About this item
King Janaka had inherited through his family line a powerful bow given by Lord Siva. No ordinary man could even lift it.
The king had an exceptionally beautiful daughter named Sita. While she was a young girl, King Janaka gave her the duty of cleaning the great bow and the altar on which it sat. One day, as he was watching her from behind a pillar, he saw her easily life the bow, which even hundreds of men could not budge. After dusting, she returned it to its place.
At that time, the king vowed that he would give Sita in marriage only to that man who could lift the bow and string it. As word of this vow spread through the world, many great kings from various lands came to test their strength on the great bow. However, they were unable to lift it, much less string it. Out of frustration these kings would attack King Janaka. Fortunately, he was always able to repel them.
One day the sage Visvamitra asked the king to show the bow to Prince Rama. The king again promised that if Rama could string the bow He would receive the hand of Sita in marriage. At the king's command, three hundred strong men brought the bow into a great assembly hall.
Thereafter Lord Rama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seized the bow in the middle with His left hand. As many thousands of men watched in amazement, Lord Rama lifted up the bow and strung it. Then He pulled the string back with such force that the massive bow broke in half.
The bow's cracking sounded like a thunderbolt and made the whole earth tremble. Everyone was knocked to the ground except Rama, Sita, Visvamitra, and King Janaka. Afterward, the king arranged for the marriage of Sita and Rama.
