The Bow No One Could Move
The bow of Shiva had been gifted to King Janaka's ancestor by the gods. It sat in an iron chest, carried on an eight-wheeled cart pulled by five thousand men. For generations, kings and heroes from across the earth had come to Mithila to try. None could even lift it.
Sita had grown up in its presence. As a child, she had once picked it up without thinking while playing near the chest — which is how Janaka knew her swayamvara condition was not impossible, merely improbable.
The Morning of the Contest
Vishwamitra brought Rama and Lakshmana to Mithila. When Rama saw Sita in the assembly, Valmiki says the two recognized each other with their eyes — a recognition without words.
The kings and princes tried one by one. Some could not move the chest. Some lifted it slightly and set it down. The great king Ravana of Lanka, Valmiki tells us, had also tried and failed.
Rama Lifts It
Vishwamitra asked Rama to try.
Rama stood, bowed to the bow, and lifted it — as easily as a skilled archer strings a practice bow. He drew the string back. The bow snapped with a sound like thunder.
The earth shook. The assembly fell silent. Then erupted.
Janaka wept with joy. Sita placed the garland around Rama's neck.