Sita

“Pinaka, where have you gone? You can’t hide forever!” a maid called, searching high and low for the divine weapon. Sita had no idea why the woman was looking for Pinaka, but she figured that she’d find out soon enough. Sita watched as the other woman looked behind medium-sized, indoor plants and underneath small, decorative tables… all places Pinaka could not even fit. It was a decent-sized bow and would definitely not be found hiding underneath a table.

“Can I help you with something?” Sita asked after watching the poor lady look behind the same door for the third time. There was only one door in this room and nothing had changed since the last two times she had checked it.

“Oh, Princess, I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, bowing her head.

“It’s no trouble. Why are you looking for Pinaka?” she asked.

“It’s cleaning day and the pesky thing evades me every single time. It would be easier for the both of us if Pinaka would just hold still for a few minutes.”

“Oh, if that’s all it is,” Sita began, “why don’t I find Pinaka? Maybe it will listen to me.”

“Pinaka is notoriously… difficult to handle. I could never let you do that,” the maid said, looking down at her feet. She looked exhausted. Sita knew that she must help her out.

“Why don’t you take a break for a moment and I look? If I can’t find Pinaka, I’ll let you go back to it. Is that agreeable?” Sita held out her hand.

The maid looked at her cautiously but took her hand and shook it. “Okay. You have a deal. One hour.”

Sita knew one hour would be plenty of time. She already knew where Pinaka was hiding after all—in the garden. She saw it fly there earlier with great haste and now she knew why. As she wandered through the palace halls and towards her desired location, she wondered why Pinaka was known to be so difficult. It had always been kind to her.

“Pinaka, come out. It’s just me,” Sita whispered, soothingly, as she entered into the lush garden. Exotic flowers blossomed everywhere, along with various trees. Small insects flew around her, and birds chirped as she walked further in. She heard a rustling coming from in front of her, from a bush, and Pinaka slunk out timidly.

“Are they gone?”

“Yes,” Sita sighed. “They’re gone. It’s just me now.”

“Oh, good!” Pinaka exclaimed, brightly. “I can always trust you, Princess Sita.” Pinaka flew in circles around Sita’s head and then settled a few feet away from her. “So, what brings you here?”

“No reason,” Sita said, eyeing her prey, thinking about how she would capture the bow and get it back into the palace. It shouldn’t be that hard, right? “You know, I heard it’s cleaning day, Pinaka.” Sita crept closer and closer to the unsuspecting bow.

“Yeah, what about it?” Pinaka asked, not understanding the situation. Before the bow could connect the dots, Sita latched her hand around the bow and lifted. “Whoa! When did you get so strong?”

“You’re not heavy,” Sita said, rolling her eyes. “It’s time for your bath.” Sita dragged the struggling bow back to the palace. Along the way, she noticed multitudes of visiting dignitaries, courtiers, and other various people that she didn't know staring at her, mouths agape. She brushed it off, thinking nothing of it.

When Sita came back to the parlor she was in before, not only was the maid waiting for her, but her parents as well. “What’s everyone doing here?”

“So, it’s true,” Sita’s mother, Sunaina, said, voice full of concern. Sita looked around to all of the faces in the room. Everyone looked shocked, confused, and maybe even a bit frightened.

“You all look like you’ve seen a bhut,” Sita joked, forcing her own laughter. “Someone please say something.” She sat Pinaka down.

“No one will marry her now! Our daughter is too strong!” Sunaina said, exasperatedly, before rushing out of the room. The maid ran out after the queen. Sita wanted to comfort her mother, but she had no idea why she was so upset in the first place. What could she have possibly done? Too strong?

“That’s harsh,” Pinaka muttered. “Just because you have the strength of Kali doesn’t mean, uh, no one will want to marry you. That's a ridiculous assumption.”

“Excuse me?” Sita asked, taken aback.

“I’m very heavy. No one, and I mean no one, can lift me, but you did it with no problem. I think that is very cool.”

“Okay, so I’m a monster. That’s great,” Sita said, sighing deeply. “Who will marry a monster?”

“You aren’t a monster, love. We must find you someone who is as strong as you, or stronger,” Janaka said, calmly. “It’s nothing to worry about. The perfect king must be your equal. It’s as simple as that.” He put a reassuring hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Your husband must be able to string and lift Pinaka as you have done.”

“Do you think that can be done?” Sita asked, suddenly self-aware of her own newfound strength.

“If I’ve learned anything from my time here,” Pinaka chimed in, “I can tell you that everything happens in due time. Don’t worry about it, Sita. You’ll be okay. Promise.”

Sita smiled at the bow and her father. It wasn’t her fault that she was gifted such a unique ability. She refused to see this as a bad thing. If it was going to bring her one step closer to her happy ending, how could it be a bad thing? Everything would be alright.

Based on Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana by Devdutt Pattanaik

Header: Sita (Source)

Author's Note: My source material described Sita lifting the bow a little bit differently than I did. Sita and a few girls were given the task to clean the entire palace and Sita went straight to clean the bow. She shocked everyone when she picked up the bow with no issues. The bow was extremely heavy, and no one was able to lift it. I only deviated at the beginning. I didn’t want her to be as young because I had done that previously. I also felt like I wanted to stray more from the source material, as I usually don’t do that. I feel like I need to be loyal, but it’s fun sometimes, especially if the intent is there. I feel like I kept with the spirit of cleaning the palace and bow in my version, though different. Sita is sometimes seen as the goddess Kali, so I wanted to give a nod to that. I know in the original Ramayana that Sita has a hard time throughout, but I like the idea of her getting her prince and living happily ever after. I’m not sure if I will see that completely through, but I think she deserved more than what she got in the original. She's the hero we deserved! (A bhut is a ghost in Hindu mythology!)