Storytelling for Week 2: The Deer Chital

Somewhere between the disenchanted city of Ayodhya and the corrupt kingdom of Lanka, the deep and quiet Pachavati forest protected a majestic deer named Chital. White speckles lay gently upon his narrow honey-colored back, which culminated in a lively tail that appeared to be dipped in snow. 

Chital Deer. Source: Wikipedia

Chital considered the lotus flowers to be his dearest confidants; their melodious observations made his heart dance. 

Lotus Flowers. Source: Flickr

All day Chital and his lotus friends would blithely banter about silly human affairs and nonsensical celestial entanglements. It seemed like each day more and more news surfaced regarding the activity of the most virtuous Rama. Chital innocently worried for Rama and Rama’s beloved, Sita, while the loti comforted him in their karmic wisdom. Like never before, Chital experienced an unusual gust of wind that sends chills up his bony spine. Next came a womanly cry from above, “And O thou forest and flowery trees, and thou Godavari, and woodland deities, and deer, and birds, I conjure you to tell my lord that Ravana has stolen me away.” Sita. Instantly, Chital felt as if he had known her for a lifetime, as if Sita was summoning him specifically. Never before had Chital felt more purpose to his life. Chital knew what to do. He ran vigilantly to an opening in the trees that he might catch sight of this wondrous woman. The sighting was much more daunting than anything Chital had ever witnessed: Ravana maiming Sita’s protector, the vulture Jatayu. Incredibly, Jatayu was able to conjure up enough strength to knock Ravana to the ground but only more angered, Ravana violently severed Jatayu’s wings. Out of plain sight, Chital watched Sita mourn the lifeless bird before Ravana dragged her away from the earth. Chital couldn’t believe his eyes; he began to weep. From mere gab, Chital had spent a lifetime drawing up what an encounter with such people might entail, but this confrontation was not comparable to such daydreams. This was a nightmare. The clouds grew darker. The forest seemed petrified and, for the first time, the loti were speechless. The moon came and went. With the arrival of the new sun, Chital remembered Sita’s words, “… and deer, and birds, I conjure you to tell my lord that Ravana has stolen me away.” Chital had no choice but to fulfill Sita’s request, so he set off for Rama.

"The lotus-flowers faded, the sun grew dark, the mountains wept in waterfalls and lifted up their summits like arms, the woodland deities were terrified, the young dear shed tears, and every creature lamented."

Author’s Note: An adaptation of Jatayu and Ravana from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914) is portrayed from the perspective of a deer. This story specifically stuck out to me because I love its personification of nature, which I included above. I mentioned in my Reading Diary of Part B this week how I enjoyed the introduction of the deer, a symbol of gentleness, spirituality, and love. I also incorporated the lotuses into my story because of their meaning of rebirth, purity, and divinity, which I mentioned in my Reading Diary of Part A. I named the deer Chital because a chital deer is a native deer to India.