Rama

Rama bowed his head and asked, “Would you allow me to lift and bend the bow?” He raised his head up at Janaka, waiting for an answer. By now, this strange but charming man had attracted quite an audience. His fellow competitors were all waiting with bated breath for Janaka’s answer. They all equally wanted a chance at the fair Sita’s hand in marriage, but so far none could string the heavy bow. Something about Rama, the glint in his eye, the way that he carried himself, head held high, let everyone know that he would be the one to string Pinaka.

Janaka waved his hand and chuckled, “If you can, by all means.”

Rama nodded. “Is that alright with you?” he whispered to Pinaka.

“Most definitely!” Pinaka answered, enthusiastically.

With one fluid motion, Rama lifted and bent the bow. Everyone around watched, eyes wide and mouths hanging open in awe. He drew back an arrow and released it just as swiftly into the open air. The sound was so intense it sounded like a thunderbolt. No one had any doubt that he was a master archer of significant skill.

The crowd around Rama cheered and Janaka declared him the winner of the swayamvara. Rama and Sita were to be wed immediately. The ceremony was to be beautiful. Flowers were brought in from neighboring kingdoms. They would live happily ever after.

But there was one problem however…

“And that’s when Parashurama showed up and now here we are,” Pinaka said. Shiva noticed the bowstring that Rama had snapped. This man must’ve been strong to have broken a divine weapon with such ease.

“I see,” Shiva said, rubbing his forehead. “This was all very long. You know that, right?”

“You did ask for the full story.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Shiva sighed and laughed to himself. “Bring him in,” he yelled.

The large door swung open and Rama was thrown into the room, by Parashurama. The latter didn't stay though, slamming the door shut behind him as he left. He had just been tasked with bringing Rama to Mount Kailash. Rama stumbled forward a few steps, but soon caught his footing. He timidly walked towards the small table where Shiva and Pinaka were sitting. There were not enough seats to accommodate another person. Shiva wasn’t sure that it mattered. “Pleased to meet you, I am Rama.” Shiva had thought he would look more princely, but he looked more like a regular man. He also noticed that he was nervously wringing his hands—a bad habit.

“It’s nice to meet you. As you already know, I am Lord Shiva, though I go by many names. You may call me whatever you feel comfortable with.”

“O-of course, Lord Shiva.” He bowed.

“Kid, it’s alright. You’re not in trouble,” Pinaka said.

He looked up, eyes filled with confusion. “I’m not? Didn’t I break a sacred bow?”

“You did,” Shiva answered.

“But I’m not in trouble?”

“That is correct.”

Rama sighed deeply with relief. “I was so worried you were going to murder me where I stood! Thank goodness!”

“I wouldn’t be too casual with me. I heard your brother called my bow old,” Shiva said.

Rama visibly tensed. It was kind of funny how such a strong man just a few hours ago was so… different. His description sounded regal, almost like someone who could take Shiva himself in a fight. The man before him was not the same. This was someone normal and humbled. Shiva admired Rama for this. It was easy to lean one way or the other, harder still was a mix of the two. Rama had much to learn. If he were able to balance the two, maybe still he would be a great king. It was a big ‘if,’ however.

“Lakshmana didn’t mean it, I swear.”

“Rather impolite to swear in front of a god, no?” Pinaka said, teasing him. Shiva was just joking with him. Rama had no way of knowing.

“It doesn’t matter. Why don’t we get back on topic? I have one final test for you before you go onto your happily ever after.” Shiva stood up and lifted Pinaka. “Draw Pinaka one last time. I want to see it for myself. If you’re really a hero, it will be no trouble.” He gave the bow to Rama, who took it with no difficulty.

“Of course, Lord Shiva,” Rama said, suddenly confident. He gingerly took the bow and delicately touched the hanging string. In the blink of an eye, the string had fastened itself back together. Even Shiva wasn't quite certain if he had used his own magic or skill to restring the bow. It could've been either. Pinaka was ready for action once more.

“Impressive. Not as impressive as myself, but it’s true enough,” Shiva said, turning away. He walked to the back of the room, where candles were burning.

“That’s high praise from him. Oh, and thanks for fixing me!” Pinaka said, joyfully. It flew out of Rama’s hands and flew in little circles around his head. The man laughed at this.

“You may go now,” Shiva said, dryly.

Rama nodded. “Thank you for bringing me to Mount Kailash. It’s truly an honor.” He left hastily without any other words. Shiva could tell that his words were sincere despite his haste.

Pinaka flew over to where Shiva was standing. “You were so mean to him!” Pinaka paused. “He sure is something, huh? What do you think?”

Shiva was a god of many things; time, destruction, destroyer of evil, supreme being, even yoga, but even then, there was a limit on the things he could do. He knew Rama was to be a brilliant hero, but at what cost? All of the stories Pinaka had shared with him, all of the people his bow cared about were going to be impacted greatly by this whirlwind of a man. He couldn’t bring himself to mention any of his concerns to his dear friend, but he couldn’t do anything to change it either. It wasn’t his place. Everyone had a chosen path. Shiva could do nothing but watch.

“Glory be to Rama.”

“That’s kind of… weird of you to say, but alright.”

“Don’t worry about it. Would you like to attend yoga with me?”

“Yeah! I love yoga!” He couldn’t change the future, but he could keep his friend happy.

Sources: Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India by Romesh Dutt

The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould

Shiva- Wikipedia

Header: The Breaking of the Bow of Janaka (Source)

Author’s Note: This varies greatly from my source material. As I’m sure most of you will remember, Rama’s test is given by Parashurama. Rama breaks the bowstring, which prompts Paraushurama, a devout follower of Shiva, to come forth and challenge the person who destroyed the sacred weapon. For the sake of my narrative, I had Shiva initiate the challenge instead and had Parashurama just bring him to Mount Kailash, where Shiva lives. I was originally going to do the entire thing with Rama, but I did not want to do that. I just don’t like him enough. I wanted to hint at the moral grayness of his character. At least when I read the original, I definitely got a “I’m a good guy, but I’m not so good” kind of vibe, mostly towards the end. I feel like Shiva would know this because of being a supreme being and whatnot. I felt it was important to talk about in a story about The Ramayana. I would not have written this without the original, so I felt compelled to open that door. At the end of the day, he is the main character. I tried desperately hard to not end on too downer of a note, but I don’t know. Shiva is god of yoga. I thought that was cool. I think that’s all!