Love at First Sight
(Rama Breaking the Bow. Source:Wikimedia)
Once upon a time, in a distant land, lived a Prince of Kosala, named Rama. He was on a prominent journey with a sage named Viswamthra and his brother Lakashmana, when he set eyes upon the beautiful city of Mithila. As he and his companions entered the city, he was blinded by the golden covered city. He saw colorful flags draped about the city, flickering in the soft wind. It was surely fit for a King and his bride. Love was in the air, and the people of Mithila were smitten.
As Rama was making his way through the city, he was captured by the presence of the stunning princess Sita. Like the city of Mithlila itself, he had never laid his eyes upon such beauty. They were caught in each other’s gaze for only a moment. Sita fell ill; for she did not know if she would every see his handsome face again. She retired to her bedchambers to recover from this heartbreak.
That evening, Rama tried to sleep with feelings of loneliness that could only be cured by the presence of that who which bewitched him. He dreamed of her over and over throughout the night, and was unable to sleep much. He only wished that he would see her once again.
In the morning, King Janaka, Sita’s father, summoned for Rama. The King was in possession of a bow that once belonged to the great god Shiva. With this item in his possession, he decided that the man who could raise, bend, and string Shiva’s bow, would be wed to his daughter. The King was intrigued by Rama, and allowed him to make his attempt at Shiva’s bow. Rama lifted up the bow, pulled at the string, and brought bow ends together. The crack of the bow could be heard from all around the land, and people were then aware that Sita would be wed.
Sita was startled to hear the crack of the bow, for she did not know who her suitor would be. She waited in her chambers to hear the word, nervous that her suitor would be anyone but the boy who had entranced her just the day before. There was a small knock on her door. “Come in,” Sita said. There, standing in front of her, was the cause of her sickness. The one she was infatuated with. And her in front of Rama, was the one who had entranced his dreams. They were both madly in love, although they had never spoken a word to each other. It was a picturesque sight.
Authors Note: I decided to write the fairy tale about Sita and Rama, and how he won her hand in marriage. I decided not to stray from the orginal story, but take it for what it already was. It truly was love at first sight, and I wanted to captured that in fairy tale sort of writing. I wanted to tell their story in my own words, but keep to the orginal story line.
