Now, back to the present. 

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Here was Rama, asking Sita to return to his palace - contingent upon another trial by fire. And, here I was, angry beyond belief. As you have seen, I, Bhumi, have mighty power. I chose to give Vishnu some spotlight in his fight against Hiranyaksha by purposely making myself look vulnerable, and I chose to allow Shiva to have the honor of presenting Ganga (a form of myself) to the Earth. I am the Supreme Being, and will not sit idle in times of injustice - even if it is the great Vishnu, in the form of Rama, doing the injustice. 

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And...he seems to forget that Sita is my own daughter. She is also a form of the Supreme Goddess. 

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A single tear flowed down Sita's face as she looked Rama in the eye. "Once wronged, twice wronged," she said with a gentle, yet fiery conviction. "I will not be wronged a third time. If you have such little faith in me, then you need me no longer."

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"What are you talking about? Just -," Rama began, before Sita cut him off. 

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"I will return to my mother, Goddess Bhumi, and forfeit my physical body," she said, closing her eyes in meditation. I've heard your pleas this whole time, Sita. I am coming to get you. 

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The wind began picking up speed as ominous, dark clouds began to cover the heavens. Blinding flashes of lightning filled the sky, accompanied by deafening bursts of thunder. The trees began swaying with such force from the wind that they threatened to be pulled from the ground like grass.

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"No! Sita!" yelled Rama, in desperation. The two children, Lava and Kusha, began crying. Sita remained steady, and did not open her eyes. She knew she would dearly miss her children as she heard their cries, but she was nonetheless determined. Her hair blew behind her with the wind, giving her a scary appearance.

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Suddenly, there was a loud crash as I parted the earth next to Sita. From the chasm rose a throne, with me, in my resplendent physical form, sitting on it. 

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"Sita, my beloved, I am here," I called out. Sita opened her eyes and a smile broke across her face. She ran toward me and sat on the throne next to me, finding consolation in my embrace. 

 

"Sita!" yelled Rama, tears flowing down his face. I turned toward him and looked at him directly in the eye. 

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"Learn from your mistakes, Rama," I told him coldly. A blinding flash of lightning cut through the sky as I said his name. "I am far too powerful for you to do injustice to my daughter." 

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And, with that, Sita and I both returned back to the Earth. 

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My plan was complete. 

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Author's Note: This story goes back to the original story with Rama and Sita brought up in the introduction. In this story, I emphasize again the sheer power of Bhumi by relaying her perspective on taking back Sita. The previous stories serve as a preface to the situation by displaying the power and motivation that Bhumi has had in other mythologies, and also serves to depict the entire situation as a plan orchestrated by her - just like in the other stories. Her disregard for the fame and glory of Rama is apparent, as she is the one who orchestrated everything so that he attained that fame in the first place. Like usual, the story ends with Bhumi's victory, and concludes her presentation of herself as the Supreme Goddess. The image that I chose shows the moment of truth - Bhumi, in her physical form, takes back her daughter Sita as Rama and his party look on. What is missing in the picture, however, is the deep sorrow that Rama feels as he sees Sita go. Overall, my project was aimed at bridging together the concept of the Supreme Goddess with Bhumi, who is, unfortunately, often overlooked in the Hindu pantheon. She plays a vital role in many aspects of Hindu mythology, but the connection to her being a manifestation of the Supreme Goddess is seldom present. Throughout my stories, I not only serve to make the connection between her and the Supreme Goddess clear, but also emphasize her role as Sita's mother in the Ramayana. Many people view the story of the Ramayana as a story of a husband and wife's relationship, but I changed it so that the perspective was on the mother-daughter relationship.