Rama Bends The Bow
Long ago, during the time of Prince Rama and his many adventures, King Janaka set forth a challenge to any man that would accept. The challenge set forth by the king was of vast importance for many people. King Janaka was known to have a daughter, Sita, that was far more beautiful than any man could possibly imagine. She was talked about far and wide for her wondrous looks that would leave any man with a very strong desire to be with her. There were numerous warriors and princes that had traveled great distances to give their best attempt at King Janaka's challenge. King Janaka made the challenge of winning his daughter's hand in marriage nearly impossible for almost all of mankind. The bow of Shiva (a supreme being) remained unstrung and in the possession of King Janaka. The challenge set forth by the king was fulfilled by the man that strung Shiva's bow. It would come to be that a young Prince Rama possessed the capabilities of accomplishing such an enormous challenge. At the time, Prince Rama was unaware of Sita's existence. However, it just so happened that he would cross her path as he was visiting the allied kingdom of King Janaka.
Rama had recently been on an expedition to rid the surrounding areas of evil demons that had been terrorizing the lands. His brother, Lakshmana, was accompanying Rama on their journey to the allied kingdom. Rama and Lakshmana found themselves in the royal garden of the allied kingdom. It was full of beautiful Ashok flowers and Rosebud trees. As Rama and his brother were walking about the royal garden, Rama was able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful princess Sita. An instant connection was born when the two locked eyes. They both froze in place as they noticed the other for the first time. It was not common for such a strong and vibrant connection to be made between two complete strangers. However, this was not a mere random coincidence. This newfound infatuation with each other would prove to be fulfilling of destiny. Sita's companions quickly rushed her out of the garden as they caught her staring at the young prince Rama. However, this would definitely not be the last time they glanced upon each other.
The crazy thing about Sita and Rama is that they were both connected by the heavens. Rama and Sita were avatars of two gods that were heavenly lovers. It was not a coincidence that they would find each other in such a moment.
The next day, Rama went straight to the King to take on the challenge of stringing Shiva's bow. Many men from far and wide had attempted this challenge without the slightest bit of success. However, none of these men were Rama. Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, had strength and power that no ordinary man could ever possess. He took the bow in his hand and strung it with ease. Rama felt a very familiar and strong connection with the bow. The ground began to tremble and a loud bang rang across the city. Everyone looked on in disbelief at what Rama had so effortlessly done. Sita was lurking behind her father while this took place. She began to blush and fill with excitement as she noticed that the man from the garden strung the bow.
With Rama's incredible feat of strength, he married Sita. Their many adventures together were just coming to fruition.
Author's Note: The story I told was a retelling of Rama's incredible feat of winning over his wife Princess Sita. I kept the details mostly the same to the source story. This version was a bit different from the one read in class. It contains the scene where Rama and Sita meet in the garden. I thought that this story should remain true to its origins. I think it has such vast importance in the overall events of Prince Rama's travels and accomplishments. I also think that this story puts into perspective just how incredible Prince Rama's strength was. There were men that had traveled far and wide to attempt this challenge. However, none could ever succeed in even making the bow budge. Rama's superhuman strength allowed him to bend the bow and string it easily. This was not something to take lightly because it was the bow of the god Shiva. These details are very important to the story because it highlights how incredible this feat truly was. Overall, I just added my own personal voice to the story. The outcome is the same in the source story. I did not want to deviate from any major details. As you read in my retelling, Rama is able to win the hand of Sita in marriage and the rest is history. There are many adventures that take place after this that involve Rama and Sita together.
Bibliography: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. Source: archives.
Rama had recently been on an expedition to rid the surrounding areas of evil demons that had been terrorizing the lands. His brother, Lakshmana, was accompanying Rama on their journey to the allied kingdom. Rama and Lakshmana found themselves in the royal garden of the allied kingdom. It was full of beautiful Ashok flowers and Rosebud trees. As Rama and his brother were walking about the royal garden, Rama was able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful princess Sita. An instant connection was born when the two locked eyes. They both froze in place as they noticed the other for the first time. It was not common for such a strong and vibrant connection to be made between two complete strangers. However, this was not a mere random coincidence. This newfound infatuation with each other would prove to be fulfilling of destiny. Sita's companions quickly rushed her out of the garden as they caught her staring at the young prince Rama. However, this would definitely not be the last time they glanced upon each other.
The crazy thing about Sita and Rama is that they were both connected by the heavens. Rama and Sita were avatars of two gods that were heavenly lovers. It was not a coincidence that they would find each other in such a moment.
The next day, Rama went straight to the King to take on the challenge of stringing Shiva's bow. Many men from far and wide had attempted this challenge without the slightest bit of success. However, none of these men were Rama. Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, had strength and power that no ordinary man could ever possess. He took the bow in his hand and strung it with ease. Rama felt a very familiar and strong connection with the bow. The ground began to tremble and a loud bang rang across the city. Everyone looked on in disbelief at what Rama had so effortlessly done. Sita was lurking behind her father while this took place. She began to blush and fill with excitement as she noticed that the man from the garden strung the bow.
With Rama's incredible feat of strength, he married Sita. Their many adventures together were just coming to fruition.
(A photo of Rama stringing and breaking the bow. Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Author's Note: The story I told was a retelling of Rama's incredible feat of winning over his wife Princess Sita. I kept the details mostly the same to the source story. This version was a bit different from the one read in class. It contains the scene where Rama and Sita meet in the garden. I thought that this story should remain true to its origins. I think it has such vast importance in the overall events of Prince Rama's travels and accomplishments. I also think that this story puts into perspective just how incredible Prince Rama's strength was. There were men that had traveled far and wide to attempt this challenge. However, none could ever succeed in even making the bow budge. Rama's superhuman strength allowed him to bend the bow and string it easily. This was not something to take lightly because it was the bow of the god Shiva. These details are very important to the story because it highlights how incredible this feat truly was. Overall, I just added my own personal voice to the story. The outcome is the same in the source story. I did not want to deviate from any major details. As you read in my retelling, Rama is able to win the hand of Sita in marriage and the rest is history. There are many adventures that take place after this that involve Rama and Sita together.
Bibliography: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. Source: archives.
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