Hanuman Obhong : Seeing Sita

"Often, we do not see things as they are. Our perception of what is 'real,' is based not on what something actually is, but is instead a version filtered through the lens of our experiences," the Moon began a theme. "There is a story about a member of the ruling family of the town of Termez. He had befriended a clown many years earlier. The two men had a compatible relationship, untarnished by the years. The clown made the older man laugh every time they saw each other, and the wealthy man in turn made sure that the clown was well provided for.

One day when they were alone, the older man, who had heard that the clown had recently got married to a woman of low standing and was baffled by this turn of events, asked him, 'My old friend, there are many well-respected women in our community whom I know personally. Why didn't you tell me to ask for the hand of one of them for you? Why did you rush into such an important decision and marry a disreputable woman?'

'Sir, you must know that I have already married nine reputable women!' he said to his caring companion, trying not to grin too widely. 'You may have also noticed that not a single one of them remained faithful to me, and I had to divorce every single one! My heart was shattered each time, and I couldn't tolerate another cheating wife. So I decided to marry an already disgraced woman, without even knowing her, and take a chance on life. I've already tried my luck using my mind and my reasoning power; this time I'm trying out madness instead!'

Seeing clearly and communicating effectively are not rocket science; they’re straightforward skills. We’re born hardwired for both. But more often than we’d care to admit, we fail to use these skills. We show up at the wrong airport gate and try to board the wrong plane, we send an email to the wrong recipient saying something we never should have said, we miss a key piece of evidence that was staring us right in the face. Why? Because we’re hardwired for those errors as well. Our brains can see only so much, and can process even less.

The ability to see, to pay attention to what is often readily available right in front of us, is not only a means to avert disaster but also the precursor and prerequisite to great discovery. Unlike the heroes of old movies and swashbuckling fables, we don’t have to be the strongest, fastest, smartest, richest, handsomest, or luckiest to get ahead or make a difference in the world. The most successful people in modern times, prove that it doesn’t matter what physical attributes we have or don’t, our level of education, our profession, our station in life, or where we live. We can survive and thrive today if we know how to see.

To see what’s there that others don’t. To see what’s not there that should be. To see the opportunity, the solution, the warning signs, the quickest way, the way out, the win. To see what matters. Even if we don’t long for front-page accolades, acute and accurate observation yields rewards big and small across all aspects of life. Leonardo da Vinci attributed all of his scientific and artistic accomplishments to the same concept, which he called 'saper vedere'—knowing how to see. We might also call his gift 'visual intelligence.'

It sounds easy, doesn’t it? You just have to see. We’re born with the inherent ability; in fact, our body does it involuntarily. If your eyes are open, you are seeing. But there’s more to the neurobiological process than just keeping your eyelids propped up.

We don't 'see' with our eyes; we see with our brain—and of course: conscience, but in this theme, let's just focus on eyes' vision. Our ability to see, make sense of what we see, and act upon that information relies on the brain’s incredible processing power, a power that is entirely dependent upon our neural connections. Assuming all of our physical wiring is healthy and intact, turning visual inputs into meaningful images takes time, time that increases with age or lack of use.

Scientists have discovered that as we slow down or stop flexing our mental muscles, the speed of neural transmission dramatically slows, which in turn leads to a decrease in visual processing speed, the ability to detect change and movement, and the ability to conduct a visual search. Since our brain controls every function of our body, any lag in neural processing will likewise cause a delay in other systems, including what we see and how we react to it. Slower reflexes and remembrance times aren’t caused only by physical aging. It might be that we just haven’t exercised our brains enough or in the right way.

Fortunately for all of us, throughout our lives, our brain is continually making new connections and reinforcing old ones based on learning experiences . . . as long as we are learning. Researchers have found that stimulating environmental input—like studying something new, reading about a concept that makes you think, or playing any kind of 'brain games'—will increase cortical growth at every age, even among the very oldest humans. Just as cognitive conditioning can be used to stave off dementia, it can also be used to sharpen our ability to observe, perceive, and communicate. If we can keep our senses and our wits quick, our reactions will follow, making us better employees, better drivers, and more capable of caring for ourselves and others longer in life.

There are many techniques to stimulate our senses and set our neurons ablaze. One of them, to study Art. Looking at old paintings and sculptures—and caution is needed for a Muslim in this case, it's better to follow the guidance of Shari'a. But let's talk in general terms—is definitely not the first thing most people think of when you tell them we’re going to get their neurons firing and increase their brain-processing speed. Art doesn’t walk away. If you want to study human behavior, you can park yourself somewhere public and people watch: guess at who they are, why they’re dressed that way, where they’re going . . . until they leave. And you’ll never know if you’re right or not. Or you could analyze works of art: the who, what, where, when, and why. Art historian David Joselit describes art as “exorbitant stockpiles of experience and information.” It contains everything we need to hone our observation, perception, and communication expertise.

If you can talk about what is happening in a work of art, you can talk about scenes of everyday life; you can talk about boardrooms and classrooms, crime scenes, and factory floors. Describing what you see in a painting of a woman wearing a foot-long, four-layered starched collar uses the same skill set as describing what you see in a foreign market or international airport.

Art gives us myriad opportunities to analyze complex situations as well as seemingly more straightforward ones. Ironically, it is often the simple, the everyday, and the familiar that we have trouble describing because we have ceased to notice what makes them interesting or unusual. By adulthood, we become so inured to the complexity of the world that only the new, the innovative, and the exigent capture our attention and dominate our field of vision. We rely on experience and intuition rather than seeking out nuances and details that can make a difference in our success. Yet it is the things that we see and negotiate on a regular basis to which we must be especially attuned.

Art transports us away from our everyday life to rethink how we see and perceive and communicate. Art inspires conversations, especially when it makes us squirm. There are women with noses where their eyes should be, men in curlers with manicures, clocks dripping from trees, spider-legged elephants, and lots of people screaming.

Part of the beauty of art, especially the more unsettling pieces, is that anyone can discuss it. You don’t have to be an art historian to talk about what you see. We’re not studying brushstrokes or palettes or historical periods. We’re simply using art as confirmable visual data, talking about what we see—or what we think we see.

We all see things differently. Yet we constantly forget, and act as if there is only one true way to see. However, knowing now that we are all susceptible to inattentional blindness and other perceptual errors, we cannot assume that anyone else sees what we see, that we see what they see, or that either of us accurately sees what’s really there.

No two people will see anything the exact same way. Everything from our inherited biology to our learned biases influences the way we take in the world. Not only do we as individuals observe, notice, and gather information differently, we also perceive what we’ve gathered differently.

Perception is how we interpret the information we gather during observation; think of it as an internal filter. It can color, cloud, or change what really exists into what we think we are seeing. Much like seeing, the process of perceiving is subtle, automatic, and hard to recognize if we’re not consciously aware of it. Being aware of how easily our perceptions can change, and refuse to un-change, can help us to be attuned to them. Our perceptive filter is shaped by our own unique experiences in the world. Everyone’s is different from everyone else’s, sometimes wildly so.

You can never assume other people experience anything the same way you do, even if you are right there with them. If two parents who are the same age, and came from the same race, socioeconomic class, and physical location, don’t see things the same way, think of how differently disparate people do: employers and employees, defenders and prosecutors, teachers and students, doctors and patients, caregivers and children. What we see might be completely different from what the person right next to us, let alone the person across the room, on the other end of the telephone, or the other side of the world sees. What might be apparent to us someone else might overlook entirely. We are all subjective beings, but what’s important to note is that our subjectivity can color the 'truth' of what we see.

Perspective, from the Latin word perspicere, meaning 'to look through,' is defined as the point of view from which something is considered or evaluated. Originating in the fourteenth century, the word perspective was initially used to describe a physical object, specifically an optical glass that would change the way you viewed something. A telescope’s perspective, therefore, was an actual piece of curved glass inside it. We can use this definition to think of perspective in a similar way, as another lens through which we see.

In order to change the way we look at things, and the things we look at change, it’s critical that we approach the available data, from every possible physical angle. Look behind, underneath, in the corners, and off the page. Step back, crouch down, and walk around everything. Things are not always what they appear to be, especially at first glance from one angle. With a new perspective, the image changes entirely.

After assessing information and analyzing what we’ve gathered, now, how we prioritize that information, whether consciously or not, will most directly affect our actions. As soon as we have multiple data points, we have a choice: which will we act upon? Our resulting actions are not always as extreme and physical as deciding whether to shoot a stranger. We might have to make less life-threatening but still critical decisions such as determining which pieces of information we’re going to dedicate resources to pursuing and in what order.

We can’t physically or mentally follow up, hunt down, or investigate every single piece of information we uncover, at least not all at once. In reviewing the cognitive limits of the human brain and the myth of multitasking, we’ve learned that a single human cannot do multiple things at once. Walking and talking, yes.

All that we have talked about, was in Hanuman's mind when he saw Sita. He was contemplating whether to approach her soon, or, delaying while waiting for what would happen next. He felt impelled to comfort her. But how would he approach her without being seen by the rakshasis? Yet, if he went back across the sea without speaking to Sita, the prince Rama would be sad. He may even be angry and burn Hanuman up with a look. Worse still, if he did not bring some hope to Sita quickly, she may take her own life before Rama even landed on the shores of Lanka.

‘I am just a little monkey,’ said Hanuman to himself. ‘Even if the guards see me, they will think I am harmless. I only hope Sita does not think I am Ravana, who has become a monkey to trick her.’

He grew pensive indeed, as his imagination raced ahead of him. ‘If she thinks I am Ravana or some other rakshasa, she may scream. Then, surely, the rakshasis will come to capture me. If I am killed, Rama and Sugriva will never land on Lanka, because no one else can leap across the sea. All will be lost. I must be very careful; careful indeed. Hanuman, you do not realize what is at stake here, what awesome affairs of the world depend on you. You must not startle her, little monkey; you must be subtle.’

He then recalled a story Jambavan, the old vanara, told him, 'There was once a grocer who owned a handsome green parrot who sang sublimely and spoke most eloquently. The parrot was not only an ideal companion but also the perfect guard for the grocer's shop. He kept watch all hours of the day and spoke amiably with the customers, entertaining them and thus increasing the grocer's sales.

One day when the grocer left the shop in the parrot's care, having gone home for lunch, a cat suddenly ran into the shop chasing a mouse, frightening the bird. As the parrot flew about in his effort to save himself, he knocked a few bottles of almond oil off the shelves, breaking them and covering himself and the shop floor in oil.

Not long afterward, the grocer returned and found the place in disarray, the floor slippery with oil and the parrot perching guiltily in a corner. In the wink of an eye, the grocer lost his temper and hit the bird on the head with all his might. The poor bird, who was already feeling guilty and downtrodden about his clumsiness, could not bear the shame, not to mention the pain from the blow, and he instantly shed all the feathers on his head.

Soon after the almond oil incident, the parrot completely stopped speaking and singing. The grocer realized how grave his mistake had been in striking the bird; not only had he lost his jolly companion but he had also curtailed his thriving business. Having no one but himself to blame, he now felt dumbfounded that he had singlehandedly threatened his very livelihood.

'I wish I'd broken my hand!' he lamented. 'How could I have struck my sweet-voiced bird like that? How could I have behaved so monstrously?'

The grocer began to give alms to each and every poor who passed by his shop, hoping that by doing good deeds he might be forgiven, and his bird might again start to exercise his mesmerizing voice. After three days and nights of remorse and suffering the parrot's silence, the grocer came into luck. A bald man with red shirt, walked into the shop, and instantly the parrot began to speak, 'Did you spill bottles of almond oil, too?'

The handful of customers in the shop were amused and smiled at the parrot, who had innocently thought that the red-shirt man had suffered the same fate as himself!

'Darling little parrot,' said one of the customers compassionately, “never equate one action with another. One must never compare oneself to others, even though they may appear to be the same on the surface; truly nothing is as it seems!'

Hanuman wished to see Vaidehi, another name for Sita. Not very far from her, he noticed rakshasis who were terrible to behold. There were those with one eye, many ears, with ears covering the body, without ears, with ears like cones and with high noses that stretched up to the head. There were those whose heads were gigantic, others whose necks were long and thin. There were those with dishevelled hair, without hair and hair that was like blankets. There were those with elongated ears and foreheads and with breasts that hung down. There were those with long lips and with lips that began at the chin. There were those whose faces hung down and those whose knees hung down. They were short, tall, hunchbacked, malformed and dwarfs.

The teeth jutted out and the mouths were malformed. There were those with green eyes and disfigured faces. They were malformed and dark in complexion. They were black, angry and quarrelsome. They wielded giant spears, spikes and clubs made out of black iron. There were those with faces like wild boar, deer, tigers, buffaloes and jackals. There were those with feet like elephants, camels and horses and others with heads that were drawn in. There were those with a single hand or foot and those whose ears were like those of donkeys and horses. Some others possessed ears like cows, elephants and monkeys. Some had no nose, others had large noses. Some had horizontal noses, others were with malformed noses. Some had noses like elephants. For others, the nose was affixed to the forehead. Some had feet like elephants, others possessed gigantic feet. Some possessed feet like cows, others had hair on their feet. Some possessed large heads and necks, others large breasts and stomachs. Some possessed large mouths and eyes, others long tongues and nails. There were those with faces like goats, elephants, cows and pigs. There were those with faces like horses, camels and donkeys. The rakshasis, terrible to behold, wielded spears and clubs in their hands. They were angry and quarrelsome. Their teeth jutted out and their hair was the colour of smoke. The rakshasis possessed malformed faces. They were always drinking. They always loved flesh and drink.

Their limbs were smeared with flesh and blood. They subsisted on flesh and blood. The best among apes saw them. Their sight was such that it made the body hair stand up.

They were seated around a large tree with a large trunk. The prosperous Hanuman noticed the unblemished queen and princess, Janaka’s daughter, seated under the tree. She was tormented by grief and her radiance had faded. Her hair was covered in filth. She was like a star that had fallen down on the ground after its merit had been exhausted. The greatness of her character made her prosperous, but she was unable to see her husband and was in the midst of a calamity. She was without her excellent ornament, the ornament of her husband’s love.

Quietly, she sang softly,

I hear him, before I go to sleep

And focus on the day that's been

I realise he's there

When I turn the light off and turn over

Nobody knows about my man

They think he's lost on some horizon

And suddenly I find myself

Listening to a man I've never known before

Telling me about the sea, all his love, 'til eternity *)

Suddenly, there was a voice, 'Sita, is that song for me?' Vaidehi turned her head, it's Ravana, and she replied, 'It's not for you Rakshasa, it's for Rama!"

Citations & References:
- Ramesh Menon, The Ramayana: A modern Translation, HarperCollins
- Bibeck Debroy, The Valmiki Ramayana, Penguin Books
- Maryam Nafi (transl.), The Book of Rumi, 105 Stories and Fables, Hampton Roads Publishing
- Amy E. Herman, Visual Intelligence - Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- John R. Searle, Seeing Things as They are - A Theory of Perception, Oxford University Press.
*) "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" written by Kate Bush
[Part 9]
[Part 7]

Bahasa

Hanuman Obhong : Sita and Trijata's Talks

"Unfortunately, many missed opportunities, acts of violence, and lapses of judgment occur due to inaccurate perception," the Moon kept on. "Perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. Many people lose the opportunity to connect with others because they rely so heavily on initial judgment. We gather conclusions about people from the information we receive from them. If we have a negative encounter, likely, we will perceive that person in a bad light.

Still perching on the shimshupa tree, Hanuman watched Trijata's body movements, in order to understand her better. Body language and perception are the two components that equal a conclusion. The way someone positions themselves, holds their hands, or even moves their eyes can be taken a certain way. Although perceiving body language is a natural part of social development, perception can always be altered. We have the grand ability to be able to acknowledge something without jumping to conclusions. Is this really possible when interpreting body language?

Absolutely! One of the primary keys to building understanding is letting go of preconceived associations. For example, a young woman is always standing with her hands crossed, eyes lowered, and mouth downturned. Upon looking at her, you could conclude that she is prudish, stuck up, and distant. This may prevent you from speaking to her. In reality, the young woman is far from stuck up. Rather, she suffers from social anxiety and is uncomfortable in large crowds. She has a fear of carrying on a conversation along with personal insecurities. She desperately wants to make friends but doesn’t want to make the first move. This disconnect creates a whirlwind of false notions that prevents pure human connection. Since one person perceives her as being stuck up, they avoid sparking a conversation without truly getting to know her personality. This occurs often and is the result of misunderstandings.

Breaking down those preconceived notions about certain behavior involves eliminating one-way thinking. As opposed to assigning only one meaning to a specific body movement, open your mind to the possibility of other reasonings behind behavior. Environmental factors may even alter traditional body language meanings. Crossed arms usually translate to feelings of self-consciousness or disapproval. However, in an extremely cold room, does it have the same meaning? When talking with a friend during a sunny day, does their looking to the side mean they are lying? Or could the sun be extraordinarily bright? Situational factors are also imperative to drawing definite conclusions. Breaking eye contact doesn’t automatically mean your friend isn’t interested in your conversation. Perhaps they are fatigued or swamped with personal issues at the moment. It’s important to be flexible with how you perceive behavior. By understanding that there is always a reason behind everything, you will learn to give others the benefit of the doubt.

The traditional saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” is vital to making social connections. A woman with scrunched brows, a downturned mouth, and hooded eyes may give off the impression that she is always angry. However, upon getting to know her, you realize she is extremely friendly. Perhaps that is the natural structure of her face. The same rings true for a man who engages in deep eye contact, leans in towards his subjects, and touches hands as he speaks. These clues may indicate that he is romantically interested in whomever he is talking to. In reality, that may be his way of showing interest in the conversation. It could almost be likened to respect.

Cultural differences may influence how we perceive certain behavior. For example, in the United States, we typically nod our head signifying, “Yes.” However, in Greek cultures, a head nod means “No.” In Portugal, individuals may tug their ears when something tastes delicious. Comical, yet true, Italians interpret this as a suggestive move with sexual undertones. Europeans kiss openly in public, whereas traditional Asian countries view this as inappropriate in public. The man mentioned earlier whose mannerisms may be suggestive probably grew up predominantly around women. His mother, no doubt, taught him how to show respect and interest to those to whom he is speaking. Although his actions came off as flirtatious, he was simply acting on a natural impulse. When analyzing others, it's key to remember that everyone comes from a different family that implemented different expectations for behavior. Some families may communicate through touching and warm embraces while another maintains a respectful distance. Before taking offense, consider how they grew up in conjunction with their personality. Perhaps they truly like you, and they are showing you in their own unique way.

Another key way to destroy perception from initial judgment is to get to know the person. Sure, someone may come off as rude, shy, aloof, or even angry. However, are they less deserving of having a social connection with you? Have they done anything concrete that prevents you from associating with them? The initial breaking of the ice may be challenging, but the results are worth it.

There are a plethora of ice breakers that can be used to approach someone who may seem unapproachable. By doing so, we will learn that, although perception is key, understanding is what shapes relationships. We could be passing up on a purposeful friendship because of a misunderstanding. By taking the additional time to understand someone else, we will then understand their body language. We will learn what encompasses their inner being. This will help us to develop an open mind when building relationships.

In order to properly analyze others, it is important to seek understanding with your own body movements. In social settings, the way we position our body can be the difference between making friends and repelling them. Since we cannot see our body movements as well as others, it’s important to become in tune with your feelings and perception. Many times, we may not even realize the silent signals we are giving off. Sure, we have the ability to speak our emotions, but we all know that the truth is seldom spoken.

Science has proven that we emit energy that can be detected, and is even contagious. When your inner energy is feeling tired or bored, your outward appearance will give evidence of that energy despite how 'excited' you say you are. Technology has given us the grand opportunity to display rejection with the simple glance down at the phone. For example, when a friend is telling you a story that you are 100 percent not interested in, likely you will reach for your phone and begin scrolling. Your words are saying, 'Uh-huh,' occasionally, but your demeanor speaks volumes. You may believe you are listening when really you are showing outward disdain for your friend. This sign is often taken as disrespect and could create distance in the friendship.

Another common sign is the crossing of the arms. In social occasions, this can be translated as, “I don’t want to be here.” When in reality, you could simply be cold. Since this is what you are exhibiting, others are naturally going to view you as unapproachable. Do you find yourself doing this quite often? Crossing of the arms is another form of protection. It is almost likened to a comfort mechanism that we do when in an uncomfortable situation.

Another instance occurs during one-on-one communication. Do you notice your eyes drifting during a conversation? Or even your hand being placed on your face while someone is talking? This signals disinterest and could be extremely disrespectful to the person talking. In turn, your friend could become upset with you without you even realizing it.

This is a clear indicator of how our body language deeply affects the way people view us. The importance of being aware of how your body is positioned when speaking to others is a subliminal sign of respect. One fantastic way to become aware of your body motions is to remember the three W’s: who, what, and where. Let’s consider them one at a time.

Who. When speaking with another person, it’s key to remember who you are engaging with. Is it a close friend of the opposite sex? Is it your manager or maybe even an older person? In all of these instances, the way you position your body means everything. Take, for example, speaking with your manager. Do you find yourself naturally crossing your arms when he or she approaches you? This could be your way of protecting yourself against their authority, or you may actually dislike your manager. However, you want to keep your job and even appear interested in what he or she has to say. This instance is when acting and awareness play a major role.

When you see your manager coming, the butterflies may ensue. You may even become a bit clammy in the hands. Instead of allowing that feeling to overpower you, simply acknowledge it, and let it be. Don’t try to manipulate the feeling as that causes further anxiety. Rather, acknowledge it, and place your hands by your side with open palms. Try your best to breathe and remain comfortable. Position your back upright with your shoulders aligned. Create an opening demeanor that opens the door for conversation.

Body awareness is key to navigating your world. It is defined as 'the sense that we have of our own bodies.' It is an understanding of the parts that make up one's body, where they are located, how they feel, and even what they can do. Certain activities such as yoga and Pilates assist with connecting the bridge between the body and mind. When engaging in these exercises, you are mentally aware of the positioning of your body. You have full control over your balance which strengthens your mental and physical muscles. Engaging in these activities on a regular basis can assist with understanding your body movements. This will come in handy when evaluating what your body is doing in social settings.

To practice your own proprioception exercise at home, begin by balancing on one foot. What are your arms doing? Your fingers? Do you feel a tingle in your opposing leg? Become engrossed in how your body is working together to keep you balanced. By repeating this simple exercise daily, you’ll begin to notice the movements of even the smallest parts of your body.

In order to fully understand the body language of others, you have to become connected with your personal movements. Body language is more than just reading movements. It’s attributing a deeper meaning towards body posture that can speak volumes into a person's emotions.

What. When engaging in a conversation, try to feel what your body is doing. Are your hands clenched in a fist? Do you feel your face tightening as if you’re displeased? When you become aware of what your body does when engaging in a conversation, you will be able to control those muscles. One vital question you can ask yourself is, “What is my body telling others right now?" By doing so, you can immediately change the way others perceive you.

Where. It’s especially important to be cognizant of where you are when speaking to others. Oftentimes, certain atmospheres may warrant specific behavior. For example, during a blind date, it would be quite rude to scrunch your forehead and brows in disgust at your date’s appearance. Sure, they may not be what you expected, but you never want to display your inner emotions. In addition, you wouldn’t walk into a funeral with a big smile and open arms. Even if you barely knew the deceased, that demeanor may appear heartless to the grieving family. Making the connection between what your body is doing and remembering where you are is imperative for your reputation.

Trijata came near to Sita and said, ‘Sita, hear what I dreamt.’ Though she would not wanting hear it, but stood wiping her tears, still shaking from her near escape.

Her fierce eyes full of her dream, Trijata said, ‘I saw blue Rama clad in flowing white silk. He wore a garland of white lotuses, which were not of this world. Oh, he was handsome past imagining. He sat in a chariot of the firmament, an ivory vimana drawn by white swans. Our Sita wore royal white as well, and she sat beside him.

Then I saw Rama riding a four-tusked elephant, a son of Airavata. As glorious as his brother, Lakshmana rode beside him through a deep forest. Someone waited for them in a glade hidden in the heart of that forest. I saw her face; it was our Sita, and Rama and Lakshmana came to her in joy. Rama set Sita on his elephant and they flew through the sky, for the children of Airavata go that way.'

The other rakshasis, who were impressionable and superstitious for all their fierceness, listened raptly to Trijata, their thick mouths hanging open.

The old rakshasi went on, ‘In my dream, they flew to the gates of Lanka. I saw Rama in a golden chariot drawn by eight mighty bulls. As I watched him, he opened his mouth and swallowed the earth. I was terrified. Then there was an ocean of milk everywhere, and a pale mountain rose out of it, majestically. Rama set his elephant upon that mountain, and Lakshmana and Sita rode with him.

I saw Rama, resplendent, his body made of light, in a fabulous palace. He sat facing east on a golden throne. He was being crowned by an immortal rishi, and congregations of devas and munis had gathered for his coronation. Sita sat beside Rama. It did not seem to me that throne was any of this earth, and I knew there was no throne in any of the three worlds loftier than the one on which dark Rama sat.’

Lowering her voice to a whisper, Trijata said to her rakshasis, ‘Listen to me; don’t even think of harming a hair of her. There was unearthly music everywhere, like I had never heard before.

I saw Rama, Sita and Lakshmana again, in the pushpaka vimana, flying north through the sky.’

Trijata paused. She glanced left and right to make sure no guard had entered the asokavana, no spy of Ravana’s. Gathering her rakshasis closer, draping her long arms around their shoulders, she said in the softest whisper yet, ‘I saw Ravana clad in red, karavira flowers around his neck and his body glossy with oil. I saw him fall screaming out of the sky from his vimana. On the ground, he wore black garments and he was dragged along by a dark woman. I saw him sitting in a chariot drawn by donkeys, and it went south, ever south. He drank oil from a bottle in his hands and laughed insanely, as if he had lost his mind.

‘I saw Ravana’s brother Kumbhakarna sink beneath the waves. I saw our king’s sons all slain.’

Trijata was thoughtful for a moment. She resumed, ‘I saw Ravana’s other brother, the gentle Vibheeshana, and he shone like the sun at noon. He sat with the royal parasol unfurled above him; he wore the white silks of kingship and a crown upon his head. Vibheeshana came with his head bowed to Rama on his elephant.

‘By what I know of dreams, and they never lie, Rama will come to Lanka, kill Ravana and take Sita back with him. Lanka’s great army will be razed.

Finally, just before I awoke, I saw a monkey, one of the vanara folk. He set fire to our Lanka and she burned down in ashes.’

Open-mouthed still, the other rakshasis listened to her. The rakshasis who had been ready to kill Sita were frightened by what Trijata said. Most of them wandered back to the little temple and had already fallen asleep under its round pillars. Looking at all of them, Trijata chanted,

Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes

Even if it was for just one day?

Wouldn't it be good if we could wish ourselves away?

Wouldn't it be good to be on your side?

The grass is always greener over there

Wouldn't it be good if we could live without a care? *)

In his tree, Hanuman was thinking, 'Could Trijata's words be trusted? Even if Trijata is portrayed in a positive light, but some version ignore her or regarded her as an agent of Ravana. So, everything will be proven as time goes by. And Allah knows best.'"

Citations & References:
- Ramesh Menon, The Ramayana: A modern Translation, HarperCollins
- Bibeck Debroy, The Valmiki Ramayana, Penguin Books
- Brandon Cooper, Body Language Mastery, International Kindle Paperwhite
*) "Wouldn’t It Be Good" written by Nicholas Kershaw
[Part 8]
[Part 6]

Bahasa

Hanuman Obhong : Cajoles

"For a while, Hanuman watched Sita weep silently. Then, fearful of the rakshasis who lay around her, and he saw two that were awake, he crept away and climbed back into his shimshupa tree. His heart overcome equally by pity and rage, and his body by great exhaustion, the little monkey fell asleep in a cleft branch of that tree," the Moon moved on.

Dawn broke over the horizon, and the first shaft of pale light divided the sleeping ocean, full of dreams, from Ravana’s island. The Lord of Lanka rose from his bed. He had no eyes for Mandodari, his queen consort, Indrajit's mother. He pulled on the fresh robes of white silk laid out for him. Putting on a necklace and golden bracelets, so brilliant they dispelled the last straggles of night that lingered wistfully in the world, he came out of his apartment. He strode through interminable passages, and arrived by his own private entrance in the asokavana where his heart lay captive.

But as he went like a storm through the antapura’s passages, there were others already awake: lovely women, who, alll along his way through the harem, they approached him with soft caresses; but he strode impatiently along. Those women followed him to the asokavana, in a small throng. Some brought chamaras to fan him with, others held lamps to light his way since the corridors were still dark.

Like Indra surrounded by his apsaras, Ravana came out into the crisp dawn. Not looking left or right, without a glance at the silken sea that lay like a languorous woman herself below Lanka, the Rakshasa made straight for the little shrine of the white pillars, where Sita sat sleepless and distraught.

Hanuman hid himself behind a screen of leaves, and peered down at Ravana. His white robe was like froth at the crest of the turbid sea of presence and power that was Ravana. In his time, Hanuman had seen other kings of the world, but never one nearly as arresting, as awesome, as this Emperor. Greatness sat lightly on those rippling shoulders; fame and measureless authority radiated from his central face. Ravana had the power to make his cluster of nine heads become invisible at will. At dawn today, he came out with just one face showing, because he did not want to risk repelling Sita. Now Hanuman saw even more plainly how magnificent the Rakshasa was: tall and dark, handsome as Kamadeva.

For all the dark majesty it wore, Ravana’s face was haggard and careworn. The single-mindedness with which he stalked to the little temple in the asokavana cried out that great Ravana was strangely vanquished: that his vast kingdom meant less to him than the woman who sat sorrowing within that retreat. She had become all the kingdom he wanted, all his heaven and earth. Ravana breathed the image of Sita; he slept and woke in obsessive love.

Obsessive love appears to be the ultimate passion, but this romanticized view obscures the dark side of obsession. In the real world, obsessive lovers ride the crest of exhilarating hope and heightened sensuality, but they inevitably pay for their unreal expectations with disappointment, emptiness, and desperation.

From his perch, Hanuman could see into the little temple. He saw Sita grow pale, when she knew Ravana had arrived. Swiftly, in a reflex of fear and shame, she covered her body with her hands. Like frightened birds, her eyes flew this way and that, avoiding his smouldering stare as he came and stood tall and ominous before her. Ravana sighed. In his voice like somnolent thunder, he said, ‘Whenever I come here, you try to hide your beauty with your hands. But for me any part of you I see is absolutely beautiful. You are the perfect woman; beauty begins with you. Honour my love, Sita, and you will discover how deep it is. My life began when I first saw you, but you treat me so cruelly.’

She said nothing, never raised her eyes up to him. Hanuman, little monkey in his tree, trembled with what he saw and heard.

‘You say it was dishonourable for me to abduct you; but you forget I am a rakshasa. It is natural, and so, entirely honourable, for me to take another man’s wife if I want her. It is even honourable for me to force myself on her if I choose. That is a rakshasa’s nature, and his dharma.’

Sita gasped. At once Ravana regretted what he had said. He went on more gently, ‘I will never force myself on you, because I love you. I will wait for you to return my love, to give yourself to me willingly. You are my day and my night, and all my dreams. I feel I was never alive until I saw your face.

Abandon this wretched grief; you were born to be a queen of queens. It does not suit you to sit on the bare floor like this, with your clothes soiled, your hair unwashed, your face covered by a screen of dirt, and starving yourself almost to death. No blame attaches to me for loving you as I do. The fault lies not in my love, but in your perfection.

I do not ask you to return my love with the same passion I have for you. Not even a shadow of it. I only ask you to begin to think kindly of me, to care for me a little. I beg you, come and rule my palace as my only queen. All the others will serve you as sakhis, even Mandodari. I will be your servant. Everything that is mine shall be yours.'

But again she picked up the long blade of grass and set it between herself and him like a naked sword. She said, ‘I am the wife of another man, Rakshasa, and my husband is my life. How can you even think of me as becoming yours, when I am already given to Rama? Given not only for this life, but forever, for all the lives that have been, and all those to come. I have always belonged to Rama, and always will. You have many beautiful women in your harem; don’t you keep them from the lustful gazes of other men? How is it, then, you cannot conceive that I would be true to my Rama? That it is natural for me, because I love him. You court death for yourself and your kingdom. Have you no wise men in your sabha, who advise you against your folly?’

Ravana laughed, ‘They all know I am a law unto myself. They know I am invincible.’ Sita sensed that this Rakshasa Emperor was a covert narcissistic. Narcissistic behavior is usually associated with over the top, attention-seeking and manipulative traits. There's more than one type of narcissist, and despite the word being very commonly used these days, not all narcissists conform to one specific behavioral pattern. Narcissism is a very complex form of abuse that doesn’t have a ‘one size fits all’ set of characteristics. Covert narcissists are a type of narcissist who don’t fit the stereotypical, over-the-top, ‘look at me, the world revolves around me’ personality that is usually attached to a narcissist.

She looked up briefly into his eyes and, her voice firmer, said, ‘You have violated dharma and punishment will come to you more quickly than you think. You don’t know Rama; he is not what you imagine him to be. You speak of this sea being an obstacle between him and me. But I say to you, Ravana, even if the ocean of stars lay between us, my Rama would come to find me.’

Something flickered deep in Ravana’s plumbless heart, and she saw it in his eyes. But she did not know whether it was fear, or a sorrow too distant to fathom.

‘But it is not too late for you, Rakshasa. Take me back to Rama and he will forgive you. I will tell him you did me no harm. I am part of Rama as the light of the sun is part of the star. Nothing in all the worlds, no cause in the yawning ages of time, will persuade me to give in to you. Take me back to Rama, before doom comes to Lanka.’

Ravana stared at her in amazement. He looked at his women around him, and, throwing back his dark head, began to laugh. ‘Are you trying to frighten the Lord of the rakshasas, at whose name the universe trembles?’

‘Rakshasa, there is no escape for you anywhere. Take me back to Rama and ask his pardon. He is kind beyond your understanding; he will forgive you. Listen to me, Ravana, you do not know what you have done.’

The smile vanished from his face. The veins stood out on his temples from the anguish she caused him. His skin turned a ghastly pallor, his lips twitched. Deep in his eyes, terrible wrath and untold tenderness hunted each other; shadows, dark and bright, flitted across his face. He clenched his fists and drew himself erect. He said to her in deadly quiet, ‘One month more I will give you, out of my great love. Remember to be in my hug before those thirty days are past. If you are not, my cooks will serve you to me in pieces for my morning meal.’ And turning on his rakshasis, he cried, ‘Coax her, threaten her; do anything you have to! Your task is to make her come to me. If you fail, I will have your lives as well.’ Then, one of his once favourite women, Dhanyamalini, lead him away. After he had left, Sita sat very quietly, drained. A rakshasi brought her some food and water. She ate a morsel and drank just enough to keep her alive.

Let me tell you a little bit about this Sitaji, the Rama's love. It was said that she was born of the earth, Bhudevi, and raised amongst sages. It was the start of the sowing season in Videha, which . The farmers invited their king, Janaka, to be the first to plough the land with a golden hoe. To the sound of bells and drums and conch-shell trumpets, the king shoved the hoe into the ground and began to till the land. Suddenly, the king stopped. The furrow revealed a golden hand: tiny fingers rising up like grass, as if drawn by the sunshine. Janaka moved the dirt away, and found hidden within the soft, moist earth a baby, a girl, healthy and radiant, smiling joyfully, as if waiting to be found.

Was it an abandoned child? No, said the farmers, convinced it was a gift from Bhudevi to their childless king. But this was not fruit of his seed—how could she be his daughter? Fatherhood, said Janaka, springs in the heart, not from a seed.

Janaka picked up the infant, who gurgled happily in his arms. Placing her close to his heart, he declared, ‘This is Bhumija, daughter of the earth. You may call her Maithili, princess of Mithila, or Vaidehi, lady from Videha, or Janaki, she who chose Janaka. I will call her Sita, she who was found in a furrow, she who chose me to be her father.’

Everyone felt gladness in their hearts. The ceremony was truly successful. The childless king had returned to the palace a father. No harvest could be better.

A few years later, to everyone’s delight, Janaina, the King's consort, gave birth to a baby girl—Sita's sister and dearest companion, Urmila. Sita and Urmila grew up in the delightful company of their cousins, Mandavi and Shrutakirti. They were the daughters of King Kushadhwaja, her father’s younger brother. They learn about their ancestors, to recognize their national identity. As per royal tradition, the four of them learned all the arts essential for princesses. But they each had their favorites. Painting and calligraphy were

a passion with Mandavi. Urmila’s natural grace led her to study movement and rhythm. She was a stunning dancer, and the sound of her ankle bells echoed merrily through the palace every day, while Shrutakirti wove sweet melodies with her voice and instruments, charming everyone who heard her music. Sita grew into a beautiful woman, good at reasoning and arguing. She would spend her time reading and pondering. She loved the way history and philosophy challenged her mind, teaching her about law, tradition, logic, and wisdom.

Her meeting with Rama, was a fate. That night, as she slept, Bhudevi appeared in her dreams and put her fears to rest. Bhudevi told her that a prince, a man of kshatriya, will be the man of his dreams. So, she told her father that she wanted the man who lifted the heavy bow belonged to her grandfather—and only Sita could picked it up, at her swayamvara, will be her husband. And of course, Rama was the last man standing who held it as if it were a light toy, and he used such force to string it that the great bow snapped in two.

The sound of the crack was like the clap of a thousand thunders. Everyone heard it: the heaven's inhabitants and the nagas under the earth. Everyone was stunned. Had Rama succeeded or failed? All eyes turned to Janaka. And he said, ‘From today, Rama, you shall be known as the beloved of Janaka’s daughter, Sita.’ The court erupted in cheer. Rama had impressed everyone: everyone hailed him as a worthy groom for Sita. And so, in the presence of Vishwamitra and Parashurama, Sita garlanded the eldest son of Dashratha. She would be his wife, and he would be her husband.

Messengers were sent to Ayodhya and Dashratha came to Mithila, Videha's capital city, with his guru, Vasishtha, and his other two sons. Janaka had a proposal, which was still valid in his time, ‘You have three more sons and my family has three more daughters. Let the four brothers marry the four sisters and let your house be united with mine.’

Dashratha accepted this proposal and a grand wedding was organized to mark the union of four couples. Lakshman married Urmila, Bharata married Mandavi, and Shatrughna married Shrutakirti. Janaka gave his daughters to the sons of Dashratha, saying, ‘I give you Lakshmi, wealth, who will bring you pleasure and prosperity. Grant me Saraswati, wisdom. Let me learn the joy of letting go.Learning when it’s time to let go is often the most difficult part. Deciding how to let go becomes easier when you are certain the time has come and that your future happiness depends on a new start. To focus your energy on living positively and proactively, you need to learn how to move on. Holding on is a natural human instinct—and it’s also a critical way that we stop ourselves from reaching our goals. Because ultimately, not knowing how to move on harms you: it prevents you from achieving your true potential.'

So, Rama and Sita embarked on an odyssey. Separated and reunited until she returned to Bhudevi's belly. Indeed, man is from this part of earth, and someday, the earth will ask for it back. And When the earth is shaken ˹in˺ her ultimate quaking, at the command of her Rabb, she throws out ˹all˺ her contents. And all affairs will be returned to the Creator.

When Ravana left, the rakshasis began to cajole Sita again. They knew their master would not think twice to kill them if Sita did not give in to him. These were not beautiful consorts, they were coarse warrior women who guarded his female prisoners, his spoils of war. It fell to them to persuade the more desirable captives brought back to Lanka that the best course open to them was being a public official. Among the rakshasi who had completed their duties, some served as ministers, deputy ministers, directors and commissioners of imperial-owned enterprises, advisors to the emperor, and the like.

After the morning’s encounter between Sita and their master, the rakshasis of the asokavana were alarmed. They were determined to persuade her, by fair means or foul, ‘The most beautiful women would give anything to spend a night in Ravana’s bed; but you refuse him.’

‘She is vain.’ ... ‘And foolish; she doesn’t know what she is doing.’ ... ‘Silly creature, your beauty blinds you to the truth of your plight. But beauty does not last long. Be Ravana’s queen, arrogant one, and you will have wealth beyond your dreams.’ ... ‘And power.’

They brought their fanged faces close, making her gag with their putrid breath. They smiled and snarled at her; they hissed in her ears like serpents. Sita wept. Little Hanuman sat in his tree, wisely restraining himself from committing any rashness; though his blood boiled and he longed to tear those rakshasis limb from limb.

Sita knew that the rakshasis were trying to manipulate her. The first key principle about manipulation can identify it. The first law is that people will attack you if they think that you are weak. The second thing is that people are trying to sense any weakness in you to know whether they should attack you or back off. And the last one is that people are after easy victories. So people are going to sense whether you are weak, and then they're going to think about whether they should attack you or not. If they feel like you're going to be an easy win, then they're going to attack you. And if they think that they are going to get hurt in the process, then they are going to back off and look for the easier victim. And the thing is that these people try to sense your weakness. If they sense that you are weak, they will attack you, and that is where you should use a defensive stand as an offensive stand.

Manipulation isn’t making people do what you want them to do but to get them to do what you want them to do. Many people want to manipulate others for short-term gain. However, the genuine art of manipulation is defined by the long game.

Sita said, ‘I don't care. I would rather die than be unfaithful to Rama.’ They growled like a pack of wild dogs, snapping around her. Seeing that reason and argument had little effect on Sita, they began to threaten her. ‘What a tasty meal she will make.’ ... ‘She is too succulent to be left alive.’ ... ‘She torments our king. He neither wakes nor sleeps in peace.’ ... ‘Let us cut her up and divide her soft flesh.’

Sita jumped up and, stopping her ears, ran out of the little temple. She stood panting under an asoka tree like a fawn at bay. The pack of rakshasis still growled and raged.

‘Her flesh will be better for us to eat.’ ...‘She is so vain she will be cold in his arms anyway.’ ... ‘When he knows she is dead, he will come to his senses again.’ ... ‘We will be doing him a service.’ ... ‘If we are to die anyway, let us kill her first.’ ... ‘Let us do it now; this folly has gone on too long.’

The rakshasis streamed out of the little shrine with murder on their minds. She saw the rakshasis advance on her, their eyes full of death. She moaned. When they were just a few feet from Sita, an older rakshasi called Trijata awoke from a strange dream. She came flying out of the little temple. She slapped two of the younger ones resoundingly. ‘Have you gone mad? Do you want to die a slow death in the king’s dungeons? Come away, you fools, and listen to what I have to tell you.’ Trijata was the strongest of them, their leader, and the ones she slapped whined. The rakshasi disperse and re-enter the shrine. Trijata—Vibeeshana's daughter and married to Jambavan after the Lanka War—had always been kind to Sita, since Ravana first brought her to the asokavana. As time wore on, and Sita resisted the Demon’s every effort to seduce her, Trijata’s kindness had grown into adoration.

Trijata said, 'Sita, I'll leave you alone for a moment, calm your self.' And to comfort Sita, the rakshasi chanted,

 

Pakai telor, nggak pakai telor

[With eggs, without eggs]

Cintamu bagai kolor yang kendor

[Your love is like a loose underpants]

Janji-janjimu selalu molor

[Your promises are always delayed]

Kau buat cintaku kendor

[You make my love saggy]

Pakai sayur, nggak pakai sayur

[With vegetables, without vegetables]

Cintamu bagai bedak yang luntur

[Your love is like faded face-powder]

Aku dan kamu nggak pernah akur

[You and I would never get along]

Lebih baik aku yang mundur

[I'd better back off]

Aku bukan mie instant

[I'm not instant noodles]

Yang bisa mudah kaudapatkan

[Who you can easily get]

Di saat engkau butuh, di saat engkau mau

[When you need it, when you want it]

Harus ada untukmu *)

[Must be there for you]

On his shimshupa tree, Hanuman went along with Trijatas' song, by waving his head. Yet, it was not the right time to come near to Sita."

Citations & References:
- Ramesh Menon, The Ramayana: A modern Translation, HarperCollins
- Bibeck Debroy, The Valmiki Ramayana, Penguin Books
- David Cliff More, Manipulation Techniques, International Kindle Paperwhite
- Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, Penguin Books
*) "Mie Instant" composed by Vic ILIR7

[Part 7]

[Part 5]

Bahasa

Hanuman Obhong : The Big Data

"Before dawn, Hanuman, who had transformed into a little monkey, leapt lightly from roof to roof, and like a silvery hallucination before him, he saw Ravana’s palace silhouetted against the sleeping ocean. It was as if a small slice of another, supernal, world had fallen into this one. Shimmering towers and turrets reached for the stars on their way across the sky. Within that great palace, Hanuman sensed an implacable evil, a quenchless thirst to dominate," the Moon began again. "Through a golden gate set with corals and pearls bigger than any he had ever seen, he stole on tiny feet into the antapura, Ravana’s harem. He found the Lord of Lanka was a collector not only of rakshasis. Some wings of the harem were full of sleeping gandharva women, lovely beyond belief; their hair glimmered with the natural starlight that is their elfin heritage, and their gossamer skins seemed to be woven from moonbeams.

In other antapuras, slept strong-limbed kinnara women with high cheekbones, whose men are centaurs. In yet other apartments were chambers full of green and serpentine naga women, sinuously exquisite, with jewels embedded in their sleeping heads. It struck Hanuman that all these women were Ravana’s lovers. It did not seem to the vanara they were restrained here as captives; they slept much too languorously. But probably, they fell asleep because they were tired, thinking about the investigation warrant issued by Ravana.

The little monkey shook his head at the ways of fate. Here was a sovereign who had delectable mistresses from every race in the three worlds; yet he chose to court death at Rama’s hands. And Hanuman believed that, however impossible it might seem to him just now, death would come ineluctably for Ravana.

The Dawn has rolled up his sleeves, and little Hanuman was engrossed in touring the city of Ravana. He could faintly hear a commotion from the Great Hall. He came closer, and at the gate, there was a large banner that read 'People's Forum.' Instantly, Hanuman jumped onto the roof, peeking through its gap. He saw, The Emperor stood at the podium, but didn't listen much of what Ravana said. He noticed it was not Alengka's people, but the harems were there, acting as the people. Ravana was delivering his speech, 'If the ciscumtances not possible, I will promote Indrajit as the Emperor of Lanka. And I myself, will be the vice emperor. At last, let me wish my younger sister a Happy Birthday, Surpanaka.' Then, the audience stood to sing 'Happy Birthday.'

Few really know why Ravana was portrayed as the ten-headed, twenty-armed figure as the supreme anti-hero. The great King of Asura, Mahabali, once advised Ravana to shun ten base emotions: anger; pride; arrogance; jealousy; happiness; sadness; fear; selfishness; passion and ambition. Mahabali spoke in length about mind control and mastering the senses., 'Anger is the lowest emotion. It clouds the intellect and can make you do foolish things. You become blind to reason and react only with your body, without thinking. This leads to failure in every sphere. Uproot this evil from your system.

The next base emotion is Pride. Arrogance stems from pride and kills clear thinking and vision. Pride makes you underestimate your foes and overestimate yourself. Jealousy is a vile emotion, and mastering it is one of the most challenging tasks a human being has. Jealousy makes you pine for other man’s kingdom, wealth, wife and fame. This emotion has lead to many wars, bloodshed and tears since time immemorial.

Happiness and sadness are just two eternal truths like day and night. A man of pure heart and superior intellect, never affected by these emotions. They are not base emotions at all but a reflection of our thoughts, a reaction to our perspective on things we see, hear and do. Equanimity is not only desirable in a warrior, but a must. Without it, you are as good as dead in the battlefield.

Fear is not an emotion, it is a disease. It spreads from the leader to his followers and vice–versa. Nothing has killed more men in war than fear. What should a warrior fear? Death? But death is what everyone achieves ultimately. Is it wounds that you fear? What is more important? A pint of your blood or the nectar of victory? Think. Thinking will clear such doubts.

Nothing is more condemnable than selfishness. A man who thinks of himself alone is the most unlucky person of all. Why is one born? Is it to get fed and grow fat? Is to procreate and multiply like pigs? Is to defile this good earth with bodily wastes and then die without creating any ripples in the world? What is his life worth if it does not light at least a small light in the darkness that is crushing our people. Abhor this vile emotion of selfishness.

Passion is a chain that ties you to the millstone of make-belief. A warrior should focus on victory and victory alone. That should be your only Dharma. Do your duty to your people, parents, wives, sisters, brothers and Gods. Passion makes you weak. Passion has unseen bondages that take you into the abyss of failure at that crucial moment when victory and failure get balanced. Beware of passion.

Finally, control your ambition. Ravana, I can see the fiery ambition burning in your eyes. But do not be reckless. Take only what life offers you as your own. Let your life follow its own tide. Aim for things and strive to achieve them, but always keep your feet solidly on the ground. Think, think and think, before you act.

The only thing worth preserving is your mind. Your mind absorbs the knowledge you gain from your Gurus, your books and your life, and refines it to great wisdom. It is what you have to develop. Every living minute you have to strive to feed your mind with fresh and positive inputs. This will give clarity to your vision and immense power to your action. You will make fewer mistakes and also learn faster from them.

Finally, control your ambition. Ravana, I can see the fiery ambition burning in your eyes. But do not be reckless. Take only what life offers you as your own. Let your life follow its own tide. Aim for things and strive to achieve them, but always keep your feet solidly on the ground. Think, think and think, before you act.

The only thing worth preserving is your mind. Your mind absorbs the knowledge you gain from your Gurus, your books and your life, and refines it to great wisdom. It is what you have to develop. Every living minute you have to strive to feed your mind with fresh and positive inputs. This will give clarity to your vision and immense power to your action. You will make fewer mistakes and also learn faster from them.

Finally, control your ambition. Ravana, I can see the fiery ambition burning in your eyes. But do not be reckless. Take only what life offers you as your own. Let your life follow its own tide. Aim for things and strive to achieve them, but always keep your feet solidly on the ground. Think, think and think, before you act.

The only thing worth preserving is your mind. Your mind absorbs the knowledge you gain from your Gurus, your books and your life, and refines it to great wisdom. It is what you have to develop. Every living minute you have to strive to feed your mind with fresh and positive inputs. This will give clarity to your vision and immense power to your action. You will make fewer mistakes and also learn faster from them.

But beware, do not make your intellect a mere decoration. Decorate it before and or after your name. Do not use your reason, seek to justify your own ambitions, or hiding the truth with your left hand.'

But, in his response to Mahabali, Ravana justifies and exults in the possession of all these ten facets, as they make him a complete man. That's why Ravana portrays as Dasamukha, or the ten-faced one, while his twenty hands denote prowess and power. Generally in Wayang, the rakshahasas are described as having only one left-hand, while the right-hand is tied. It means that their behavior and actions are always 'left-side' [a metaphor, nothing to do with left-handed], or bad deed. So, it can be said that, each rakshasa is always depicted as bad behavior, their eyes are big, and some are not open at all, 'blinded,' an upward glance symbolized arrogance, mouth wide openned and showing canine symbolized often intimidate people. In short, they are presenting a greedy character and belittle others. They are described as 'blind, lustful, continually mistreat others.'

Furthermore, the presenter announced that the next speaker would be Vibeeshana, as a resource person. And having stood on the pulpit, he said, 'Like it or not, data is playing an increasingly important role in all of our lives—and its role is going to get larger. Newspapers now have full sections devoted to data. Companies have teams with the exclusive task of analyzing their data. Investors give start-ups tens of millions of dollars if they can store more data. Even if you never learn how to run a regression or calculate a confidence interval, you are going to encounter a lot of data—in the pages you read, the business meetings you attend, the gossip you hear next to the watercoolers you drink from. Many people are anxious over this development. They are intimidated by data, easily lost and confused in a world of numbers. They think that a quantitative understanding of the world is for a select few left-brained prodigies, not for them. As soon as they encounter numbers, they are ready to turn the page, end the meeting, or change the conversation. And let me tell you this: 'Good data science is less complicated than people think. The best data science, in fact, is surprisingly intuitive. What makes data science intuitive? At its core, data science is about spotting patterns and predicting how one variable will affect another. People do this all the time.

Just think, when you were a kid, you noticed that when you cried, your mom gave you attention. That is data science. When you reached adulthood, you noticed that if you complain too much, people want to hang out with you less. That is data science, too. When people hang out with you less, you noticed, you are less happy. When you are less happy, you are less friendly. When you are less friendly, people want to hang out with you even less. Data science. And you are the data scientist.

But wait, we are often wrong about how the world works when we rely just on what we hear or personally experience. When relying on our gut, we can also be thrown off by the basic human fascination with the dramatic. We tend to overestimate the prevalence of anything that makes for a memorable story. For example, when asked in a survey, people consistently rank tornadoes as a more common cause of death than asthma. In fact, asthma causes about seventy times more deaths. Deaths by asthma don’t stand out—and don’t make the news. Deaths by tornadoes do. While the methodology of good data science is often intuitive, the results are frequently counterintuitive. Data science takes a natural and intuitive human process—spotting patterns and making sense of them—and injects it with steroids, potentially showing us that the world works in a completely different way from how we thought it did. The goal of a data scientist is to understand the world. Once we find the counterintuitive result, we can use more data science to help us explain why the world is not as it seems.

Let us dig into the history. In 431 BCE, Sparta declared war on Athens. Thucydides, in his account of the war, describes how besieged Plataean forces loyal to Athens planned to escape by scaling the wall surrounding Plataea built by Spartan-led Peloponnesian forces. To do this they needed to know how high the wall was so that they could make ladders of suitable length. Much of the Peloponnesian wall had been covered with rough pebbledash, but a section was found where the bricks were still clearly visible and a large number of soldiers were each given the task of counting the layers of these exposed bricks. Working at a distance safe from enemy attack inevitably introduced mistakes, but as Thucydides explains, given that many counts were taken, the result that appeared most often would be correct. This most frequently occurring count, which we would now refer to as the mode, was then used to calculate the height of the wall, the Plataeans knowing the size of the local bricks used, and ladders of the length required to scale the wall were constructed. This enabled a force of several hundred men to escape, and the episode may well be considered the most impressive example of historic data collection and analysis. But the collection, storage, and analysis of data pre-dates even Thucydides by many centuries.

Notches have been found on sticks, stones, and bones dating back to as early as the Upper Paleolithic era. These notches are thought to represent data stored as tally marks, though this is still open to academic debate. Perhaps the most famous example is the Ishango Bone, found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1950, and which is estimated to be around 20,000 years old. This notched bone has been variously interpreted as a calculator or a calendar, although others prefer to explain the notches as being there just to provide a examples of data usage are by no means confined to Europe and Africa. The Incas and their South American predecessors, keen to record statistics for tax and commercial purposes, used a sophisticated and complex system of coloured knotted strings, called quipu, as a decimal-based accounting system. These knotted strings, made from brightly dyed cotton or camelid wool, date back to the third millennium BCE, and although fewer than a thousand are known to have survived the Spanish invasion and subsequent attempt to eradicate them, they are among the first known examples of a massive data storage system. Computer algorithms are now being developed to try to decode the full meaning of the quipu and enhance our understanding of how they were used.

Although we can think of and describe these early systems as using data, the word ‘data’ is actually a plural word of Latin origin, with ‘datum’ being the singular. ‘Datum’ is rarely used today and ‘data’ is used for both singular and plural. The Oxford English Dictionary attributes the first known use of the term to the 17th-century English cleric Henry Hammond in a controversial religious tract published in 1648. In it Hammond used the phrase ‘heap of data’, in a theological sense, to refer to incontrovertible religious truths. But although this publication stands out as representing the first use of the term ‘data’ in English, it does not capture its use in the modern sense of denoting facts and figures about a population of interest. ‘Data’, as we now understand the term, owes its origins to the scientific revolution in the 18th century led by intellectual giants such as Priestley, Newton, and Lavoisier; and, by 1809, following the work of earlier mathematicians, Gauss and Laplace were laying the highly mathematical foundations for modern statistical methodology.

On a more practical level, an extensive amount of data was collected on the 1854 cholera outbreak in Broad Street, London, allowing physician John Snow to chart the outbreak. Following John Snow’s work, epidemiologists and social scientists have increasingly found demographic data invaluable for research purposes, and the census now taken in many countries proves a useful source of such information.

Before the widespread use of computers, data from the census, scientific experiments, or carefully designed sample surveys and questionnaires was recorded on paper—a process that was time-consuming and expensive. Data collection could only take place once researchers had decided which questions they wanted their experiments or surveys to answer, and the resulting highly structured data, transcribed onto paper in ordered rows and columns, was then amenable to traditional methods of statistical analysis.

The terms ‘Internet’ and ‘World Wide Web’ are actually very different. The Internet is a network of networks, consisting of computers, computer networks, local area networks (LANs), satellites, and cellphones and other electronic devices, all linked together and able to send bundles of data to one another, which they do using an IP (Internet protocol) address. The World Wide Web (www, or Web), described by its inventor, T. J. Berners-Lee, as ‘a global information system’, exploited Internet access so that all those with a computer and a connection could communicate with other users through such media as email, instant messaging, social networking, and texting. Subscribers to an ISP (Internet services provider) can connect to the Internet and so access the Web and many other services.

By the first half of the 20th century some data was being stored on computers, helping to alleviate some of this labour-intensive work, but it was through the launch of the World Wide Web (or Web) in 1989, and its rapid development, that it became increasingly feasible to generate, collect, store, and analyse data electronically. The problems inevitably generated by the very large volume of data made accessible by the Web then needed to be addressed, and we first look at how we may make distinctions between different types of data. addressed, and we first look at how we may make distinctions between different types of data. The data we derive from the Web can be classified as structured, unstructured, or semi-structured.

Structured data, of the kind written by hand and kept in notebooks or in filing cabinets, is now stored electronically on spreadsheets or databases, and consists of spreadsheet-style tables with rows and columns, each row being a record and each column a well-defined field (e.g. name, address, and age). We are contributing to these structured data stores when, for example, we provide the information necessary to order goods online. Carefully structured and tabulated data is relatively easy to manage and is amenable to statistical analysis, indeed until recently statistical analysis methods could be applied only to structured data.

In contrast, unstructured data is not so easily categorized and includes photos, videos, tweets, and word-processing documents. Once the use of the World Wide Web became widespread, it transpired that many such potential sources of information remained inaccessible because they lacked the structure needed for existing analytic techniques to be applied. However, by identifying key features, data that appears at first sight to be unstructured may not be completely without structure. Emails, for example, contain structured metadata in the heading as well as the actual unstructured message in the text and so may be classified as semi-structured data. Metadata tags, which are essentially descriptive references, can be used to add some structure to unstructured data. Adding a word tag to an image on a website makes it identifiable and so easier to search for. Semi-structured data is also found on social networking sites, which use hashtags so that messages (which are unstructured data) on a particular topic can be identified. Dealing with unstructured data is challenging: since it cannot be stored in traditional databases or spreadsheets, special tools have had to be developed to extract useful information. The term ‘data explosion’, refers to the increasingly vast amounts of structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data being generated minute by minute.

Approximately 80 per cent of the world’s data is unstructured in the form of text, photos, and images, and so it is not amenable to the traditional methods of structured data analysis. ‘Big data’ is now used to refer not just to the total amount of data generated and stored electronically, but also to specific datasets that are large in both size and complexity, with which new algorithmic techniques are required in order to extract useful information from them. These big datasets come from different sources.

All of this data, came from the stream of, among them, search engine, healthcare data, real-time data, astronomical data, and so forth. Big data is used extensively in commerce and medicine and has applications in law, sociology, marketing, public health, and all areas of natural science. It is now almost impossible to take part in everyday activities and avoid having some personal data collected electronically. Supermarket check-outs collect data on what we buy; airlines collect information about our travel arrangements when we purchase a ticket; and banks collect our financial data. Data in all its forms has the potential to provide a wealth of useful information if we can develop ways to extract it. New techniques melding traditional statistics and computer science make it increasingly feasible to analyse large sets of data. These techniques and algorithms developed by statisticians and computer scientists search for patterns in data. Determining which patterns are important is key to the success of big data analytics. The changes brought about by the digital age have substantially changed the way data is collected, stored, and analysed. The big data revolution has given us smart cars and home-monitoring.

Big data didn’t just happen—it was closely linked to the development of computer technology. In the digital age we are no longer entirely dependent on samples, since we can often collect all the data we need on entire populations. But the size of these increasingly large sets of data cannot alone provide a definition for the term ‘big data’—we must include complexity in any definition. Instead of carefully constructed samples of ‘small data’ we are now dealing with huge amounts of data that has not been collected with any specific questions in mind and is often unstructured. In order to characterize the key features that make data big and move towards a definition of the term, Doug Laney, writing in 2001, proposed using the three ‘v’s: volume, variety, and velocity. ‘Volume’ refers to the amount of electronic data that is now collected and stored, which is growing at an ever-increasing rate. Big data is big, but how big? Generally, we can say the volume criterion is met if the dataset is such that we cannot collect, store, and analyse it using traditional computing and statistical methods. A great variety of data is collected by hospitals, the military, and many commercial enterprises for a number of purposes, ultimately it can all be classified as structured, unstructured, or semi-structured. Velocity also refers to the speed at which data is electronically processed.

Why Big Data matters? Big data, big business. In the 1920s, J. Lyons and Co., a British catering firm famous for their ‘Corner House’ cafés, employed a young Cambridge University mathematician, John Simmons, to do statistical work. In 1947, Raymond Thompson and Oliver Standingford, both of whom had been recruited by Simmons, were sent on a fact-finding visit to the USA. It was on this visit that they first became aware of electronic computers and their potential for executing routine calculations. Simmons, impressed by their findings, sought to persuade Lyons to acquire a computer.

Collaboration with Maurice Wilkes, who was then engaged in building the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer (EDSAC) at the University of Cambridge, resulted in the Lyons Electronic Office. This computer ran on punched cards and was first used by Lyons in 1951 for basic accounting tasks, such as adding up columns of figures. By 1954, Lyons had formed its own computer business and was building the LEO II, followed by the LEO III. Although the first office computers were being installed as early as the 1950s, given their use of valves (6,000 in the case of the LEO I) and magnetic tape, and their very small amount of RAM, these early machines were unreliable and their applications were limited. The original Lyons Electronic Office became widely referred to as the first business computer, paving the way for modern e-commerce and, after several mergers, finally became part of the newly formed International Computers Limited (ICL) in 1968.

The LEO machines and the massive mainframe computers that followed were suitable only for the number-crunching tasks involved in such tasks as accounting and auditing. Workers who had traditionally spent their days tallying columns of figures now spent their time producing punched cards instead, a task no less tedious while requiring the same high degree of accuracy.

The eminent economist, John Maynard Keynes, writing during the British economic depression in 1930, speculated on what working life would be like a century later. The industrial revolution had created new city-based jobs in factories and transformed what had been a largely agrarian society. It was thought that labour-intensive work would eventually be performed by machines, leading to unemployment for some and a much-reduced working week for others. Keynes was particularly concerned with how people would use their increased leisure time, freed from the exigencies of gainful employment by technological advances. Perhaps more pressing was the question of financial support leading to the suggestion that a universal basic income would provide a way of coping with the decline in available jobs.

Since the use of computers became feasible for commercial enterprises, there has been interest in how they can be used to improve efficiency, cut costs, and generate profits. The development of the transistor and its use in commercially available computers resulted in ever-smaller machines, and in the early 1970s the first personal computers were being introduced. However, it was not until 1981, when International Business Machines (IBM) launched the IBM-PC on the market, with the use of floppy disks for data storage, that the idea really took off for business. The word-processing and spreadsheet capabilities of succeeding generations of PCs were largely mobile smart devices and facilities such as the electronic signature.

Although the optimistic aspiration of the early digital age to make an office paperless has yet to be fulfilled, the office environment has been revolutionized by email, word-processing, and electronic spreadsheets. But it was the widespread adoption of the Internet that made e-commerce a practical proposition.

Online shopping is perhaps the most familiar example. As customers, we enjoy the convenience of shopping at home and avoiding time-consuming queues. The disadvantages to the customer are few but, depending on the type of transaction, the lack of contact with a store employee may inhibit the use of online purchasing. Increasingly, these problems are being overcome by online customer advice facilities such as ‘instant chat’, online reviews, and star rankings, a huge choice of goods and services together with generous return policies. As well as buying and paying for goods, we can now pay our bills, do our banking, buy airline tickets, and access a host of other services all online.

As a closing, let me conclude that the more data you gather from your customers, the more value you can provide to them. And the more you can deliver to the, the higher the profit you can make.

Many companies go into big data simply because every big name in their industry is in to it. Unfortunately, they take a big data plunge without realizing why it matters to them. In the end they end up drowning in the sea of information that starts to clog up the data management system they deploy to handle big data. One has to understand why big data matters and how it can make a difference to his company’s operations before one can draw value from it.'

Afterwards, Hanuman immediately moved from his hiding place, in order to find data about Sita. Exhausted by now, Hanuman told himself, ‘Rama said that Sita loves flowers, trees and all wild things, deer, squirrels and birds. He said she spoke to them as if she knew each one’s tongue. The stream is cool and pure. Perhaps she will come to touch its water and greet the sun at dawn.’

He whispered on to himself like this. He dare not relinquish hope; his very life hung by just that thread. Like many creatures of the jungle, he could see almost as clearly by night as by day. As his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, Hanuman marvelled at the great garden he had come into. It was at least as lovely as Indra’s Nandana or Kubera’s Chaitra.

The scents, which were wafted on the night, reminded him of Gandhamadana, the fragrant mountain, to which Hanuman had once come during Sugriva’s long flight from Vali. Hanuman did not know this, but the scents of Ravana’s asokavana were heavenly because the plants, shrubs and trees that grew here had sprouted from seeds brought down from Nandana and Chaitra themselves.

As his eyes saw more clearly, Hanuman peered out sharply from his perch. Ahead of him, glowing through the darkness, was a little temple supported by white pillars all around, its arches overgrown with ivy.

Hanuman shinned down his tree and crept towards that temple. He saw that the pathway leading to the domed edifice was paved entirely with slabs of the red stone of the sea. He saw the steps that led up to it were also of dark coral. As he came nearer, he saw the little shrine glowed because its outer walls had been gilded with molten gold.

He heard the sound of snoring, and then someone sigh softly. In a flash, Hanuman darted his little head round the arched ingress, and his eyes grew round and his heart gave a lurch. Her yellow silk was soiled, her face was stained with tears, and she sighed from time to time amidst the rakshasis who lay asleep around her. But she shone in that shrine and there was no doubt in the vanara’s mind: she was Rama’s love, this was Sita!"

Citations & References:
- Ramesh Menon, The Ramayana: A modern Translation, HarperCollins
- Bibeck Debroy, The Valmiki Ramayana, Penguin Books
- Ir. Sri Mulyono, Wayang dan Karakter Manusia - Nenek Moyang Kurawa dan Pandawa, CV Haji Masagung
- Anand Neelakantan, Asura: Tale of the Vanquished - The Story of Ravana and His People, Platinum Press
- Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data and What the Internet Can Tell Us about Who We Really are, Dey St.
- Dawn E. Holmes, Big Data - A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press
- Vince Reynolds, Big Data for Beginners, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
[Part 6]
[Part 4]

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