Two Kinds of Love
(When the stage lights come up again, LAKSHMAN, SITA, and RAMA enter from stage
right. LAKSHMAN is scouting in front of the other two and climbs up on his high
place to be a lookout. RAMA walks with his arm around SITA, downstage to LAKSHMAN.)
--RAMA--
Trees and bushes decorate themselves
With fruits, berries and nuts in season now.
--SITA--
Are they edible? Are they pleasing?
--RAMA--
Of the green and yellow, green and orange,
They yellow and orange are ripe and ready to eat.
And the berries above are sweet and tender.
(He plucks a berry from above and hands it to SITA. She wipes it on her
garment, smiles playfully, and feeds some to RAMA.)
--SITA--
Oh beautiful one, O king of fruits, go to
The king of my heart; and how does the king of my heart
Enjoy it's plumpness, dearly or merely?
--RAMA--
(RAMA murmurs as he eats the morsel of fruit, then says:)
Sweet and juicy! Round perfection in fruit
Like you, sweetly drawing me to you.
(RAMA embraces SITA.)
Whether I am Vishnu, come from heaven
To earth, I cannot say, but you are Lakshmi
--My present daily wealth, my moment to moment
Ease, in forest or in palace--to me.
--SITA--
Can any man fill so fully my heart?
Oh Rama, it's nothing you do, but you yourself.
You are the satisfaction of my soul,
My being, knowing and sweet support.
We only seem to be two. Truly, in the love
Of a wife for a husband, she feels the oneness
Sages say is the Self of All, the freedom
People seek.
--RAMA--
Amazing! Separation
Disappears and there is only Oneness
Aware of two bodies, two minds, two lives,
Appearing to be real, appearing true.
(SHURPARNAKA, a very large woman with yellow skin, big ears, squinty eyes, a
huge belly, sparse reddish hair and long claw-like nails, bounds in from rear stag left,
tossing the hone she had been chewing off to stage right.)
--SHURPARNAKA--
Leave that skinny woman and come to me, you beautiful man, you. Skinny women have
no knack for passion. With a female like me you can really enjoy!
(On her approach, LAKSHMAN and SITA change places. LAKSHMANA runs down
from his high place. RAMA walks backward without turning away from SHURPARNAKA.
This leave RAMA stage right, SHURPARNAKA center, LAKSHMAN stage left, and SITA, stage left
above.)
--RAMA--
What's this? Who speaks so openly, so frankly
For my welfare? I am Rama, a Prince.
--SHURPARNAKA--
Oh, you gorgeous creature, I am Shurparnaka, the only sister of the great Ravana. My
brother is undefeatable, the King of Lanka. Marry me, you handsome human, and I'll
carry you there by magic. My brother will set us up like King and Queen. Don't
worry about these two. We'll have them both for lunch.
--RAMA--
I like straightforwardness in people but listen,
I am already married, Shurparnaka.
You are not a female likely to favor
Second place. You would be subordinate
(SHURPARNAKA growls and shakes her head.)
To Sita here. Such a situation
Is intolerable to a female
Of womanly glories from a fine and famous family.
What about my brother? He's alone.
(SHURPARNAKA0 spins around and leers at LAKSHMAN.)
And a handsome Prince of Ayodhya, fit
For a frank female with fine family like you.
(SHURPARNAKA throws out her arms to LAKSHMAN).
--SHURPARNAKA--
Ahh, another gorgeous guy! How about it, honey? No more sleeping alone. We'll
roam around the forest and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
(LAKSHMAN reaches for his knife. RAMA gestures at this to play
along, not to strike. SHURPARNAKA advances toward LAKSHMAN who retreats from her.
They continue this way around the stage.)
Whatever you like in women, with me you get more, more, more of all of it!
--LAKSHMAN--
Better be certain, Shurparnaka. In me
You have the younger, surely second-best,
A simple fellow, I am Rama's servant.
(RAMA strikes his forehead in disbelief.)
Can such a worthy woman as yourself
Commit herself to be a servant's wife?
A willing woman is hard to find, dear lady.
May you wed soon. May you wed soon, sister.
--SHURPARNAKA--
(To RAMA:) Why won't he have me? I bring power and pleasure.
What's wrong with him?
--RAMA--
It would never work, oh lady, poor lady!
He's married too. Your pleasure would be short
Until he joins his wife and then you're second
Again, second to another. It would not work
(SHURPARNAKA spins around, growls and roars. She runs for SITA.)
--SHURPARNAKA--
You, you--it's all because of you!
(SHURPARNAKA reaches for SITA. LAKSHMAN catches SHURPARNAKA, causes her
to lose her balance, draws his knife, and chops off her nose. Shurparnaka howls in
pain and runs around the stage clasping her face where the nose had been. RAMA and
SITA run toward each other. RAMA comforts SITA who buries her face in his chest.
SHURPARNAKA runs off, stage left, howling...)
Ooooow! I am hurt! I am disfigured! I am ruined! Ooooow, my nose!
It is gone! Oooow!
(Thunder of a drumroll is heard getting louder. Lights become very dim
and lightning or flashing lights give the stage an eerie atmosphere. SHURPARNAKA
wails in pain and anger. The booming voices--one deep male voice and nine other male
voices--of Ravana are heard:)
--RAVANA'S VOICES--
My sister! What has happened?
--SHURPARNAKA--
You have been made a fool of! My nose has been cut off by a mere human. I am
disfigured. It's a disgrace. First, you let my husband be killed in your
stupid war and now you let me be maimed by a puny human!
--RAVANA'S VOICES--
Who did this to you? I will destroy him!
Copyright 2000 Aikya Param.
