Rama Image: Wikipedia
Spotted: Rama and Sita gazing at each other. Could the love of his life actually be Sita? I need some more information... Let's go take a better look. I'll keep you all updated. And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell.
I bet you're wondering how I'm up so early, and able to follow this journey. Well, truth is, I never let a moment pass when there's gossip involved. Why waste precious time dreaming when waking up to drama in the life of Ayodhya's elite is so much better?
So, I have followed the men on their journey to King Janaka's palace. There's always so many people surrounding the area. I wonder if they ever get tired of just populating around the palace. I definitely do not understand some people.
Anyways, Sage Vishwamithra, Lakshmana, and Rama were arriving at the palace. Rama was taking in the scenery and began to grow fond of the city of Mithila. While it wasn't Ayodhya, it still felt like a place he could call home. Come on, Rama. You know Ayodhya's elite never like to live outside of their own city.
As they approached the palace, Rama caught a glimpse of Sita on the balcony. They made eye contact, and would not look away. It seemed like they were the only two who noticed, but trust me, everyone noticed.
It was already so late, so Sage Vishwamithra led the two boys to the guest room. Sage Vishwamithra told them goodnight, and that they would all meet up early in the morning to visit with King Janaka.
The night still seemed so young, and Rama could not sleep. You can already guess why. Sita was on his mind, obviously. Rama ventured out of his corridor and went for a walk. Rama kept thinking about whether Sita was a princess, whether she was married, or had a boyfriend.
Rama kept fantasizing about Sita. He wanted her in his arms. He kept thinking about her lips, eyes, and curly locks. Boy, does he have it bad for her.
Upon return to his room, Rama picked up his phone. He still couldn't sleep because he had Sita on his mind, so he decided to scroll through Tinder. He kept swiping left on every nearby woman in the city of Mithila. I am just as surprised as you all are. Rama? Has a Tinder? You have got to be kidding me.
He just felt something with Sita, even if it was just for a few seconds. He came across a profile on Tinder for a woman named "Sita." She looked exactly like the woman he had caught a glimpse of earlier that day. He now knew her name, and was bound to find her. Finally, Rama fell asleep as the hours grew closer to morning. It was still a restless night for him.
The next morning, Sage Vishwamithra, Rama, and Lakshmana made their way down to meet with King Janaka. King Janaka called the two boys really attractive, and said he wished he could marry off one of them to his daughter. Rama thought about Sita, but being an elite, realized that it would probably be better if he just married another woman who was also an elite. Typical elite move.
Rama gestured to Lakshmana that he would take one for the team, and be the guy that King Janaka marries off to this daughter if that becomes the case. Lakshmana tried to contain his laughter. Funny how Lakshmana thought this was a joke. We'll come to see that this was a serious matter.
"Come here. Let me show you my prized possession," said King Janaka. The boys were led by the King into another secret corridor where there lay a giant bow. "This is Shiva's," said Janaka. "I have been saving this for every time a guy comes to try to marry my daughter. If he can bend this bow, he is fit to marry my daughter, Sita."
The moment Rama heard King Janaka say his daughter's name, it all came together. This was something he had to do. He had to bend the bow so he could get the girl of his dreams.
"Let me see that," said Rama. "I think I can bend it. It doesn't seem too hard."
"Well, alright then. I just want you to be aware that no man has yet to bend the bow to this day. So, I wish you the best of luck," said King Janaka.
Moments passed, and Rama thought of Sita and the moment they had had the day before. He knew he wanted her, and he knew he was capable of bending this bow. Within seconds, the bow snapped. Everyone in the room gasped, and even the King was in dismay. The King was enjoying the hunt for Sita's man, but now it had come to an end. It was a bittersweet moment for King Janaka.
It became clear that Rama was the man for Sita. Sita was summoned by the house maids. One of them said, "Sita, a man had snapped the bow of Shiva. It's now time for you to finally be married!" Feeling uneasy, Sita replied, "I hope it's the man I got a glimpse of yesterday. He seems like the only one I would really want to marry. If it isn't him, I'm running away."
Sita made her way down into the corridor and then out into the hall. When she saw that the man who snapped the bow was indeed Rama, her smile spread across her face from ear to ear. She knew that this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and was happy to see that he wanted to be with her too.
Well, this is all so cute and sweet, but Sita has no idea what troubles she is about to encounter. Rama might be her husband, but that doesn't mean other women won't still want to be after Rama. I mean did you all see the way that stony-faced woman was behaving like with Rama? With Ayodhya's elite, and now, Mithila's elite, we are about to encounter even more scandal. Stay tuned, because you know that I'm the only source to it all.
You know you love me
xoxo Gossip Girl
Author's Note: This story was based on the original story where Rama approaches the kingdom in Mithila to meet with King Janaka. In the original story, Rama admires the city of Mithila, and gets a glimpse of Sita from the balcony. He couldn't sleep that night with the thought of Sita on his mind. I added some more modernized additions at this point in the story just to make it flow a little better. In the morning, the boys meet with King Janaka and he states his desire to marry off one of them to his daughter. The rest of the story co-aligns with what happened in the original story. I added some dialogue to make the story a little more interesting to read, and made the commentary a little more modernized instead of what was written in the original story. I added commentary using italics in the voice of Gossip Girl so that readers are able to tell the difference between the story and her talking.
Bibliography: Narayana's Ramayana