Father Sky, knowing that the vast expanse of his domain was better suited for this detail.
Mother Earth entreated Father Sky to grant her request. He proclaimed, "I will give her eyes made from the fabric of the night sky. Whoever shall look into them will drink the vast expanse of the universe. But I will do this under one condition. You must not keep this child for yourself, as she is destined for greatness. She must live with her own kind and be raised among them."
Mother Earth was distraught. She had created the perfect child, and could not bear the thought of having to watch her grow up from afar. But without eyes, the child would never be able to gaze upon Mother Earth, and she would never be able to share the beauty of the world with her daughter. And so Mother Earth agreed to Father Sky's request. As Father Sky brought down eyes for the little girl, he slipped the soul of Lakshmi inside of them. Both she and her husband in in the god realm, Vishnu, were destined to be placed on earth in human form, and would reunite with one another when the time came.
When the child was whole, Mother Earth gazed upon her creation for a long time. The little girl was truly flawless, for she had been born from the most incredible elements of the earth. Knowing that they would soon have to part ways, Mother Earth begged time to have mercy and slow down the movement of the hour, so that she might pour forth all the love in her heart to the small being. It was the most intense maternal love that has ever graced the universe; the stars will bear witness.
Mother Earth found a soft field of poppies and laid the child among the crimson flowers. "You will be called Sita, my darling. You will live and play with the other human children, and you will be happy. I will feel your feet tickle my skin as you run among the hills, and your laughter will echo in the caves of my ears. I will watch from afar as you grow and bloom into the flower of womanhood."
On that day the seas swelled with Mother Earth's tears, and a royal ship from the land of Mithila was forced to dock on an island covered in poppy fields.
Author's Note: There is a brief mention of Sita's origin in the Ramayana, where it is revealed that she was a gift of Mother Earth to King Janaka, and that she had been discovered in a field. I have always loved the idea of describing the earth using human qualities, and I decided to bring her to life by expanding on Sita's origin story. When Rama and Sita describe one another in the Ramayana, they use natural elements to compliment the other's beauty; I played with this idea by literally creating Sita from elements of nature.
Humans had always held a special fascination for Mother
Earth. Their capacity to feel was unlike any of the other species that roamed her lands, and their lives were colored by a broad spectrum of emotions. She watched their tears mingle with
the rains and their joy brighten the rays of the sun.
The other creatures of the earth each had their own domain; the lion roams the desert as the monkey swings between the trees of the rainforest, just as the crocodile slips among the reeds of the wetlands and the penguin glides over the icy arctic floor. But humans were found far and wide, living among all the other creatures. They roamed and they settled, and then once more they would be on the move. Mother Earth watched intently as they built their homes in the valleys of her palms, as they trekked the mountain ridges of her spine.
The other creatures of the earth each had their own domain; the lion roams the desert as the monkey swings between the trees of the rainforest, just as the crocodile slips among the reeds of the wetlands and the penguin glides over the icy arctic floor. But humans were found far and wide, living among all the other creatures. They roamed and they settled, and then once more they would be on the move. Mother Earth watched intently as they built their homes in the valleys of her palms, as they trekked the mountain ridges of her spine.
It came to pass that Mother Earth felt the pangs of emptiness in her womb, and saw the shadows cast in the absence of life there. She decided that she would create a child, and that she would model it after the human children that she loved to watch laughing and playing with one another.
Mother Earth began to gather the most beautiful elements of the world. She picked wild grasses for the child's hair, and dyed them a lovely ebony color with the juice of dark berries. She brought soft coral for the child's lips and smooth ivory for her skin. Her legs grew from the branches of the sturdiest maple trees, her veins infused with the sweetness of the sap. Her arms were winding rose vines just before bloom.
One final piece remained missing: the child needed the ability to see. Mother Earth searched far and wide, but she could not find any element of the earth suited for the little girl's eyes. She decided to go to Father Sky, knowing that the vast expanse of his domain was better suited for this detail.
Mother Earth entreated Father Sky to grant her request. He proclaimed, "I will give her eyes made from the fabric of the night sky. Whoever shall look into them will drink the vast expanse of the universe. But I will do this under one condition. You must not keep this child for yourself, as she is destined for greatness. She must live with her own kind and be raised among them."
Mother Earth was distraught. She had created the perfect child, and could not bear the thought of having to watch her grow up from afar. But without eyes, the child would never be able to gaze upon Mother Earth, and she would never be able to share the beauty of the world with her daughter. And so Mother Earth agreed to Father Sky's request. As Father Sky brought down eyes for the little girl, he slipped the soul of Lakshmi inside of them. Both she and her husband in in the god realm, Vishnu, were destined to be placed on earth in human form, and would reunite with one another when the time came.
When the child was whole, Mother Earth gazed upon her creation for a long time. The little girl was truly flawless, for she had been born from the most incredible elements of the earth. Knowing that they would soon have to part ways, Mother Earth begged time to have mercy and slow down the movement of the hour, so that she might pour forth all the love in her heart to the small being. It was the most intense maternal love that has ever graced the universe; the stars will bear witness.
Mother Earth found a soft field of poppies and laid the child among the crimson flowers. "You will be called Sita, my darling. You will live and play with the other human children, and you will be happy. I will feel your feet tickle my skin as you run among the hills, and your laughter will echo in the caves of my ears. I will watch from afar as you grow and bloom into the flower of womanhood."
On that day the seas swelled with Mother Earth's tears, and a royal ship from the land of Mithila was forced to dock on an island covered in poppy fields.
An artistic interpretation of Mother Earth as a woman. Source: Flickr
Author's Note: There is a brief mention of Sita's origin in the Ramayana, where it is revealed that she was a gift of Mother Earth to King Janaka, and that she had been discovered in a field. I have always loved the idea of describing the earth using human qualities, and I decided to bring her to life by expanding on Sita's origin story. When Rama and Sita describe one another in the Ramayana, they use natural elements to compliment the other's beauty; I played with this idea by literally creating Sita from elements of nature.
~~~
Bibliography
Hey Joni,
ReplyDeleteI love the combination of different mythological traditions here... creating a god in the image of humans is also an interesting inversion of the Biblical creation of man in the image of the divine.
I'd be curious to better understand Father Sky's motivations here -- why did he want Sita to be among humankind, but have the soul of a god? There seems to be something lurking behind the scenes...
And this is great: "Where her hip curved the waves of the ocean cascaded; where her knee bent the canopies of the forest bowed."
-- Alby
Hi Joni!
ReplyDeleteYour story was simply beautiful. I felt as though I was truly reading it from a book. You have a way with words that bring every detail and every aspect to life. It was simply mesmerizing to read each word. It also flowed very well with each coming paragraph. You did a wonderful job of bringing it to life. I wonder though if you had done any research on this story prior to writing it? Is that what inspired you to write this story? I also wonder what about Sita and the story inspired this story? You seem to really love these types of descriptions, so I am curious to see what your Storybook will be! At first I did not realize that this was where you were taking the story until you mentioned Sita's name at the end. You could possibly make this known in the beginning in order to make the story more obvious, if that makes sense. I was just lost about where you were taking this story until the end. Overall, however, it was a wonderful story and I look forward to reading more that you bring! I really loved this detailed story. It was wonderful!
I loved that you gave Sita this beautiful beginning. She has such a tragic life. You wrote her such a wonderful start. I loved how you described how Mother Earth built her. The eye description reminded me of the tumblr pictures that compare grey eyes to the Milky Way. This story also give more clarity to why she was found in a field. Is there more to that story and we just didn't read it? I would love to know.
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