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| (A valiant looking Rama. Image Source: Wikimedia.) |
The battle raged on and on. Ravana had begun to reach his breaking point. He utilized most of the resources that were available to him but to no avail. Rama seemed invincible as he countered all of Ravana’s attacks one-by-one, but Ravana was determined not to give up. When it seemed as if Ravana had nothing else to offer, Rama thought that it was time to end this strenuous fight. He decided to try and use the “Maya”, an ancient weapon that allowed to user to confuse his/her opponent by creating illusions. Ravana started to charge at Rama with full force. Upon stepping within arms distance of Rama, Ravana suddenly entered another dimension.
“What just happened? Where am I?”
Ravana began to wander around aimlessly in search of an exit. He walked for awhile until he reached a tunnel. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel so he began to walk towards it. As he reached the end, he faintly heard the voice of a woman. Suddenly a blinding light impaired his vision as he exited the tunnel. When his eyes refocused on the scene, he found himself to stand before a woman holding a child. At first, Ravana was confused by the whole picture. However, as he examined the woman more closely, he was bewildered to find that that woman was in fact his mother. Ravana did not understand what was happening. Slowly, he found himself wanting to touch the face of his mother. Step-by-step, he inched closer and closer to her. Just as he was about to touch her cheek, a bright light once again appeared. When Ravana regained his vision, he found himself in his home. He looked around to find all of the things he use to enjoy as a child, from the toys he played with to the blanket that he always held to so dearly. He began to explore the house when he was stopped by a little boy. The boy looked up at Ravana and spoke in a soft voice.
“Who are you?”
“I am Ravana. Who are you?”
“I am also Ravana.”
At that moment, he once again heard the voice of his mother.
“Ravana, come here my little one.”
Ravana watched as the little boy happily ran to his mother, well, their mother. He continued to watch and admire as the boy and his mother laughed and frolicked. He suddenly started to think.
When did I become so engrossed in hurting people? When did I become so evil?
Ravana did not understand how such a pure little boy could become what he had become. He began to also think about the fight that was going on with Rama.
“Why am I fighting Rama?”
Ravana knew that he wanted to fight Rama for the hand of his wife but he began to rethink the choices he had made. Deep down, Ravana knew what he was doing was wrong, it’s just that he didn’t know how to stop. He didn't know when to stop living up to the picture that people drew of him. For the first time in a long time, Ravana felt remorse. He felt remorse for the wrongs that he had done. He felt remorse for ever straying off into the wrong direction. With that thought, the room started to shake. Suddenly, Ravana found himself back on the battle field only now, everything was frozen in time. This was the perfect moment. Ravana had the chance to defeat Rama once and for all. However, Ravana could not move his feet. He had this new feeling inside of him that prevented him from moving forward with the heinous act. For the first time in his adult life, he felt sympathy. He felt not only sympathy for Rama but he felt sympathy for himself, for a once innocent boy who somewhere along the line took the wrong turn. At that moment, time began to proceed again. Ravana was once again very confused. Rama was now looking at him.
“You, Ravana, have passed the test of the “Maya”.
“The test of the “Maya”?”
“I used the test of the Maya in hopes that you could be redeemed. The Maya is an ancient weapon used to create illusions. For people who cannot be redeemed, it will cause them to go crazy; but for people who even have the slightest chance of being saved, it has the power to show the victim how they once were. Everyone is born pure, and many stray off that path, but the “Maya” was built to restore that path. You, Ravana, have successfully passed the test and therefore, in my book, have beaten me."
So that was the end of the great battle between Rama and Ravana. Though the battle did not conclude with a winner, Rama was able to save another lost soul and that in itself made everyone a winner.
“What just happened? Where am I?”
Ravana began to wander around aimlessly in search of an exit. He walked for awhile until he reached a tunnel. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel so he began to walk towards it. As he reached the end, he faintly heard the voice of a woman. Suddenly a blinding light impaired his vision as he exited the tunnel. When his eyes refocused on the scene, he found himself to stand before a woman holding a child. At first, Ravana was confused by the whole picture. However, as he examined the woman more closely, he was bewildered to find that that woman was in fact his mother. Ravana did not understand what was happening. Slowly, he found himself wanting to touch the face of his mother. Step-by-step, he inched closer and closer to her. Just as he was about to touch her cheek, a bright light once again appeared. When Ravana regained his vision, he found himself in his home. He looked around to find all of the things he use to enjoy as a child, from the toys he played with to the blanket that he always held to so dearly. He began to explore the house when he was stopped by a little boy. The boy looked up at Ravana and spoke in a soft voice.
“Who are you?”
“I am Ravana. Who are you?”
“I am also Ravana.”
At that moment, he once again heard the voice of his mother.
“Ravana, come here my little one.”
Ravana watched as the little boy happily ran to his mother, well, their mother. He continued to watch and admire as the boy and his mother laughed and frolicked. He suddenly started to think.
When did I become so engrossed in hurting people? When did I become so evil?
Ravana did not understand how such a pure little boy could become what he had become. He began to also think about the fight that was going on with Rama.
“Why am I fighting Rama?”
Ravana knew that he wanted to fight Rama for the hand of his wife but he began to rethink the choices he had made. Deep down, Ravana knew what he was doing was wrong, it’s just that he didn’t know how to stop. He didn't know when to stop living up to the picture that people drew of him. For the first time in a long time, Ravana felt remorse. He felt remorse for the wrongs that he had done. He felt remorse for ever straying off into the wrong direction. With that thought, the room started to shake. Suddenly, Ravana found himself back on the battle field only now, everything was frozen in time. This was the perfect moment. Ravana had the chance to defeat Rama once and for all. However, Ravana could not move his feet. He had this new feeling inside of him that prevented him from moving forward with the heinous act. For the first time in his adult life, he felt sympathy. He felt not only sympathy for Rama but he felt sympathy for himself, for a once innocent boy who somewhere along the line took the wrong turn. At that moment, time began to proceed again. Ravana was once again very confused. Rama was now looking at him.
“You, Ravana, have passed the test of the “Maya”.
“The test of the “Maya”?”
“I used the test of the Maya in hopes that you could be redeemed. The Maya is an ancient weapon used to create illusions. For people who cannot be redeemed, it will cause them to go crazy; but for people who even have the slightest chance of being saved, it has the power to show the victim how they once were. Everyone is born pure, and many stray off that path, but the “Maya” was built to restore that path. You, Ravana, have successfully passed the test and therefore, in my book, have beaten me."
So that was the end of the great battle between Rama and Ravana. Though the battle did not conclude with a winner, Rama was able to save another lost soul and that in itself made everyone a winner.
Author's Note
I was really intrigued with the description of how the "Maya" worked which was why I decided to focus on the effects it had on the victim in my story. The Maya was a weapon that had the power to create illusions for the person who it was used on. I wanted the outcome of the fight to be one that was happy and the only way I felt that that could have happen was if Ravana was somehow redeemed and/or if he realized the error of his ways. I made this possible by tweaking the effects of the Maya a little by making it send Ravana down memory lane. By doing this, Ravana would be able to see the person that he once was. We are all born pure but some of us end up taking the wrong path. In the end Ravana came to realize that the fight he was in was not worth it. I wanted to make everyone a winner; I wanted a happy ending and with this, I was hopefully able to create that for the readers. I still stuck to the original story of them having an ongoing, strenuous fight but I added my own twist to it i.e the happy ending.
Bibliography
Narayan's Ramayana, Link to Reading online.
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