I am Ekajata, one of a small group of elite women guards appointed by our King Ravana, the Lord of Lanka, to supervise Sita, the woman he had brought from mainland India. She was imprisoned in Ashoka Vana, the most beautiful garden in our kingdom. In addition to guarding her, it was our job to try to convince her to marry our king. We thought this task would be a breeze. But we were so, so mistaken.

Ekajata Mocks Sita

“You are quite stupid, you know.” The mockery in my voice was unmistakable. There she was, sitting under the tree in the Asoka Van, covering her modesty in simple robes, and crying copiously.

She could have had anything she wanted. Our king was so powerful that his influence and suzerainty spread across thousands of territories worldwide, including large portions of the Indian subcontinent; he would’ve handed over his entire kingdom to her if she had wanted. All she had to do was marry him. Anyone else in her place would have jumped at the opportunity.

In fact, my friends and I found it strange that our king’s desire for this simple human was so great that she would have replaced even Queen Mandodari as the primary wife of Ravana, the Lord of Lanka. The very Queen who was worshipped as a Pativrata in our kingdom! That’s why I called this woman dumb and stupid. To have access to everything and yet not take it.

King Ravana has brought Sita in his flying chariot from Panchavati across the vast ocean. He had done so to avenge the humiliation of his sister, Shurpanaka, at the hands of her husband, Prince Ram of Ayodhya. 

Despite all our attempts to convince, cajole, or force her, Sita was unmoving. Like a rock, she sat under that tree, refusing not only to surrender herself to our king but also food and drink. It was a miracle she survived. I have not seen her eat a single morsel of food or drink a drop of water from the time she has been held captive here, now for over eight months. 

I have heard rumours that the Lord of the Devas, Indradev, sends down divine kheer for her to eat whenever she wishes. But none of us has ever seen her eat anything. 

Ekajata in Awe of Sita

She was special, no doubt! I could almost feel the divinity emanating from her body. She was ethereal. None of us dared to hurt her in any way. We only used harsh words to mock her or try to force her to give in to our king. But my colleagues and I didn’t dare touch her.

Once I tried to push her, and I felt a searing pain in the part of my palm that touched her body. I screamed involuntarily. She looked as surprised as me when I hastily removed my hand from her body. It seemed like she was getting some divine help, even without her being aware of it. All of us kept our distance from her. 

We took turns guarding her, although she had nowhere to escape. Ashoka Vatika was a beautiful garden with fruiting and flowering trees and shrubs. During spring and summer, the place was a riot of colours, every flower trying to outdo the others in beauty and fragrance.

But nothing interested this lady, the one from Ayodhya. All she did was wait for her husband to come and rescue her. She said it every time we tried to persuade her to give in to our king’s request to marry her. 

She never tired of telling me, “I will let no man but my husband touch me. And you don’t know his powers. He will come for me one day, and that day will be the last day of your king, Ekajata. Warn him about my husband. Tell him, he is the Avatar of Lord Vishnu, come to Earth to destroy Asuras like him, and reinstate dharma.”

She never raised her voice. She never shouted, screamed, or sought anything. She was the gentlest of creatures. But when she spoke, which was very rare, I always felt a chill run down my spine. There was something in her eyes that made me tremble with fear. It was as if she were telling me that she could do anything, right now, right this minute. She could wreak havoc on Ravana and his entire kingdom on her own. But as a dutiful wife, she’s merely waiting for her husband to fulfil his destiny, that’s all. 

Ekajata Senses Doom for Lanka

For the last couple of days, she had been extra cheerful, matching the time when a monkey (He was magical! Said multiple witnesses, with the power to change shape and size at will) wreaked havoc in Lanka with the end of his tail, lit on fire on the orders of our king. 

Since that day, King Ravana ordered me to find a way, hook or by crook, to quickly convince Sita to marry him. It was as if he had seen a horrible vision.

I wondered what a little monkey could do to the mighty empire of Ravana. Yes, a bit of havoc and damage with his monkey ways. Nothing that would take a lot of resources and work from our industrious workers to repair and revert to the original lost glory. But it was evident our king was getting desperate. 

Today, seeing Sita’s unusually happy face, I wondered who that monkey was. A messenger from her husband? The one she believes was divinity personified? The one whom she believes will bring about the end of our mighty kingdom. 

Hmmphhh! Absolute nonsense!

Yet, a tremor of fear rattled me when I turned around and went to report to King Ravana my umpteenth failure to convince Sita. Did our king cross a line by kidnapping her?

Author’s Note:

Ekajata is mentioned in the Ramayana as one of the Rakshasis guarding Sita while held captive in Ashoka Vatika in Lanka. Her thoughts and conversations are from my imagination. 

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026

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