'Uttara Kanda', the seventh and the final installment of the Valmiki Ramayana, has often been the most rushed through books in the series.
What often goes overlooked as an epilogue, to offer readers the desired 'all's well that ends well' conclusion, in fact, ties the loose ends in the narrative by answering the most sought after questions about the origin of the characters.
Writer and translator Arshia Sattar has offered her readers an opportunity to take a fresh look at this segment of the Ramayana, with her latest work of translation titled, "Uttara: The Book of Answers".
According to Sattar, who has been teaching the Ramayana for several years now, the Uttar Kanda is the "most problematic" part that manages to raise as many questions as it answers.
"I too, had rushed through it. But, over the years, I have found that many of the questions my students asked, had their answers in the 'Uttar Kanda' -- how come Hanuman had to be reminded of his magical powers, or why did Ravana not touch Sita, and what Rama did after he became king," she told PTI.
For the writer, who has a PhD in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, it was epiphanic to realise while translating the text, that it was the Uttar or answer to all the discrepancies that might arise in the preceeding narratives.
"On one hand, we could say that nothing much happens in the Uttara Kanda... That it exists only to reinforce the idea of Rama as Vishnu. On the other hand, we could say that everything that is of any lasting significance in the epic happens in this Kanda," she says.
'Uttar Kanda' picks up after the war between Rama and
Ravana, following which the former returns triumphant to a life of spiritual and marital bliss, that does not last.
Merely glossed over narratives where 'Sita is banished based on rumours of her impurity and infidelity', or when 'Rama kills a shudra for practicing tapas', are confronted in the Uttara kanda, and answers to several "uncomfortable" questions are provided to an audience who see the epic as the life-story of their revered God.
"The most important aspect of the 'Uttar Kanda' is that it provides answers - not simply to questions that had actually been raised, but also to questions that might have been imagined then and might be imagined even now," she says.
Sattar argues that translating the last segment of the Ramayana was imperative because, unlike the other books, it does not let the readers flip over the actions of the "righteous Maryada Purush".
She says the translations must be as accurate and honest as possible, notwithstanding the seemingly misogynist or casteist tone of the text, in order to have discussions.
"I can't stop people from rolling their eyes or refusing to engage with what the text says. But, I can certainly state my opinion and hope to persuade people to see what I'm saying and why I'm saying it," says Sattar, who ensures that her translations are accompanied by essays, where she introduces feminist and other ideological discourses around the epic.
