Story 1: The Godfather's Test

"Yeah brother!!!! Now that is how you impress a girl!" Lakshmana praises his brother, Rama, for winning the competition to marry Sita.

"Thank you, Lakshmana. I couldn't have done it without your faith in me." Rama laughs with Lakshmana.

"Congratulations, Rama, I can't think of a better man more suitable for my daughter," Janaka, Sita's father, says to Rama with pure joy.

Rama shyly thanks Janaka and nods while shaking Janaka's hands.

After Rama shot the arrow and won the competition by doing so, Rama shot it so deep that it was impossible to remove. In order to retrieve the arrow from the target, he had to break the arrow in half. The target couldn't have been broken, because it was a circular board attached to the palace walls. Though the bow had its strength, the arrow was just as powerful, because it was laced with the power to succeed in any aim necessary. Wherever the heart desired its target, the arrow followed, as long as you believed in the bow, arrow and the target. It's Rama's destiny to shoot the arrow and win.

Although Rama is destined for greatness and to be with the beautiful Sita, Parashurama, Sita's godfather, who had laced the arrow with its power, jumps up and is distraught by the broken arrow.

"How dare you break this arrow?!" Parashurama furiously screams. "I gave it what it lacked in looks and sharpness. It was dull and I gave it life. It was meant to be utilized for all of its purposes in guiding and aiding the one ruler it is meant to guide. And the person who was meant to keep it safe has broken its trust." Parashurama looks at Rama with fierce eyes.

"Please stay calm, Parashurama." Janaka tries to calm Parashurama, gesturing to him to sit back down.

“The arrow was of no use anymore. It was pressed too deep into the wall. What could you have done to pull it out? Destroy the board and the wall it is a part of?” Lakshmana asks Parashurama out of annoyance.

“I am the one who gave it its power. I can easily pull out an arrow,” Parashurama scoffs back.

“Please, I am not here to argue and fight. Brother, there is nothing that can be done to bring back the arrow. Hold the arrow for me, Lakshmana. Please forgive me, sir.” Rama clasps his hands together and bows his head towards Parashurama.

“Oh Godfather Parashurama, won’t you please forgive Rama?” Sita begs him with her hands held together so tightly.

“If he can prove one more thing, then I will allow him his place to marry you, my dear Sita.” Parashurama lowers Sita’s hands from her chest.

“What can I do to make amends, sir?” Rama asks with respect and determination to prove himself worthy.

As Parashurama thinks long and hard, debating on a worthy challenge, he can only think of one simple task that involves a bow and arrow again. Although, this time Rama will shoot an ordinary arrow with a twist.

"Before shooting the arrow, you must spin in a circle with your eyes closed, fifteen times." Parashurama smirks at Rama.

Rama prepares to shoot his own bow and arrow, looking to Lakshmana for support and Sita for courage. He places the bow on the floor, vertically, and begins spinning, using it as his base. After he opens his eyes he faces the target and pulls the string back. Then he aims and closes his eyes once more, breathes in and shoots.

Still in the palace, everyone watches his movements and the arrow hitting the target. They gasp in astonishment. He opens his eyes, looks at the target and breathes a sigh of relief.

Parashurama walks to Rama and opens his hand for Rama to shake. “I must say that I am impressed. The arrow hit the bullseye.” He gestures to Sita to come stand by Rama. With open arms and a smile, he says, “I may not be her father and although he already approves, I too have seen this little girl grow into a beautiful young woman. Now I know she will be safe in your arms.”

"I couldn't agree more," Janaka gladly agrees with Parashurama.

“Treat each other well and always prove your worth to each other,” Parashurama advises the couple and offers them a warm hug.

Author's Note: I chose to write this story about Parashurama, a hermit that comes out of hiding when he finds out the bow that Rama uses to win the competition to marry Sita is broken. Distraught by the broken bow, he is smart-mouthed by Lakshmana, Rama's brother, because the bow is old already. The bow is sacred and Parashurama is upset that they don't understand this and threatens Lakshmana with his axe. Rama intervenes and prevents a fight by asking what he can do, and so Parashurama allows Rama to prove himself worthy by stringing another sacred bow: the bow of Vishnu. Rama strings this bow and in the end Parashurama praises him.

My story incorporates bits of the original story with different aspects to it. This time I just wanted to write about the willpower to prove ourselves worthy for anything and anyone. My story involves the same characters and names, but rather than Parashurama being a hermit, he is Sita's godfather. Although the image is from the movie, The Godfather, appearing more gangster-like, I thought the title of the film did the story justice rather than the actual concept itself. I incorporated Sita's father, Janaka, as well, so he wouldn't appear left out with how important he is. To make the test work, I tweaked it to utilize an arrow instead of a bow. I also kept the test for Rama to prove himself worthy to Sita's godfather and not just her father, because sometimes we have other figures that we idolize. Though I went through the revision process, I hope this story is much clearer than my original post. I chose this as my first story in my portfolio to set a mood of how the next stories will go in the Ramayana series.

Bibliography: Ramayana: Parashurama by F.J. Gould