Sita
Strong-willed Sita
As she was walking through the garden on her morning stroll the princess Sita laid eyes on Prince Rama for the first time. She was intrigued by him and knew that she had to know him. Her handmaiden ran to the edge of the garden and invited Rama to come and have tea with her. As the porcelain teapot sat empty on the table the two continued to talk and fell in love. "Sita, this afternoon has been the best of my life. I promise to love you always. Will you be my wife?" Rama said endearingly to Sita. She was delighted to hear this but quickly said, "Oh Rama, I would love to be your wife but I do not think that my father will allow it." Sita was the most beautiful person Rama had known and he had to have her as his wife.
Sita was bowing on the floor of the throne room with her father seated above her on the throne. She had come to him to ask if he would give Rama a chance to win her hand. Sita and her father were close and she knew that he would most likely comply with her wishes. Finally, her father said, "Yes, dear daughter, this man may have one chance to prove his worth. Go and get him and meet me in the courtyard." Sita was ecstatic and ran to get Rama.
When they got to the courtyard Sita was shocked to see the God Shiva's bow on a stand in the center.
"If he can bend the bow of Shiva, he can have your hand," said King Janaka.
"Father, you cannot be serious. You have set an impossible challenge before Rama," cried Sita.
Rama looked at his beloved and silenced her with the determination on his face.
Sita watched as Rama walked confidently to the middle of the courtyard, grasped the bow with both hands, and promptly snapped it in two. Sita was overjoyed. Running to the middle of the courtyard she jumped into Rama's arms as King Janaka proclaimed that they had his blessing to marry. They were very happy to start their lives as husband and wife. The wedding was one of great grandeur with flowers, delicacies, and people from all over her father's and Prince Rama's kingdoms. Sita thought all of her dreams had come true but the princess was in for more than she knew at that moment.
For a time they were happy, but soon enough trouble found them. Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi had been scheming and was awarded a boon from Rama's father for saving his life. She gathered her son, Rama, Sita, and King Dasharatha, Rama's father, into their throne room. "I am owed a boon and I know exactly what I want," said Kaikeyi. She proclaimed that Rama was to be banished and her son was to be named heir to the throne. Sita hit her knees in grief. She could not believe that her beloved husband was facing banishment. She was determined to help him escape his fate.
After hearing this Sita prayed to Shiva for help. Shiva remembered how the mighty Rama broke his bow to win Sita's heart. He was impressed with Rama's strength then and he was impressed with Sita's determination now. He could hear the strength in Sita's voice and knew that she would find a way to accomplish her goal of saving Rama with or without his help. He did not want her to go through a life of banishment with her husband. Shiva had the ability to transform the universe and knew what he could do to help her. Shiva transformed time so that Kaikeyi would request her son to be the king but not Rama's banishment. He also caused King Janaka to be so impressed with Rama that he made him the heir to his kingdom. Sita thanked Shiva repeatedly and was looking forward to her life with Rama as a princess and one day a queen.
Author's Note:
I wanted to show Sita and Rama's love story because I loved it in the Ramayana. I wanted to rewrite their meeting to show how immediate their connection was and how difficult it was for Rama to win Sita's hand in marriage. I wanted to show her reactions and thoughts throughout all that happened to her. Sita has a very strong personality and goes through a lot with Rama in the Ramayana. She deals with his exile, being kidnapped by Ravana, and Rama's questioning about her purity. I wanted his story to show her strong will and ability to change things for herself. I did not want her to have to endure all the hardships that she had to go through in her original story.
I thought that the God Shiva would be a good one for her to pray to because he was present in the beginning of her story. Also he has the ability to transform and change the universe and this ability was perfect for the change I would need in this story. I really hope that the strong, competent, faithful Sita I saw in the Ramayana comes through in this story and that you all enjoyed it.
Bibliography: Ramayana Online: Public Domain Edition.
Image 1 credit. Sita and Rama. Source: GoogleSites.
Image 2 credit. Ram and Sita. Source: Pinterest.