Week 2 Storytelling: The Breaking of the Bow

Rama and Lakshmana had only just arrived to the city of Mithila when they took their leave of the sage Vishvamitra. The main road had led them directly into a busy market square- dozens of tiny improvised stalls packed next to each other, vendors hawking goods and foods of all kinds, and a constant mass of moving, chattering patrons. This was a welcome sight for the brothers, who were tired and out of supplies after battling the rakshasas in the forest. Rama left Lakshmana to haggle with the local merchants while he walked down one of the winding side streets. He made his way further into the heart of the city and found himself on a hill overlooking the palace. A young woman with dark hair and plain clothes was sitting in the grass, watching him watch her.

"Are you lost, sir?"

"No, I've only just arrived. It's too soon to be lost, wouldn't you say?"

"One might say lost is about the only thing you can be, in that case." The young woman smiled at Rama. There was pretense of politeness, but he noticed the mischievous glint in her eye. "What brings you to Mithila, sir?"

Rama cleared his throat and explained,"My brother and I are sons of the great maharajah Dasharatha. A great sage asked us to battle the dark rakshasas in the forests, and our travels have brought us here."

"Ah, so you must be the amazing Rama everyone has been talking about? How fortunate I must be to welcome you to our fine city."

Rama could tell the girl was trying to fluster him. "I appreciate your kindness, Miss, but would you have any idea how we might be able to meet with King Janaka?"

"Ah, yes, the king. Well, the word around town is he will be holding a public gathering tomorrow in front of the palace. I'm sure you'll be able to speak with him then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a number of things to do and surprisingly few of them have anything to do with sitting here and talking to you."

Before Rama could say another word, the young woman had stood up and made her way back towards the city. That night, Rama met with Lakshmana and Vishvamitra to discuss their plans. The three decided that they would try to meet with the king during this public forum. The next morning, the three readied themselves and made their way to the palace.

When they arrived, it seemed as if the entire city had gathered to watch the proceedings. In a clearing in the center of the crowd sat an older-looking man in finely adorned clothes who must have been the king. He held in his hand a shining golden bow. After a few moments, the man stood up, and a sudden silence swept through the crowd. "I have called a gathering today to find a suitable husband for my daughter, the princess Sita. She is a noble and graceful woman, and only the strongest warrior deserves her hand and my favor." He held up the bow." This is the bow of the powerful god Shiva. He who can snap this bow in twain shall be declared the strongest warrior in all the lands. All are welcome to try their strength!"

Every man in the crowd made his way forward, one after one, to try breaking the golden bow. Most were strong and had the clear markings of warriors, but despite all efforts, the bow would not break. Finally, Rama stepped forward to try his hand. He strung the bow, and tossed it back and forth from one hand to the next, testing its weight. Finally, he took both ends into his hands and bent the bow back as far as he could. The ends of the bow were almost touching, and it was a marked improvement over his competitors, but despite his incredible prowess, Rama could not break it. He tossed the bow down in disgust and stepped back into the crowd.

A few moments later, a small hooded figure wrapped in a dark cloak stepped past Rama and into the center of the crowd. He picked up the bow and held it at a distance, examining it. Suddenly, almost too fast to see, the figure pinned one end of the bow to the ground and bent the other back with both hands. The cracking of the bow echoed off the stone walls of the palace walls, and the crowd began cheering. The king stepped forward to congratulate the new champion.

"You, sir, possess the strength of more than a hundred men. Only you are worthy of being my daughter's keeper."

"I must say I'm rather glad to hear that, father," and with a deft motion, the figure pulled back her hood and cloak, revealing not a man, but a young woman. Rama recognized her instantly as the girl from the day before.

"Let it be known that it was the wit and strength of a woman who broke the bow, and I, Princess Sita of Mithila, am bound to no one. Father, you will let me choose my own husband, and this choice shall not be questioned." The king, still in shock over the current proceedings, could only nod his agreement.

"Where is the one named Rama? He who is righteous and possessed with a divine grace, he shall be my husband, my partner and equal."

Rama stepped forward to meet his new bride."Princess, I must admit, I had no idea who you were when we met yesterday. I did not come here to win your hand but I would be honored to be your husband."

That same mischievous glint flashed in her eyes again."Rama, the rest of these suitors gathered in the city for the sole purpose of winning my hand. But you are here out of circumstance. One might say it's the will of the gods."

The breaking of the bow; Illustration by Evelyn Paul

Author's Note: This story is a mix of two separate parts of the Ramayana, "Sita" from The Divine Archer by FJ Gould (1911) and "Rama wins Sita" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. MacKenzie (1913). I really liked the whole sequence revolving around Rama's arrival in Mithila, and the bow-breaking contest was really evocative of a lot of other mythological courtship stories. In both sources that I used, Rama does succeed in breaking the bow, and thus wins Sita's hand in a more traditional manner. There is also less dialogue between the two characters before the contest. The character of Sita seems relatively flat and lacks any kind of personal sovereignty in comparison to the male characters, so I tried giving her a bit more personality and agency. The change in the ending is probably the most direct example of this, but I think the dialogue helps to flesh out her character as well. For the finale,  I decided to have the couple stay together to maintain consistency with the broader story, and I tried to add a few more flirtatious lines to emphasize their attraction to each other as avatars of two divine lovers. This image does not show Rama in the act of breaking the bow, but rather, the aftermath while the bow lies in pieces on the ground; thus, it could be open to interpretation as to who really broke the bow.