Week 2 Storytelling: The Transformation of Maricha

Week Two Storytelling: The Transformation of Maricha

Journal entry one:

It has been two days since that fool Rama and his brother Lakshmana have slain my mother Thataka. Subahu and I broke down weeping after hearing the terrible news. and have since been plotting our revenge against humankind. It is said that Rama shielded my mothers attacks with his arrows and pierced her throat killing her with a single shot. No mortal could perform such a deed, so it must not be true. Perhaps he had an army at his side, but Rama couldn’t have slain Thataka alone. Rama will suffer for what he has done. He will die a violent death and many humans will die for his transgressions.

Journal entry two:

Subahu has gotten word that the human Viswamithra will be performing a yagna at Sidhasrama. Rama and Lakshmana will be there as well. We must fight against them and stop this sacred ritual. These wretched humans should be unable to please the gods. I will talk to Subahu and the other asura and assemble an army to oppose the human. We will not only stop the yagna, but destroy every human present.

Journal entry three:

The yagna at Sidhasrama is tomorrow. The asura have made all the necessary preparations and are well equipped to defeat the humans. No matter how great their forces we will prevail and crush them all. Even if this Rama is as powerful as was told we will destroy him with our numbers.

Journal entry four:

It’s been several days since the yagna at Sidhasrama. I was humiliated. Defeat was unexpected to say the least. Subahu and I targeted Rama with all our might, and he launched me far out into the sea with a single arrow. As I flew through the air I watch Rama slay the asura with ease, beheading each one with a single arrow. Even my beloved brother Subahu was slain. Surely this man is not a mere human. He possesses a strength that no mortal could ever attain, and looks as though he is Vishnu himself. Surely the gods have blessed him and no asura could ever prevail against him. To avoid my untimely end I will devote my life to meditation and a life of peace. I was spared for a reason, and I must meditate and pray to the gods. I will dwell in a cave as an ascetic for the rest of my days.

Maricha witnessing Subahu's death

Journal entry five:

I have found peace. I have forgiven Rama for his transgressions for I now realize that violence will never solve any conflict. In fact this conflict is rooted in the violence of the rakshasas and their destruction of humankind. Rama is their protector and is only standing up for the human race. Perhaps the rakshasa are better off dead. Perhaps then the world will be at peace.

Journal entry six:

My nephew came to me today. The supreme ruler Ravana. He longs for a woman named Sita. This lust will be the end of the rakshasa. Perhaps for the better. He mentioned a name that brought a great terror into my heart that I thought I had long cast away. Rama. Nothing good will come of this, but there will never be peace until either all the humans are slain or all the rakshasa. Whenever both exist there will be an eternal conflict. Rama is their saviour. Assisting Ravana will certainly be the end of me, but I would rather die than live to see the conflict of this world continue. Living in peace has shown me that as long as the rakshasa devour and destroy there will never be peace. As long as we exist the humans will always live in fear and seek to eliminate us. Maybe helping Ravana will unleash a chain of events that will lead Rama to exterminate all the rakshasa once and for. I will help Ravana. Not for his sake, but for the goal of peace in this world. Though it will take violence to achieve it, the result will be harmony on the earth.

Author’s Note:

I chose to write this story as a journal entry because it is the best way to peek into Maricha’s mind. I was able to convey separate events in a very distinct manner by using individual entries. Using a journal is also an effective way of seeing the innermost thoughts and emotions of Maricha as problems unfold around him. With this story I wanted to show Maricha’s violent thought process and how it evolved over time through fear of Rama as well as a desire for peace seeing the horrors that violence causes. He originally starts off infuriated with the murder of his mother, and gradually grows fearful of Rama’s power. It’s incredibly effective to show this anger and fear through a first person perspective. This allowed me to add in details and thoughts that amplify how I believe Maricha felt. I didn’t make any changes to the original events from the story, but I created all the thoughts of Maricha from thinking about how a violent demon would react to Rama’s actions. I focused mainly on the major events from the Ramayana to show how greatly each impacted Maricha emotionally. Keep in mind that, this is just my interpretation of how Maricha felt. He very way could have turned to peace completely out of fear, rather than out of a hatred towards violence.

Bibliography:

Narayan, R.K. (1972) The Ramayana.