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Ramayana is a story that weaves a web of adventure, mysticism, love, family, and Hindu philosophy. Although written thousands of years ago, much of its teachings are still relevant today, in our ever-changing lives. These moral elements are presented through the many difficult choices that challenge the storys characters. These choices, or dilemmas if you will, put into question a characters virtues by, to put it simply, giving that character two options. One option being the correct choice while the other is not.
It is the choices made that are fundamental in developing the story as well as its characters. This paper shall analyze the crucial scene of the Golden Deer. This scene is the crisis point of the story. It is during this event that several, very influential decisions are made by main characters. It is these judgments that effectively shape the remainder of the myth. In order to better examine this pivotal moment, three characters (Rama, Lakshmana, Sita) and their choices shall be carefully scrutinized.
This shall be accomplished through evaluating their actions, decisions, and repercussions in a contextual manner, as well as how it applies to our everyday lives. It shall become quite apparent that if the right actions had been taken at three specific moments, then Sita would never have been captured. The scene begins with Mareecha posing as a Golden Deer in front of Ramas cottage, in order to draw Sita out. It is said that his brilliance was so marvelous that other deer surrounded him, thus drawing even more attention and concretely grabbing Sita's gaze. The following excerpt is what she has to say to Rama about the deer: There is an animal at our gate with a body of shining gold, and its legs are set with precious stones.
Its a dazzling creature. Please catch it for me (The Ramayana, p 96 - 7). It does not dawn on her, that such a glorious creature should be left in the wild so that other people, even other animals, as it was with the authentic deer, could enjoy its beauty. Instead she chooses a selfish response, and thus begins her demise.
Rama makes the next choice. He has the option of either pleasing his wife and capturing the deer or seeing it as an obvious trick and letting it go. Without even thinking about the possible repercussions, or even thinking at all, Rama decides, Yes, of course you shall have it. Where is it? (The Ramayana, p 97). The reader is made aware of Ramas lack of thought in the following passage that precedes said choice Normally, Rama would have questioned Sita's fancy, but today he blindly accepted her demand (The Ramayana, p 97).
The narrator makes it clear that Rama is blinded by his desire to please his wife. It is at this point that his well trusted brother (Lakshmana) intervenes, and attempts to dissuade Rama by opening his eyes to the obvious deception. Lakshmana intercedes with the following It may be just an illusion presented before us. Its not safe. Who has ever heard of an animal made of gold and gems?
Its a trick if ever there was one. (The Ramayana, p 97) This seams to be the most logical, straightforward, arguments ever spoken, yet Rama decides to ignore his brothers observation, and with a little more coercing by his wife goes after the golden deer. Eventually, after pursuing the golden deer for a long period of time, Rama realizes his mistake and shoots an arrow that hits it. Mareecha, knowing his time is up, decides to impersonate Ramas voice and cry out to Lakshmana and Sita for help. Unfortunately, Rama is now to far to warn them (curiously, if he was so far how did Mareecha's voice carry), and Sita begins to become hysterical. Though hysteria can be quite contagious, Lakshmana keeps his cool and once again is able to see through Mareecha ruse. The following quote is another example of Lakshmana's logical reasoning: No harm can befall Rama.
Be assured of it. One who has vanquished all demons in this world will not be harmed by a mere animal, if indeed, as you think, it is an animal. It was an asura, now finished off, and the cry was false and assumed, aimed precisely at you. (The Ramayana, p 98) One would assume that such logic would be able to calm Ramas wife, but it is to no avail. She obviously cares much for Rama, thus she is easily blinded by that love, and therefore cannot see Mareecha's deception or Lakshmana's truth for what they really are. Sita's panic leads her to push guilt onto Lakshmana, in an attempt to persuade him, but he seems staunch as he sticks to his guns of reason. Unfortunately, Sita takes her guilt up a level, in a move that would rival any mothers.
The following citation is Sita's final successful attempt at dissuading Lakshmana: Yet you, who were born and bred with him and attached yourself to him through everything you stand here unmoved and unaffected by his cry for help. If you dont want to save him, there is nothing more I can do, nor anyone I could turn to for support. The only thing left will be for me to build a fire and throw myself into it. (The Ramayana, p 99) She realizes that she was having no effect on him by touching on his brotherly duty, so she changes her strategy, and pulls the suicide card. It is at this point that Lakshmana reveals to the reader his dilemma. Either he follows his brothers orders, protects Sita from harm, and thus causes her suicide; or he disobeys Rama, goes out to help him, and leaves Sita unprotected.
It is quite clear that this is the most difficult choice to be made in this scene. As Sita was the first of the three main characters to be involved with this scene, and more importantly, the one whose actions ultimately led to their undoing, her bad judgment shall be the first inspected. Up to this point, Sita's character had not really been developed, and yet her actions in respect to the golden deer do not come as much of a surprise to the reader. This is because she is introduced to the reader as being a spoiled young lady, as most princesses undoubtedly are.
Even though she had sacrificed luxury in order to be with Rama, in exile, one does not have to look hard for evidence of how her upbringing might have affected her character. One such example is when Sita sees Rama for the first time, and falls head over heels for him. She becomes like a child obsessed with a toy it cant have, first by redirecting her frustration at her servants You girls have forgotten how to make a soft bed, (The Ramayana, p 34) and then by moping and locking herself up in her room. Preceding this, Sita finds out that she is finally to be married; to which her reaction is as follows Do you know if this is the same man who struck me down with a look as he passed along the street? If it is someone else, I will end my life. (The Ramayana, p 40) Once again, Sita seems to be behaving like a child who freaks out whenever it does not get its way. Although, one could make an argument that Sita's irrational behavior was a bi-product of being young and in love, this would be completely shattered by her behavior in regard to the golden deer.
When she sees this glorious animal she basically has two choices, to either 1) admire it from afar or 2) make it her pet, introducing it to a life of captivity. She unfortunately chooses # 2, which sets in motion a series of events that eventually lead to her own incarceration. This is a clear example of how karma works. She made the wrong decision, a decision that, had it gone through, would have meant taken a thing of beauty and locking it up for her own amusement. Instead, she became the beautiful object to be locked up. To make matters worse, when Lakshmana brings up the fact that the golden deer is probably a trap, and therefore it should be him that pursues it, S...
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