Week 3 Story: Bow of Balance

 

Photo taken from Wikipedia 

This story begins with a child who was an incantation of Lakshmi, this child became Sita the adopted daughter of Janaka.  There are many stories that speculate how Janaka came to find Sita. Whether he was plowing one day and came across her in the dirt as a gift from the earth gods, or she transformed herself into a gem to trick Ravana, but his wife told him to get rid of the child and she came across Janaka that way. The child was adopted by Janaka and was a gift from the gods to him.

Growing up Sita was a strong and independent child, she never complained and always asked if she could help around the palace. Her dad was always busy, and she had no idea what to do during the day. She wondered what her mother did during the day, and one day she found her in the kitchen cooking for the men who worked with her father. She learned to cook quickly and was the best chef the palace had ever seen. It was highly unorthodox for a princess to be cooking for people below her station, but she was kind and loved to do it. 

One day she was walking to the courtyard to offer the maids some baked bread she had freshly made and found them struggling to clean around her father's bow that he kept on a pedestal. 

She asked quietly, "what of this bow makes it so important that we mustn't move it to clean?" The servants looked around and then told Sita about the bow's uniqueness. 

"This bow was given as a gift from the god Shiva, no one can lift it unless Shiva finds you to be worthy of its power," the girl said looking around to make sure she wasn't seen talking to Sita, "no man has yet to wield it's power in this court." Sita was amazed by this story, why would something so powerful be so impossible to behold. 

Sita was intrigued by this story, "I am sorry I have taken you away from your work to tell me this!" She apologized to the girl, "let me help you clean since I have not been kind to your time." The girl refused, Sita was a princess why would she help her with her tasks? Sita moved the bow without thinking, "here, clean under this, I will hold it for you." 

"Excuse me... princess, how are you able to do that?" The girl said, amazed by the woman's strength. "You said no man could wield the power of this bow, but you said not about a woman." The girl quickly cleaned under it and then ran for the others to see what had happened.

King Janaka walked out of his meeting amazed and proud of his daughter, "so strong are you Sita. When comes time for you to marry, the man for you will be able to wield the bow as easily as you have." So it became that no man too weak, in mind or body, could marry the great Sita. Men came from far and wide to attempt to lift the bow and gain the good graces of this royal anomaly, time after time men failed. For only a woman with strong morals and a kind heart was strong enough to gain the good favor of Shiva.

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Authors note: I chose this story because it reminds me of the sword and the stone, and also Thor's hammer. I wanted to write it with the concept of Thor's hammer in mind, that only someone who is worthy could wield the great weapon. Similarly to how Thor is the only one who could hold it, and then all of a sudden Steve Rodgers can as well because of his worthiness, Sita and her husband Rama could wield the power of the bow. This accounts for the kind heart of Sita and her self-sacrificial attitude. 

Bibliography: Tiny Tales from the Ramayana by Laura Gibbs. 

Stories from: Sita Learns to Cook and Sita Surprises Her Sisters