The following morning King Janaka, after finishing his morning time rites, came to Viswamitra and asked him whether he would like him to do anything in particular for him.
Viswamitra replied "These two sons of Dasharatha are eager to see that marvellous bow. You may show the same to them. After seeing that bow these two princes will leave this place."
Janaka replied Vishwamitra "Firstly, let me tell you as to how that bow came to my possession. There was a king renowned as Devaraata, sixth one from Nimi, the originator of our lineage, and this bow was handed down to him for custodial care by none other than the God of All Gods, viz. Shiva.
"Once, after the devastation of the Vedic-ritual of Daksha Prajapati, the mettlesome god Rudra, outstretching the bowstring of this bow, said with rancour to all gods, superciliously...
" 'Oh, gods, whereby you have not apportioned my portion of oblations in the Vedic-ritual s, as I too, am quite eligible for such portion, thereby I intent to shred the highly revered heads of all of you with this bow.'
"Then all gods were mightily dismayed, and on their earnest supplication, Shiva, the God of Gods relented and gave that bow to all the gods. They in turn gave it to our ancestor Devaraata, for custodial care.
"Later, when I was ploughing the ritual field then raised by the plough from the furrow was a baby girl. Since she was gained while consecrating the ritual-field, she is named as Seetha.
"Hers is a non-uterine birth as she surfaced from the surface of the earth. I fostered her as my own soul-born girl and I determined to giver her in marriage to a bridegroom whose boldness is the only bounty I will receive in that marriage.
Comment: 'Dowry is property or money brought by a bride to her husband' and this is prevalent throughout the world. In ancient India, there was a counterpart custom to this, called kanyaa shulkam meaning 'some bounty, property or money offered by a bridegroom's family to the bride's family' since they are getting a worthy bride, coming into their family, not just as a mere wife of the bridegroom, but to upkeep and promote that family and its progeny. And this dowry or its counterpart is not compulsorily be paid in hard cash, but it may be any kind of gifts mutually exchanged, which has slowly developed into a mega havoc in the present days. Here Janaka wants the 'valour' of his prospective son-in-law as bounty due to him in the marriage of Seetha.
End Comment.
"When my daughter Seetha grew up to a very beautiful girl, many kings, having heard the beauty of Seetha, had besought her. But I strictly told them all, that she would be given for a bounty of boldness alone. Then all the kings convoked and arrived Mithila and wanted to know how I was going to judge the calibre of the bounty. I told them that whoever can string the bowstring of Shiva's bow can marry my daughter.
"The bow of Shiva was brought for them, but none of them was able to joggle it, or even to catch hold of it.
Comment: This bow of Shiva had to be transported on a wheeled casket-cart with eight wheels and drawn by five thousand robust persons. This is narrated in next chapter. 'It is drawn by five hundred bulls...' 'aananda raamayana' says so. In other versions of Ramayana, it is said that many people will pull that casket-cart, as one or two persons cannot haul it. Once, when Seetha was playing with other girls, their flowery ball of girl's rugby goes under this cart. None of her girlfriends was dare enough to go near this bow-casket-cart, since it was a reverential casket-cart. But Seetha goes there and pushes that casket-cart aside with her left hand, as though it is a garland, and retrieves that flower ball. This capability of Seetha in easily handling of Shiva's bow, becomes a bane to her, when one among the wives of sapta R^iSi 'Seven Sages...' issues a curse to Seetha, saying that 'Seetha will be separated from her husband for some time, of course, for the good of people...' So says the tradition.
End Comment.
"I declined to give my daughter's hand to any one of them. They, in a blind fury, thought it was a calculated insult to them.
"They surmised that they were brushed off by me, and as such with a high rancour, siege and try to strangle the City of Mithila with their army. That continued for over a year and the situation was very grim for me and all my subjects and all of us were anguished.
"Then I prayed the assemblages of gods by my ascesis and they were very pleased and gave me fourfold forces.
Comment: The four components of army are foot soldiers, cavalry, elephant-squadrons, and chariot-warriors.
End Comment.
"Then their army could not match the one sent by the gods; their army was broken, and they beat a hasty retreat. Oh, Sir, this is that supremely radiant bow, and oh, saint of sacred vows, I will show it, even to Rama and Lakshmana.
Comment: Here by the use of the words 'even' Janaka was reckoning Rama and/or Lakshmana on par with other kings who had tried their hand in lifting it. As of now, Janaka was not admitting any supremeness or super-humanness to them. In Janaka's asking at verse 4 'what can I do next...' etc., Janaka was wondering as to why this Vishwamitra brought some boys on this long a route, that too by foot. But he was not yet self-assured of Rama's capability or otherwise. Hence, the next verse starts with the clause 'if'.
End Comment.
"If Rama twangs the bowstring of that bow, I will offer my daughter, to Dasharatha's Rama."
'Aananda RaamaayaNa' has an interesting story about the birth of Seetha. Once there was a king named Padmaaksha who wanted Lakshmi as his daughter. On performing Tapas, Vishnu appeared and gave him a fruit called maatulunga phala, and a girl emerged from out of that fruit, and she was named as Padma. She was so beautiful that all kings wanted to possess her. All of them waged a war with Padmaaksha and ruined his entire family. Padma, however jumped into fire and self immolated herself. But, Vishnu's maaya came out of the altar of fire and started meditating. Ravana saw her and wanted to abduct her. Of course, she is otherwise said to be Vedavati in other texts. But again, she entered the fire altar and reduced herself to ashes. Even then, Ravana searched in those ashes for her. In there, he got five diamonds of high quality. He returned to Lanka and kept those diamonds in a casket and jovially presented them to his wife, Mandodari. When Mandodari could not lift the casket, Ravana lifted it and opened its lid, as he lifted Mt. Kailash. When the casket was opened, Mandodari found a baby girl in it and recognised her to be Goddess Lakshmi. Then they consulted their teachers about that baby's arrival. Those teaches wishing good for Ravana, advised to get rid off this girl immediately, for she was Goddess Lakshmi, arrived here only to end Ravana and his dynasty. Then Mandodari ordered his servants to carry away this baby in a casket by an aircraft and get rid of it.
But Ravana rushed after the girl with a sword. Mandodari pacified him and told him "Why purchase a later time death now itself at the hands of this baby... let that casket be buried..." Ravana agreed. Mandodari also cursed this girl saying, "this faithless girl, [for wealth is unfaithful,] will thrive only in a house, where the householder has his senses conquered, and who being an emperor lives like a perfect hermit, and who though wealthy and supreme by himself, will care nothing for the riches but view whole of the world and people as his own soul, with an impartial attitude..." Thus this casket is buried in the fields of King Janaka's empire by demons, clandestinely. Mandodari thought that such a person is an impossibility to take birth in this mortal world, to foster this buried girl, and thus presumed her curse to be twisty. But there is King Janaka with all the above attributes. A king without ego, wealthy but living simple, childless, yet does not crave for one, like King Dasharatha. Hence, he is called raajarSi a saintly king. Seetha's birth is to be limitedly understood, as said by Janaka in this chapter. Otherwise, the nuances about the birth of Seetha are to be viewed through the viewfinders of mythologies, legends, and above all, through the viewfinders of tradition... but not in the vast of epical poetry, as Valmiki himself has undocumented it...
=====================================================================
Viswamitra replied "These two sons of Dasharatha are eager to see that marvellous bow. You may show the same to them. After seeing that bow these two princes will leave this place."
Janaka replied Vishwamitra "Firstly, let me tell you as to how that bow came to my possession. There was a king renowned as Devaraata, sixth one from Nimi, the originator of our lineage, and this bow was handed down to him for custodial care by none other than the God of All Gods, viz. Shiva.
"Once, after the devastation of the Vedic-ritual of Daksha Prajapati, the mettlesome god Rudra, outstretching the bowstring of this bow, said with rancour to all gods, superciliously...
" 'Oh, gods, whereby you have not apportioned my portion of oblations in the Vedic-ritual s, as I too, am quite eligible for such portion, thereby I intent to shred the highly revered heads of all of you with this bow.'
"Then all gods were mightily dismayed, and on their earnest supplication, Shiva, the God of Gods relented and gave that bow to all the gods. They in turn gave it to our ancestor Devaraata, for custodial care.
"Later, when I was ploughing the ritual field then raised by the plough from the furrow was a baby girl. Since she was gained while consecrating the ritual-field, she is named as Seetha.
"Hers is a non-uterine birth as she surfaced from the surface of the earth. I fostered her as my own soul-born girl and I determined to giver her in marriage to a bridegroom whose boldness is the only bounty I will receive in that marriage.
Comment: 'Dowry is property or money brought by a bride to her husband' and this is prevalent throughout the world. In ancient India, there was a counterpart custom to this, called kanyaa shulkam meaning 'some bounty, property or money offered by a bridegroom's family to the bride's family' since they are getting a worthy bride, coming into their family, not just as a mere wife of the bridegroom, but to upkeep and promote that family and its progeny. And this dowry or its counterpart is not compulsorily be paid in hard cash, but it may be any kind of gifts mutually exchanged, which has slowly developed into a mega havoc in the present days. Here Janaka wants the 'valour' of his prospective son-in-law as bounty due to him in the marriage of Seetha.
End Comment.
"When my daughter Seetha grew up to a very beautiful girl, many kings, having heard the beauty of Seetha, had besought her. But I strictly told them all, that she would be given for a bounty of boldness alone. Then all the kings convoked and arrived Mithila and wanted to know how I was going to judge the calibre of the bounty. I told them that whoever can string the bowstring of Shiva's bow can marry my daughter.
"The bow of Shiva was brought for them, but none of them was able to joggle it, or even to catch hold of it.
Comment: This bow of Shiva had to be transported on a wheeled casket-cart with eight wheels and drawn by five thousand robust persons. This is narrated in next chapter. 'It is drawn by five hundred bulls...' 'aananda raamayana' says so. In other versions of Ramayana, it is said that many people will pull that casket-cart, as one or two persons cannot haul it. Once, when Seetha was playing with other girls, their flowery ball of girl's rugby goes under this cart. None of her girlfriends was dare enough to go near this bow-casket-cart, since it was a reverential casket-cart. But Seetha goes there and pushes that casket-cart aside with her left hand, as though it is a garland, and retrieves that flower ball. This capability of Seetha in easily handling of Shiva's bow, becomes a bane to her, when one among the wives of sapta R^iSi 'Seven Sages...' issues a curse to Seetha, saying that 'Seetha will be separated from her husband for some time, of course, for the good of people...' So says the tradition.
End Comment.
"I declined to give my daughter's hand to any one of them. They, in a blind fury, thought it was a calculated insult to them.
"They surmised that they were brushed off by me, and as such with a high rancour, siege and try to strangle the City of Mithila with their army. That continued for over a year and the situation was very grim for me and all my subjects and all of us were anguished.
"Then I prayed the assemblages of gods by my ascesis and they were very pleased and gave me fourfold forces.
Comment: The four components of army are foot soldiers, cavalry, elephant-squadrons, and chariot-warriors.
End Comment.
"Then their army could not match the one sent by the gods; their army was broken, and they beat a hasty retreat. Oh, Sir, this is that supremely radiant bow, and oh, saint of sacred vows, I will show it, even to Rama and Lakshmana.
Comment: Here by the use of the words 'even' Janaka was reckoning Rama and/or Lakshmana on par with other kings who had tried their hand in lifting it. As of now, Janaka was not admitting any supremeness or super-humanness to them. In Janaka's asking at verse 4 'what can I do next...' etc., Janaka was wondering as to why this Vishwamitra brought some boys on this long a route, that too by foot. But he was not yet self-assured of Rama's capability or otherwise. Hence, the next verse starts with the clause 'if'.
End Comment.
"If Rama twangs the bowstring of that bow, I will offer my daughter, to Dasharatha's Rama."
'Aananda RaamaayaNa' has an interesting story about the birth of Seetha. Once there was a king named Padmaaksha who wanted Lakshmi as his daughter. On performing Tapas, Vishnu appeared and gave him a fruit called maatulunga phala, and a girl emerged from out of that fruit, and she was named as Padma. She was so beautiful that all kings wanted to possess her. All of them waged a war with Padmaaksha and ruined his entire family. Padma, however jumped into fire and self immolated herself. But, Vishnu's maaya came out of the altar of fire and started meditating. Ravana saw her and wanted to abduct her. Of course, she is otherwise said to be Vedavati in other texts. But again, she entered the fire altar and reduced herself to ashes. Even then, Ravana searched in those ashes for her. In there, he got five diamonds of high quality. He returned to Lanka and kept those diamonds in a casket and jovially presented them to his wife, Mandodari. When Mandodari could not lift the casket, Ravana lifted it and opened its lid, as he lifted Mt. Kailash. When the casket was opened, Mandodari found a baby girl in it and recognised her to be Goddess Lakshmi. Then they consulted their teachers about that baby's arrival. Those teaches wishing good for Ravana, advised to get rid off this girl immediately, for she was Goddess Lakshmi, arrived here only to end Ravana and his dynasty. Then Mandodari ordered his servants to carry away this baby in a casket by an aircraft and get rid of it.
But Ravana rushed after the girl with a sword. Mandodari pacified him and told him "Why purchase a later time death now itself at the hands of this baby... let that casket be buried..." Ravana agreed. Mandodari also cursed this girl saying, "this faithless girl, [for wealth is unfaithful,] will thrive only in a house, where the householder has his senses conquered, and who being an emperor lives like a perfect hermit, and who though wealthy and supreme by himself, will care nothing for the riches but view whole of the world and people as his own soul, with an impartial attitude..." Thus this casket is buried in the fields of King Janaka's empire by demons, clandestinely. Mandodari thought that such a person is an impossibility to take birth in this mortal world, to foster this buried girl, and thus presumed her curse to be twisty. But there is King Janaka with all the above attributes. A king without ego, wealthy but living simple, childless, yet does not crave for one, like King Dasharatha. Hence, he is called raajarSi a saintly king. Seetha's birth is to be limitedly understood, as said by Janaka in this chapter. Otherwise, the nuances about the birth of Seetha are to be viewed through the viewfinders of mythologies, legends, and above all, through the viewfinders of tradition... but not in the vast of epical poetry, as Valmiki himself has undocumented it...
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