Mummy tells her son Rama “Ramayana”

 Mummy tells  her son Rama “Ramayana”

By

P.R.Ramachander

(once upon a time I was a story teller to children. I thought  , why not try  telling Ramayana  in my fashion and this is the result)

“I am sleepy  , tell me   a story Mummy “ , said Rama,

And Mummy  laughed   and said,  “Why not?”

 “Long long ago , there  was a king called  Dasaratha.”

Rama said  , “funny name  , what does  it mean.”

Mummy laughed  “Ït means  he can fight  with ten people,

And that  king had  three  wives” and Rama , was not happy?

“Why Mummy? . in all my friends  homes  there  is only one Mummy.”

Mummy replied ”Kings are big people  and so  they marry many people”

Rama said Öh” and Mummy said, “ there  were  no children ,

In their home “and Rama nodded” like the aunty  next  door,

And did that  king do any pooja  like the next door aunty? “

Mummy replied ,  “yes  and a  man came from pooja with a bowl. “

Rama was surprised “Never heard of  anything like that”  and mummy said,

  “The bowl had four spoon  of kheer  and Dasaratha  gave  one spoon ,

To the three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi   and Sumithra and

The  one more spoon  Sumithra  , whom all liked. “

  “After   some time  Kausalya   got  one baby boy,

Kaikeyi  another baby boy   but Sumithra,

Got two baby boys.”Rama jumped  up and said,

“ I know  one baby boy per one  spoon of kheer,

Oh Mummy , I am only  one boy , did you,

Take  only one spoon of kheer” and she just smiled.

 “ Dasaratha  called  his  Guru  vasishta  to name the boys.

He named  Kausalya’s son  as Rama, because  he was pretty.”

Rama jumped   up and down   “and so Mummy  I too am pretty”

She said  “ The Guru called  Kaikeyi’s son BHaratha   because  he would rule well.”

“He named one son of Sumithra as  Lakshmana  , because ,

He  was perfect and the other Sathrugna because ,

He will kill  his enemies  “ and Rama asked “Munmmy ,

How   could the guru  knew  all  this about the babies?”

Rama’s Mummy said  “Vasishta was   a great sage  ,

And he  knew  what  is going   to happen for all.”

Rama said , “Mummy  I wish   I knew  him” and mummy smiled,

And Said ,  “Äll the four children went  to Guru’s school  to learn”

“ After  some time    the Guru told Dasaratha    that  his children,

Have passed out and on that  day an angry   sage  called Kaushika,

Came to Dasaratha’s palace  and told  him , “Some  asuras  ,

Are  not allowing  me to do pooja,Please send Rama to help me.”

Rama asked “who are  asuars” and his  mummy   replied,

“bad people who trouble  Good people” and  “Dasaratha,

Did not want his very small  child to  go and fight  with,

Asuras  and he asked,   “shall  will come instead  of him “.

The angry sage got very angry  but Guru of Dasaradha,

Advised him to send Rama , because  it would  be good  for him”

Rama said  “I  do not follow Mummy, you always say,

Fighting with any one   is bad “and mummy smiled

“True Rama” but Rama  was an expert in fighting  and,

Unless  he fights , how can we   drive   away bad people”

Lakshmana who liked  his brother  , too too mmuch,

Went with them  and both brothers killed all the bad people.”

“The sage was glad  and told them that he will take them,

To Sita’s SWayamvara.”Rama said  “mummy you are going very fast,

Who is Sita   and  what is SWayamvara”, Mummy continued ,

With a smile , “there  was another  king Janaka  with just one wife”

“He too did not have any children, “Rama said “ Oh  then , he did,

Pooja  and that person came  out” , Mummy said , “No  , he thought,

He will raise  a garden” Rama said  “funny mummy  , Is there,

Any tree, which gives  babies”, Mummy said , “not at all””

“But when he dug the land  he got a box and it had,

A lovely girl baby”” Rama could not keep quite  ,

 “Öh Mummy let us  dig a  garden , I want a sister”

Mummmy laughed out loud “these things do not happen any more.”

“That king named her “Sita” and   that king had   a huge  bow,

Which even hundred people  could not lift,  but one day  ,

When the golden ball  she was playing with  , went  below,

The box, Sita  simply lifted the box and took her ball.”

Rama said Öh “ was   she as strong   as Rama or was she,

KIngkong” Mummy  said , “neither  but she had great power.

And so  her father  decided she will marry a person ,

Who also can lift  the  bow”, Rama said “sounds Okay”

Rama said , “Mummy did  your father  ask  Daddy,

To cook  Pista, like  you , before you married him”

Mummy said, “Do not be silly  , Daddy does not know how to cook,”

And  let me tell you   , “what  is SWayamvara?”

“During  those times when a girl wants to get married,

They  will call one day, all boys  who want to marry her ,

And ask her to select  the boy  she wants  to marry and that is Swayamvara”

Rama jumped and told, “keep swayamvara  for me tomorrow”

Mummy  said “do not be silly, , The sage took  Rama and Lakshmana,

To the kings place   but on the way Rama stepped  on  a stone,

And the  Stone became a lady called  Ahalya”” Rama said,

Mummy , Please do not send me there, I do not want to make a  stone  in to a girl”

Mummy continued, “Rama broke the bow easily  “and Sita  liked Rama,

And Sita’s father  called  Rama’s  Daddy and Mummy   and  very grandly,

The marriage of Sita  and Rama  was celebrated”, Rama  caught hold,

Of  his Mummy’s hand , “Please Mummy  , I too want to marry that Sita”

Mummy  laughed and told, “hey little   bundle  of Mischief,

You are still a baby  and when you grow up  , I will find a Sita for you.”

Mummy continued, “When Sita and Rama   were returning  back,

To Rama’s place , one angry man called Parasurama  stopped them.”

He told them, “Hey silly Rama, You seem to be proud  that you have  broken,

A silly  bow  that  this girl had, I will not allow  you to go from here  .

Till you break my bow also and Rama easily  did” Rama said,

To teach that angry man, Rama should have given the  bow to Sita to break”

Mummy said , “”Wonderful kiddo  , This thought never occurred to me,

Rama, Sita and his parents reached  their place   and lived   happily,

And Dasaratha  became old and wanted Rama to help him to rule his country,

And he wanted to  make Rama also a king  and all people became happy.”

There was  a hunch back called Mandhara  who was a servant of  Kaikeyi,

And  she did not  Like Rama  becoming  the king”, Rama asked “Why?”

She said “ When Rama was  a baby he threw  a ball at  Mandhara and it hurt her,

And so she hated  Rama, and so she went  and told  Kaikeyi “ÿou are a fool”

“She told Kaikeyi  , “Rama is not your son, .Ask Dasaratha  to make  ,

Your son Bharatha  the king”Kaikeyi told her “”how can I do it?”

Then that crooked hunchback told “Once  you saved Dasaratha,

And he  had promised  to give you  any two things  that you want.”

 “ So when Dasaratha  returned from his office  , Kaikeyi asked,

“Do you  remember you had promised  any two things you want?”

Dasaratha said ofcourse, and she asked, “ My son Bharatha  ,

Should become the king  and Rama should go  to forest  for 14 years”

“Mummy  , that is very bad, Let her son become the  king  ,

But Why should , Rama go to forest?” jumped up and down our Rama,

But then his Mummy   said “all  people   felt like that ,

But  Rama went to forest  along with Sita and Lakshmana”

“Unfortunately being very sad , Dasaratha   died  and ,

Bharatha who had  gone to his uncles place   for vacation,

Came back, shouted aty Kaikeyi,  refused  to be the king,

And went along with all   to  the  forest to call  back Rama”

“I like Bharatha , Mummy  , he should have beaten his mummy”,

Said Rama and his Mummy told “ Will you ever beat me  Rama”

Rama said ,”” never mummy, because  you are my darling”

Rama’s mummy hugged him  and said , “ My darling”

“When Bharatha met Rama, he refused to come   and told him,

To be king for fourteen years   but Bharatha refused and asked,

For Rama’s slippers  and went back  and made Rama’s slippers  ,

As the king, And Rama  along with Sita  went further in to the forest.

“Mummy  , What Bharatha  did is wrong, how can poor   Rama,

Walk in the forest barefooted”, his mummy   agreed but continued,

“Rama, Lakshmana and Sita built to a pretty hut in a place ,

Called Panchavati and started   staying  there. Happily”

Rama asked,””How can they be happy Mummy , Barefooted,

That  too in a small hut” and Mummy continued, “One day  ,

A lady  called Soorpanakha   approached  Rama  and asked him,

To marry her  , but Rama playfully told  “I  already have a wife”

Rama asked, “But Mummy his father   had three  wives”

His mummy  laughed a lot and replied, “True  , but he was not,

As great  as his father and he sent the lady   to Lakshmana,

And Lakshmana  cut off her  nose   as well as  her  ears”

Rama said ,” Ït is bad of Lakshmana , he could have told ,

I too have a wife in Ayodhya” Mummy said “but  he did not”.,

And Soorpanakha  went   to her ten headed  brother  in Lanka,

And told him, Ï saw a pretty girl  in forest for you”

“But when  I went to bring her , One Rama cut off my  ears and nose.”

Ravana became angry  and asked  his uncle Marreecha   to dress up  ,

Like a  golden deer  and run before Rama’s hut. And when Sita saw,

The deer  , she wanted it and Rama chased the deer deep in to the forest”

Rama said “Sita should not have done that, Which fool will believe,

That  a golden deer can exist” and Mummy continued,

“Ravana took off Sita from  her hut  , took her to Lanka,

And kept her  in prison in a park called  äsoka vana”there.

Rama told “better  than Rama Mummy   ,He is still in forest,

And Sita   has reached a park,”Mummy continued  , “Rama

And Lakshmana  searched  everywhere  but could not find Sita,

And then on the way  they  met a monkey called  “hanuman””

Rama  asked , “What  is the use  of monkey , Mummy  ,

They can perhaps   climb trees and steal Bananas”

Mummy replied  “Hanuman was not like that.

He was God and he was minister  to Sugreeva”

“Sugreeva was  another God monkey and requested,

Help of Rama to defeat  his brother  monkey Vali,

Who was very strong. . Rama said, “mummy,

Monkeys will  fight each other even if they are Gods?”

Mummy smilingly said “Rama killed Vali, made   sugreeva  ,

The king of monkeys  and all the  monkeys  ,

Searched all over the world  For Sita and Hanuman,

Reached  Lanka by  crossing  the ocean by jumping over it

Rama said, “you always call me monkey but never allow,

Me even to jump and cross a pool of water”and Mummy said,

“I  never called  you Hanuman monkey” and “ any way,

Hanuman met Sita  , met Ravana  , and  burnt  Lanka,”

Rama said””monkeys  will always  be monkeys” and Mummy

Continued”He jumped back, met Rama  , told everything ,

And Rama  with all moneys   started  towards Lanka”

Rama said  , Ïf one monkey can burn Lanka , with so many monkeys     !“

Rama with help  of monkeys built a  bridge   and when he was,

Doing that  Vibheeshana , the good brother  of Ravana ,

Came and surrendered to Rama”  .Rama said, “oh,

He had a good   brother too , and then what?”

They crossed the ocean   and  after   great war,

Rama killed Ravana  and in a plane  owned by Ravana,

Reached  Ayodhya  , where  he became   the king”

Rama said  “Mummy I am sleepy  , Sri Rama Jayam”