Week 12 Story: Trijatha's Ramayana

Trijatha was the niece of Ravana, who was the ruler and king of Lanka. As a princess of Lanka, she grew up in Ravana's luxurious palace and played with her cousins in the palace gardens. Though surrounded by every luxury, Trijatha maintained a humble kindness as she grew into a young woman. 

In addition to her genial nature, there was another element that set her apart from the rest of Ravana's court; Trijatha was able to see into the future through her dreams, and the visions she saw always came to pass. Because of this gift, she was considered an esteemed member of Lanka's royalty, despite her vocal objections to the wicked nature of Ravana and his court. To escape the evil doings of Ravana, Trijatha spent most of her time wandering the palace gardens that she played in as a child.

One day, while walking through the main garden, Trijatha heard a large commotion that was moving from Ravana's throne room to the garden. Not wanting to be seen, she ducked behind a tree that was near the garden path. Soon, a large group of rakshasas and rakshasis passed by. They were surrounding a young woman, and were taunting her mercilessly as they pushed and prodded her towards the center of the garden.

From behind her hiding place, Trijatha studied the woman. She was dressed in a simple yellow sari and wore no jewelry, but her clever eyes and regal demeanor made it clear that she was a queen from some faraway land. The captive queen and her rakshasa guards reached the center of the gardens and made a simple camp under the boughs of a large. After ensuring that escape was impossible for their prisoner, the guards began again to taunt the woman. They leaped at her, cackling about her misfortune and cajoling her to give up and marry Ravana.

"Sita! Sita! There is no hope for you in Lanka."

"Indeed! Your hope is misplaced. Your precious Rama will never wrestle you from our king's grasp!"

"Give up, stubborn queen, and marry a real king!"

"Let Ravana be your savior! Give in, give in!"

Trijatha shuddered at the incessant harassment of the rakshasas and rakshasis. The queen, however, stayed aloof, not letting her anger at their words show. Seeing this, Trijatha was impressed by Sita, and made up her mind to somehow help the captured queen.

Such an opportunity arose the following day. The night before, Trijatha had a dream of the future. In the dream, she saw a foreign prince on the shores of Lanka. The prince raised his hand towards Ravana's palace, and a group of monkey soldiers ran up to the palace. Once the monkeys reached the palace, they found Sita in the garden and processed her back to the waiting prince. Trijatha knew that the foreign prince in her dream was none other than Sita's husband, Rama. Excited to inform Sita of the future, Trijatha quickly made her way to the palace gardens.

When she arrived at the gardens, Trijatha found Sita resting under a tree. Her guards had left to search the gardens for possible rescuers, so for now, the captured queen had a moment of respite from the rakshasis' constant taunting. Noting the approach of Trijatha, Sita sat up and called out in a withdrawn voice,

"Who are you? I don't recognize you as one of my guards."

Trijatha made her way to Sita and bowed slightly.

"My name is Trijatha. I am the only rakshasi that is able to view the future through my dreams. I bring glad tidings for you, noble queen."

Used to the tricks of the other rakshasi, Sita assumed this was an even more elaborate trap, meant to make her lose hope. She turned her face away from the princess in front of her and hissed,

"Were the earlier tricks not cruel enough for you? Is it not enough that I have been stolen away from my Rama? I tire of this land's cruelty."

"Sita, I bring no cruelty to you. Your treatment at the hands of my cousins has hurt me deeply. Lanka has become an evil place under the rule of my uncle, and I revile Ravana as much as you do. Let me be a single kindness to you in this dark time."

Sensing the rakshasi's sincerity, Sita apologized for her harsh reaction and invited Trijatha to sit with her. Trijatha then narrated her dream to Sita and promised to inform her of any other visions she might have of Rama. The two women spent the afternoon talking about their lives and the things they had endured. Sita realized that the rakshasi before her was a virtuous woman, who remained in Ravana's palace only to care for the people of Lanka. Trijatha learned of all that Sita had overcome with Rama and was inspired by her courage and fidelity.

In each other, the two women found a trusted companion, and their friendship blossomed during Sita's captivity. Sita knew that she could bear this exile from Rama with Trijatha by her side as a trusted ally.

(This is technically a picture of Sita with Trijatha's mother, Sarama. In other adaptations of The Ramayana, it is Sarama and not her daughter that befriends Sita. I felt like the familial relation justified adding it to a story about Trijatha. Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: This story is based on the graphic novel Sita's Ramayana. The book was simple yet gorgeous, chock full of different characters and stories that were not present R.K. Narayan's version of The Ramayana. One such character was Trijatha, the daughter of Ravana's brother Vibhishana. She is able to see the future and befriends Sita during her captivity in Ravana's palace. I wanted to retell her part in the Ramayana as a way to shine light on another often-overlooked female character in Indian mythology.

Bibliography:  Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar.