Child of mine, I begin.  I am Vishnu the great.  I have already told you the story of Rama and his defeat over the demon king, Ravana.  I will now tell you how I as Rama found and fell in love with his soul mate, Sita.  I also told you briefly about how Sita rejected Ravana.  Remember it was because of the request of others that I was to kill Ravana, but because of Sita I vowed revenge of Ravana. 

One evening I was so exhausted that the minute I laid down I was fast asleep.  Little did I know that this would be the night before the most important meeting I would ever have.  I slept and I dreamt.  I had the most extraordinary dream I had ever had in my life.  It was so real, it was so vivid, and it was alive.  I thought that I was awake.  There was the bluest blues in the sky I had ever seen.  The sun was shining so bright that it was almost blinding.  The air was crisper than it had ever been.  I could feel happiness in the air as I walked through town.  Everyone was smiling and there was a glow in the day like never before.  Everything was so perfect.  I awoke with a renewed sense in the world.  I decided to go for a walk.

As I was walking through a town and I looked up in the sky.  I saw the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.  It was this magnificent, picturesque, and oddly striking thing.  I was unable to really see a clear image.  There was a glow like I had never seen before.  As I walked more toward the image, it appeared a little clearer.  Each step I took brought the image into a more translucent and shimmering glow.  I walked closer.  I took a step and then another.  As I got closer to the image, I saw a little more.  I started to see a shape forming in the light and glow that I had been walking toward.  I was entranced by the beauty.  I started to see long, soft, flowing, auburn locks waving in the cool morning breeze.  The tresses of this fair image were like a weeping willow tree passing in the breeze.  I was so enticed at this point that I took another few steps closer.  The image appeared to have a face, the face of a goddess.  She had the most splendid and striking face.  Her face was heart-shaped.  This must be the face of an angel.  Only angels are allowed to have love written across their faces.  This is why all angels have a heart-shaped face.  Her eyes were a chestnut brown.  Her lips were as red and sleek as the silk she wore.  I knew the second I saw her that I could not live another day without her in my life as my wife.

Janaka was Sita’s father.  Janaka had set forth a task for any man who wanted to marry Sita.  The task was quite simple: bend the great bow of Siva.  The man who was able to accomplish this task would win her hand and be allowed to marry Sita.  Many suitors had come to win Sita’s hand.  Janaka had been somewhat relieved that no man had been able to bend the bow of Siva.  Janaka did not think that any of the men who had come had been suitable for marriage.  Sita did not care that Janaka thought none of the men were suitable. 

Sita really did not want to get married.  She had decided she wanted to marry for love.  She did not want some random man she did not care about who was able to bend a bow to become her husband.  Sita was sitting in her room one day.  She was looking out of window and she smiled at me.  Sita has told me that she wished all of the potential suitors would leave.  She sat there looking out of her window.  She has told me she saw a strange glow moving in her direction.  As the image moved closer, it became clearer.  Sita has said that was when she saw the most handsome and princely likeness walking toward her home.  There he was: the man she had been waiting for with the most beautiful black hair like that of a great stallion.  Then she looked to my face.  She saw a square jaw, with a glow on his face like that of no other she had seen before.  My eyes were as dark as night, but as kind and gentle as her father’s.  There I was: the man she knew she was supposed to be with for all eternity.

This man was me as Rama; I went to Janaka and asked about the young woman sitting at the window.  Once Janaka explained, I went in and bent and snapped the bow of Siva without any effort.  I was the one Sita was to marry.  Sita came running downstairs when she had heard the bow snap.  We were standing in front of each other for the first time.  I grabbed Sita in his arms and immediately kissed her as I thought I would every day for the rest of their lives.

Rama & Sita.  Source: Vedanta Pages.

Author’s Note:

I wrote this in a way where the reader can really use their imagination.  I wanted the reader to really understand the ideas and things that Vishnu as Rama was feeling when he first saw Sita.  I also wanted the ideas of Sita to be understood.  There is such an overwhelming feeling when you meet your soul mate that can never be described.  

I wanted the reader to see that Janaka was the reason for the task and Janaka had set the task.  I also wanted the reader to see that Sita was almost relieved when no one had been able to release the bow.  Sita did not want to get married to just anyone.  I felt that it was important for the reader to realize and have a clear idea that Sita wanted to marry her true love.

I think by writing about the two each seeing each other as a glowing image was quite important.  The idea that both Sita and Rama knew that the other was their own soul mate is a significant idea in the Ramayana.  I used the idea of basing the soul mate idea on the glow of the other as well as the image becoming clearer as the image got closer.  I think this only made the idea more clear and significant.

Bibliography

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Coverpage
Introduction
The Day I Became Rama
Krishna Accepts Arjuna's Request