Week 7 Storytelling: The Treasures of Lanka
It's over at last. I am finally King of Lanka. What a great battle Rama fought against Ravana! Rama's entire army fought more valiantly than I have ever witnessed, but no warrior fought with the passion and strength of Hanuman. Seeing his great strength as well as his deep love for Rama has given me a profound respect for him. He is truly the most loyal creature on this earth, perhaps the most loyal creature in all of creation. Surely Hanuman can be trusted above all others! Yet here I stand questioning with whom I should share in the delights of the treasures of Lanka.
For thousands of years the treasures of Lanka have only been shared with the most powerful Rakshasa. Never has any creature but a Rakshasa laid eyes upon them., not even the Treasure Lord himself. Is Hanuman so worthy as to disrupt this? I cannot know... I once viewed all creatures as inferior other than Rakshasa. Not even the gods compared to our greatness in my mind. Yet after witnessing the corruption that ran deep through many Rakshasa's veins I have begun to see differently. Rama, Lakshman, the animals; they are friends. Hanuman the most honorable among them. Perhaps creatures other than the Rakshasa are worthy.
Then there is the matter of the overwhelming greed that consumes many who have seen the treasures of Lanka. Within one room there is more wealth then anywhere else in the world. Perhaps more wealth than the heavens themselves! Many Rakshasa have seen this room and gone mad with greed. They become obsessed over the thought of possessing even a portion of such vast wealth. Does Hanuman possess a heart pure enough to resist this greed? Surely a monkey that has devoted his life to serving his friends is not concerned with material possessions.
I have not only seen Hanuman's great loyalty towards Rama and Sita, but all those whom he calls friend. After recent events I am certain that Hanuman sees me as a friend. With this friendship he will be loyal to me until death. Seeing such great wealth could turn anyone against their closest friends; even family. Yet Hanuman is different. He has fought through the greatest trials simply to honor those he calls friend. I know it is safe. I am certain he is worthy, but I also know that no other being could possibly enter the room and see of the treasures. Surely Hanuman will be the only non-Rakshasa to ever enter the room that holds the great treasures of Lanka. And I trust that he will tell no one of what he sees. It is decided! I will take him to see because I care deeply for my friend Hanuman. I wish for him to witness the greatest treasure that exists on this earth!
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| Hanuman the loyal friend |
Author's Note:
I chose to write about Vibhishana's decision to show the treasures of Lanka to Hanuman. I wrote this story as if it was in Vibhishana's mind and he was making considerations about why to allow Hanuman to see the great treasures. I thought about several reasons that would make one weary to let a friend see their closest treasure. I thought Vibhishana would consider several things: Letting an outsider (a non-Rakshasa) see the treasure, the greed that comes with seeing such vast wealth, and Hanuman's loyalty (perhaps due to fear that he would betray Vibhishana). I touched on each of these subjects, and gave reasons why Vibhishana thought they wouldn't be a problem with Hanuman. Overall, I think Vibhishana admires Hanuman and sees him as a dear friend, and that is what ultimately led him to reveal the treasures of Lanka.
1) Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
I really liked your story! It was cool seeing inside of the mind of Vibhishana and what he thought about those that he fought along side with. I enjoy that he sees just how great of a being Hanuman is, and to have seen the way that he decides to trust him with seeing such great treasures. There was a lot of great detail, and your author’s note was great too.
ReplyDeleteBrandon, I thought you did a really great job with this story. I thought Vibhishana was such an interesting character, so it was really cool to see this from his point of view. I also liked that you included his viewpoint on Hanuman. At the beginning of the story though, it may be confusing for people as to whose viewpoint this is if they haven't read The Ramayana. So maybe you could change it to say: I, Vibhishana, am finally King of Lanka. But great job overall!
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