Storytelling week 2: Shiva's bow and the string

Once upon a time in a land far far away there lived a beautiful princess named Sita. To say she is beautiful is even an understatement. Sita was the most beautiful woman Anyone had ever seen-Anyone being a traveling storyteller and all; he saw many attractive women through his travels so this was quite an impressive feat. Sita was the epitome of health, beauty, and youth. She was the favorite daughter of King Janaka. He loved his daughter very much and could not bear to part with her. So much so that he locked her away in the tallest tower in the entire kingdom.

King Janaka was not an evil man and he hated himself for doing this to his beloved daughter. He could never find a suitor worthy of taking his daughter's hand in marriage. So he promised himself that no man should so much as speak to Sita unless he deemed them worthy. This man had to be strong, brave, and humble to be worthy of Sita’s beauty and kindness. Her Father created a challenge to test the men who would ask for Sita to be their bride. He pondered long and hard until he remembered the bow of the god Shiva he had kept under lock and key. Shiva’s bow was a family heirloom left to him unstrung. There was no man that had ever been able to string Shiva’s bow because it would nearly take the strength of a God. King Janaka realized that any man able to string this bow would possess strength worthy of his daughter. He also considered that the man must be humble and refuse to take the bow as a gift two times. The man must also be brave, but the king had not yet devised a plan to test men’s bravery for none would even be able to string the bow and pass the first test. For years men came far and wide to test their strength and prove their worth. Even giant men ten feet tall with muscles the size of most men’s torsos' failed to string the bow. King Janaka had wondered if his test was too much. So he too prayed that someone would come and string the bow and marry his favorite daughter.

Sita hated being locked away in the tower with only her handmaidens to comfort her. Her greatest piece of happiness was her balcony. At least she did have the best view in all the land. Every day she stood watch on her balcony, looking at all the comings and goings of her people. Each and every day she prayed that a charming young prince would rescue her and get her out of this dreadful tower. For years she prayed, five years to be exact. Locked in a tower five years seemed an eternity to Sita. On the first day after the fifth year she had abandoned all hope, so much so that she took no pleasure even from her balcony which she adored. She lay in bed and wept for three straight days. On the third day she hatched a plan. She could no longer bear to sit here in misery so she would fling herself from the tower and end her own life.

It was a beautiful morning that Sita had planned to take the plunge. She walked to the balcony closed her eyes and said the same prayer she recited every day one final time before she ended her life. She opened her eyes and realized that no one would come. When all hope was lost, just before she plunged to her death Sita caught sight of the most handsome man she had ever seen. She could not help but stare at this young man. Sita prayed that this man would save her and string the bow.

Rama was walking down the city streets when he saw a glimmer of light up above. He stopped and looked to the sky and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was love at first sight for both the princess and Rama. Rama vowed he would marry that woman. Upon hearing of Rama’s arrival in the city, King Janaka went to greet him and bring him to the palace. On the way to the palace the king told Prince Rama of the challenge he had set. He only told every suitor of the test of strength, but never mentioned his need for bravery and humility. Rama, who instantly loved the princess, immediately went to Shiva’s bow so that he could make Sita his bride. A crowd had gathered to watch the great prince. Rama pushed his foot on one end of the bow for leverage and used his hand on the other to string the bow with ease. The crowd gasped and remained silent until finally they cheered at the strength of Rama. The king offered Rama the bow as a gift, but Rama refused the family heirloom. Again the king offered Rama the bow, but sure enough Rama would not take it for he had already won his heart’s desire. The King had already heard tales of Rama the Demon Slayer’s bravery and he had just accomplished the other two tasks. The king told Rama of his secret tests and Rama finally accepted the bow. The princess was brought down from her tower in a most joyous mood. That day Rama and Sita were married and lived happily ever after.

Rama with Shiva's bow

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Author's note- I chose the Wedding story because it reminded me of the sword in the stone fairy tale in a way. This was definitely one of my favorite stories when I was a child. This story in the book seems to be the Indian equivalent. I wanted to present Rama as a great hero; I thought the trials would help to illustrate that.  I also used inspiration from the story of Rapunzel in a way. I was imagining Sita as a prisoner in a very tall tower so it kind of fit. I used the fairy tale prompt of Rama winning Sita. I changed the story and made up many details. I conceived a set of trials that King Janaka conceived to win Sita. For example, refusing to take the bow would show how humble the man must be. I wanted to keep the core part of the story the same but change various details and make it my own. So, the main plot points stayed the same. Rama and Sita's eyes still met which made them gravitate towards one another. Rama and Sita still married after the Shiva's bow ordeal. The story in the book gave some detail on how Sita was feeling but I felt like I could give more insight on her feelings.
Bibliography-

"The Wedding"Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.