Book of Devi by Bulbul Sharma

Author:Bulbul Sharma [Sharma, Bulbul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789351180906
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

The story of Sita’s wedding to Rama is narrated at great length in the Ramayana and in the Devi Bhagavata Purana. In later periods poets such as Tulsidas wrote beautiful verses describing this episode. Many popular folk tales in various languages celebrate this well-loved story and ballads are sung in villages all over India during the Dussehra festival. ‘Sita Swayamvar’ attracts a huge crowd when it is enacted during Ramlila and women offer sweets to each other when the wedding takes place on stage.

When Rama was about sixteen years of age, a sage named Vishwamitra came to his father, King Dasarath, and asked his help to kill two demons named Maricha and Suvahu. Rama and his younger brother Lakshmana set out with the sage to his hermitage in the forest. They soon put an end to the demons and the sage, pleased with them, offered them many boons. The hermits told Rama that they had been invited to a sacrifice which King Janaka of Mithila had organized and asked Rama and Lakshmana to accompany them. They told Rama, who was uncertain about going with them, about the mighty bow which King Janaka possessed. ‘A bow which belonged to Shiva himself. It was with this bow that Shiva had created havoc when enraged at the way Sati had been treated by her father Daksha. The bow was a gift from Shiva to Janaka—a reward for a sacrifice. Janaka had declared that he would only give his daughter Sita’s hand in marriage to the man who could string this great bow of Shiva’s.’

Rama was thus persuaded to accompany the sages to Janaka’s court. When the two princes arrived, Janaka was very pleased to see them and offered them the best seat in his court. He showed them the mighty bow and said, ‘This heavenly bow, if young Rama’s hand can string, to him I shall give, as I have sworn, my daughter Sita, who was not born of a woman.’

The king ordered his men to bring the bow which was kept in an iron box. It was brought to the assembly on an eight-wheeled carriage, a row of men pulling it like a chariot. All the kings and princes gathered at Janaka’s court gasped at its immense weight. Those who had some pride decided that they would not even attempt to lift it but some foolish and vain princes strutted up to the box, tightening their belts. One by one they all failed and returned to their seats, their faces burning with shame. Kings, princes, gods and demons in the form of mortal men, they all came and tried their hand but the bow seemed to get heavier. It seemed as if Brahma had not created a single man who could move the bow, leave alone lift and string it.

‘I know now that this earth is bereft of brave men. If only I had known this I would have not made this pledge. Now my daughter will remain unmarried because I cannot change my words and lose face,’ declared Janaka with sorrow.

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