Diary #2: Rama is the worst

Kamadeva
en.wikipedia.org

Sometime in the Treta Yuga,

Dear Diary,

WHAT. AN. IDIOT. Seriously diary, what an unbelievably insufferable idiot.  Clearly this incarnation of Vishnu did not inherit one ounce of his emotional intelligence. I really thought that once I gave Rama and Sita that initial burst of passion all those years ago, I would not need to intervene any further. After all, they are divine soulmates. Not everyone is lucky enough to get one of those. Apparently I should have kept a closer eye on the pair because Rama might be more idiotic than the rest of humanity combined.

I will claim some of the responsibility for this whole mess with Ravana kidnapping Sita. Very few people know this, but a long time ago, before I realized just how evil Ravana was, he performed a favor for me. In return he asked that I infuse him with deep desire for the most beautiful woman in the world. I warned him that his request was foolish. However, I had promised him one gift in return for his service. I gave him a desire for whoever was the most beautiful woman on earth at the time. However, I added a caveat that he would suffer grave consequences if he forced himself upon whatever woman that was. While my actions may have contributed to Sita's capture, they had nothing to do with the aftermath.

I will say Rama  started off strong. The appropriate response when your wife is kidnapped by an evil demon overlord is certainly to mount an all out rescue, which, to his credit, Rama did.The inappropriate response when you finally rescue said wife is TO BAN HER FROM YOUR SIGHT UNTIL SHE PROVES HER PURITY BY FIRE.

I asked Rati whether I was just overreacting to the situation. If anything she is even angrier at the situation than I am. Sita still longs for Rama to love her and pursue her as he did in the beginning of their relationship. Rati cannot understand how a husband could grow so cold towards his loving wife. She told me that she has  been more consistent than checking in on Rama and Sita than I have. According to her, Rama's passion seemed to have dimmed slightly before Ravana kidnapped Sita but not enough to worry Rati. Apparently she underestimated just how much that passion had faded. 

Honestly, the ideas of trust and respect cannot be absent from Rama's mind. I know they exist because I remember blessing his godly self with them. Maybe it's because my domain is passion, desire, and love, but I cannot contemplate throwing away the wife you just rescued for the sake of pride, however noble that pride may seem. I must be biased, as all gods are, about my own speciality. However, I feel I am justified in the high premium I place on my gifts. 

I gave humans (and gods) the most powerful gifts aside from their minds. Their capacity to love deeply and wholly, however short their mortal lives may be, separates them from all other beings. I did that. I made them special. What does pride give to a soul that love cannot? Nothing! So why anyone would choose anything over love I cannot comprehend.  I gave humans something lovely and unique and now even the best among them would squander my gifts. 

Well, enough. In Lakshmi's next incarnation she will have the most beautiful love that I could ever bestow on a human incarnation. She will be respected, treasured, and at peace. However, Vishnu is on his own. If he is reincarnated as a human again, I will not assist in his life at all. He will be rejected for another's pride, and wander alone for the rest of that mortal life. Perhaps a dose of what Sita currently feels will make Vishnu reconsider any of his mortal forms ever rejecting my gifts again.

Author's Note:

Narayan's Ramayana, Link to Reading Guide D.

The incident referenced by Kamadeva happens in the original story. Ravana kidnaps Sita and takes her to his palace. Rama rescues her ,but refuses to allow her back in his presence because she has slept in the house of another man. Sita is understandably hurt. She steps into a fire to prove her purity and is not burnt. Only after Sita is unburnt by the fire does Rama take her back. I was appalled by that section of the story, especially since Rama is supposed to be the hero. I thought Kamadeva would be equally upset and would probably need to rant about it in his diary.  I wanted to keep the sarcastic flippant tone of my original Kamadeva diary while also giving more depth to the character. I hoped that by reaching outside the bounds of the actual plot and having Kamadeva muse about the importance of love I could give more insight into his mind. I also thought it made sense to have Kamadeva look at appropriate punishments for Rama's behavior. I don't think I will write another diary dealing with the aftermath of his threat. I would prefer to just let it linger as a potential future consequence.