Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1932

c9.1932

2) Marriage. Sītā grew up in the palace of King Janaka. Kuśadhvaja the younger brother of Janaka had three daughters. They were named Māṇḍavī, Ūrmilā and Śrutakīrti. Sītā grew up along with these three sisters. The four of them grew up as sisters and friends. Sītā grew up to be a young woman. Several young men wished to marry her. Janaka refused everyone of them. One day the princesses were playing with their maids in the garden of the harem. Sītā sat on the dais in the centre of the garden to make a flower garland. All their attempts to gather the jasmine flowers from the twigs of a large mango tree in the garden ended in failure. Sītā instantly ran to the weapon-house and taking a bow and arrow, shot the flowers. The flowers fell down on the cloth placed on the ground without being damaged. Janaka saw the shooting of Sītā, from the palace. He was amazed at the expertness of Sītā. The bow which Sītā took was Śaivacāpa (the bow of Śiva). Śiva had used this bow, in days of old, to destroy the sacrifice of Dakṣa. Śiva, who was pacified by the destruction of the sacrifice of Dakṣa and the victory over his enemies, gave this bow to his devotee, the King of Videha. That King kept the bow in his weapon-house and used to worship it. Sītā had taken that bow and shot with it.