The Momma Clan

Has there ever been someone who is only good and only evil?

Someone so mixed in power that he was born a sage and a demon?

Does this not render a character complex?

Ravana is a character that is as complex as a human being, and that may be his greatest tragedy and his greatest point of empathy.

You would say Ravana kidnapped Sita and went against the good of Rama. But didn’t Lakshmana cut his sister’s nose in humiliation because she was a demoness? Was that not inciting a conflict? You would also say that. Your perspective may vary based on some factors: which side of history you were introduced to and at what age; where you were born and live, and what your own interpretations are.

It is, indeed, treated as a riddle. Not only did he portray himself as the perfect devotee to Brahma and Shiva, such that it surpassed their expectations, but he also committed a misdemeanour by kidnapping Sita as a retaliatory move to his sister’s humiliation. Where does that make him stand? What does it make him?

The answer is not simple; it is extrapolatory. Personally, I wouldn’t stand on either side; I stay in the middle of this argument simply because I see him through human eyes, even though he is not considered to be human. I think that is what comes with being human; you tend to see people, things, and here, demons, as something humane, through a lens of empathy and compassion. Empathy and compassion are two sides of the same coin, and the human species is marvelously blessed with both. Ravana’s argument is rendered unanswerable because the sage versus sinner is our interpolation. To gods and goddesses, demons and demonesses, he may be one or the other. But where do you stand as a human being is the question to ask.

I am not a devout Hindu. I was born a Hindu, but I don’t identify as one anymore. But as far as I remember, I used to do dance recitals on the Ramayana, and Ravana was always the one who kidnapped Sita. Even in the Amar Chitra Katha, there was the story of the Ramayana, where Ravana was fierce and evil, waging war against the good Rama and the faithful Lakshmana. But where are the dimensions of these characters that were considered real? There exists a section of the population of the world that looks at Ravana in dimensions. Why was I not dancing on that interpretation as well? I would have liked to. Why upset a half-demon, after all?

Forget sections; Valmiki himself wrote about Rama’s not-so-good-natured but very real behaviours that made him a complex figure. For example, did he not send Sita through the ordeal of a trial by fire or Agni Pariksha to prove her purity after she returned from Ravana’s capture? Should anyone be treated so cruelly after they have returned from such a disturbing situation? Where was the love, empathy, and compassion that Rama was so revered for?

In Sri Lanka, communities of the Tamil Hindus and Sinhala Buddhists consider this other side of Ravana that is unexplored in Indian mythology. They deem him a wise, educated, healing, and powerful ruler of Lanka. Lanka, under him, is most forward in its ways; technologically advanced, peaceful, and prosperous. There are temples worshipping him and lore told in his name, thus becoming a cultural icon.

In conclusion, what I want to say, without harming the sentiments of anyone on any side, is that simplicity is for children. It doesn’t make it wrong, but it does make it one-sided.

As mentioned in the beginning of this blog, what we perceive depends on different factors, and if this factor was something we were introduced to earlier in life, then maybe we could understand the complexities of these characters. Or, if you do not want to confuse children, do you, as an adult, have the ability to believe in more than one interpretation of a story?

I don’t know who said it, but a story always has three sides: yours, theirs, and the truth. I disagree. A story has two sides: yours and theirs; both can be wrong, both can be true, one can be wrong and one true, and vice versa. I don’t need to spell it out here for you readers because you would know better for yourself.

My only point at the beginning and the end is this: perceive the complexities. Make it: Ravana: sage AND sinner. 

-Hiranshi Mistry