'One who wields the bow and strings it
His hands only for Janaki shall befit.'
Janak declared with pride
The joy in his eyes couldn't hide.
For Janaki had lifted the bow herself as a child.
Conches and chants greeted the momentous day
Resonating through the hall, all the way.
Kings and Prince occupied the thrones
Along the length of the hall
Where they sat making claims tall.
The day of swayamvar had come.
Janaki sat with closed eyes
For her heart was one with the yogi she once saw
Whose one glimpse had filled her with awe.
No, she did not want the rich and the powerful as her groom
But for the yogi in the garden, whose presence made her heart bloom.
For Janaki gave no value to the kings holding treasures and fame
With that amicable yogi, she wanted to attach her name.
She spoke to the Shiv Dhanush in her heart
'Let no one move you, O mighty bow
Rest all your strength in yourself today...
For I have given my heart to a simpleton
Wondering if to the palace he'll make his way?
It is only with him I desire to stay,
Leaving the palace, even to the woods I'll go
Only if he is there to lead my way.'
Sensing Janaki's thoughts
The bow glowed with a light filling the court
And made itself heavier than any mountain
For anyone to hold, with strength and fraught.
With bated breath, the princess of Mithilla waited
Whilst Parshuram's bow glittered in all its glory
Embellished, enthralled, making audience eyes dilated.
In her yellow silk and diamonds and gold
She sat waiting for her master,
To hear the call of her heart untold.
Whispers and whimpering, she could hear
Of the prince and kings, of lands far and near
Their distress and disappointment
Their anxiety, that they couldn't hide.
One by one all walked up to the bow divine
To pick it with all their might
But the bow would not move a bit
However hard they tried.
'Is there no one who can string the bow?' Janak cried.
The very bow Sita picked up
Like grass when she was just a child!
The head of states sat abashed
Their inflated ego, deflated and crashed!
The king of Mithla sobbed
As Janaki's heart throbbed...
With a sudden whiff of a breeze,
She felt the yogi's presence with her eyes closed
As she sat waiting, calm and reposed.
The gloomy air in the hall suddenly stirred exhilarating
And she opened her eyes, only to see the charming yogi waiting.
With exuberance, her face glowed
And contentment in her heart showed.
To the bow, she communicated in her way;
'Here he arrives, my Lord,
With whom I want to spend the rest of my life...
And be his dutiful wife.'
The Shiv Dhanush knew the time had come;
For one with the strength of character and purity of being
Whose aura filled Janaki's heart unseen
Was here today to connect heartstrings.
Shristee Singh
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