________________
O
eel
Sitā Svayamvara
Rama arose and began to walk like a lion towards the altar. The hearts of both emperor Janaka and his wife were filled with anxiety. When Rama reached the altar, to everyone's surprise, the flames and the fangs both disappeared. A divine peace and tranquility was experienced by everyone sitting in the pandal. The celestial beings clustered in the different stratas of heaven to watch the scene with great curiosity. Every pair of eyes was glued to the handsome and noble countenance of Rama. He lifted up the bow known as Vajravarta as if it was a toy and placed it erect on a special stand. Then, he bent it like an ordinary cane and put the string on it. He then struck the string. The vibrant twang of the string was clearly heard not only in the pandal but also in the celestial worlds. The joy of Janaka, Videha and Sita knew no bounds. Sita offered the floral garland to Rama.
With Rama's consent, Laksmana stepped in the arena. He lifted the bow called Arņavāvarta and stringed it. The twang of this bow was so loud that even the Diggajas- the eight elephants believed to lift the corners of the world on their shoulders, trembled with fear. Vidyadhara kings, who had magical powers, were so impressed by Laksmana's display of valour and strength that they offered eighteen young vidyadhara beauties to him. Most of the kings were happy and shared the joy with Janaka but some like King Candragati and Bhamandala were so much overcome by gloom and dispair that they left the pandal at once.
Ego and vanity are the root causes of sorrow. King Candragati and Bhamandala were two great egoists who believed that no mortal could lift the divine bows. Therefore, they were sure that they would emerge victorious but Rama and Laksmana shattered their pride and vanity.
King Janaka dispatched a formal invitation to Dasaratha. He arrived Mithila with the royal family and a grand wedding was performed, where in Kanakarāja, the younger brother of King Janaka and his consort Suprabha proposed and married their daughter Bhadrā to Bharata, the younger brother of Rāma, in the same auspicious.
After prolonged celebrations, Dasaratha and his relatives left for Ayodhya with friends and new daughters-in-law. The citizens of Ayodhya welcomed them with pomp. The revelry lasted for many days.
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