Week 6 Storytelling: Hanuman Goes to Lanka

Soon after I was granted eternal life I found some jewelry laying on the ground. I had never seen anything like it before. Once I heard that Rama’s wife was missing I thought the jewelry could be hers so I brought it to him immediately. He was so grateful and I could see the pain in his eyes because he missed Sita. I was instantly  in awe with him. There are very few people on this earth that get to experience true love and he needed help finding his one true love. I knew that he was going to become my best friend. I chose to forever become loyal to him. He informed me that he was sending out a search party for Sita while he held down the fort so I offered to help; little did I know I would soon lead the party.

As we prepared for our departure the night before, I had to introduce myself to everyone. Some were kind, others were weirded out that a monkey was joining. Overall, I felt good about making the decision and slept well for the next day.

The next morning we headed for Sita. We ran into a man named Sampati and he told us that he had seen Sita with Rama overhead flying to Lanka. We decided to take a vote on who was to go across the sea, since there was no bridge for all of us to go. I guess the troops like me more than I’d thought because they all voted for me! I want to make Rama proud and show him my loyalty.

As I crossed the sea, I had a chance to rest on the mountain Mainaka. She was very nice and told me stories as she served me lunch. After that, I had to face the sea demon that was protecting the island. She was vicious but I was able to penetrate her aorta and kill her. Nothing will get in the way of me finding Sita!!!

I finally arrived at the island and realized I needed to disguise myself because no one there has ever seen a flying monkey before. I changed into the shape of a cat because I saw one walk by. It was very different viewing the world from that close to the ground. I’m not sure that I would enjoy being a cat for all of eternity. Eventually Lanka found out that it was me and she was convinced that I was fulfilling the curse of Ravana. I found Sita and made sure she knew I was working for Rama. She gave me something to show Rama when I returned with the news.

Photo of Hanuman found online.

Author's Note: I chose to write from Hanuman's point of view because he is such a loyal friend and follower of Rama. I thought it would be interesting to hear why he loves Rama so much and what he endures on his journey through land and sea to find Sita. 

Bibliography:

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.