Normally we understand that Lord Rama broke the Shiva dhanus in the Swayamvar of Sita in Mithila, in the Valmiki Ramayana.
Yet in the Bala Kanda Valimiki describes and reports compliments both to Ram and Lakshmana for having broken the Shiva Dhanus(Shiva’s Bow).
Though Rama alone broke the bow of Shiva, both Rama and Lakshmana are said to have done it.
This is a common unified laudation used for both of them, in view of their insuperable brotherhood, and such a sort of commingling both, for one person’s action, can be heard often. For e.g., when Lakshmana misshapes Shuurpanakha, Rama is said to have done, and even both are said to have done that act.
uvaaca vacanam shreSTho narashreSTham mudaa anvitam |
svaagatam te narashreSThaH diSTyaa praapto asi raaghava || 1-69-9
putrayoH ubhayoH priitim lapsyase viirya nirjitaam |
And the best one among men, king Janaka, gleefully said this commendable sentence to Dasharatha, the best legatee of Raghu, “oh, king, a hearty welcome to you. Oh, legatee of Ragu, your arrival to my city is just by my providence… you will now get delectation on seeing your sons who won accolades just by their valorousness in the act of raising and breaking Shiva’s bow… [1-69-9, 10a]
This is How Rama Broke the Shiva Dhanus to marry Sita.
baaDham iti eva tam raajaa muniH ca samabhaaSata |
liilayaa sa dhanur madhye jagraaha vacanaat muneH || 1-67-15
15. raajaa muniH ca= king, saint, also; baaDham= All right!; iti eva= thus, only; tam sam abhaaSata= to him – to Rama, equally [in chorus,] said; saH muneH vacanaat= he Rama, upon the word, of sage; dhanuH madhye liilayaa jagraaha= bow, at its middle [grasping at middle handgrip of bow,] playfully, grabbed.
“All Right!” said the saint and king to Rama in chorus, and Rama upon the word of the sage grasping it at the middle handgrip playfully grabbed the bow. [1-67-15]
pashyataam nR^i sahasraaNaam bahuunaam raghuna.ndanaH |
aaropayat sa dharmaatmaa sa liilam iva tat dhanuH || 1-67-16
16. dharmaatmaa saH raghu nandanaH= virtue souled one [right-minded,] he, that Raghu’s, legatee – Rama; bahuunaam nR^i sahasraaNaam pashyataam= many, people, thousands of, while witnessing; tat dhanuH= that, bow; sa liilam iva= with, friskiness [friskily, effortlessly] as though; aaropayat= stringed the bow to take aim.
While many thousands of men are witnessing that right-minded Rama the legatee of Raghu stringed the bow effortlessly. [1-67-16]
tat babha.nja dhanur madhye narashreSTho mahaayashaaH || 1-67-17
17. viiryavaan= dextrous one; maurviim aaropayitvaa ca= bowstring, having stringed, further; puurayaamaasa= started to stretch the bowstring [up to his ear to see its tautness]; then; mahaayashaaH narashreSThaH= glorious one, the one best among men; tat dhanuH madhye babhanja= that, bow, medially, he broke.
Further, that dextrous one has stringed that bow with bowstring and started to stretch it up to his ear to examine its tautness, but that glorious one who is foremost among men, Rama, broke that bow medially. [1-67-17]
tasya shabdo mahaan aasiit nir.hghaata sama niHsvanaH |
bhuumi ka.mpaH ca sumahaan parvatasya iva diiryataH || 1-67-18
18. tasya shabdaH= its [breakage’s,] sound [explosion]; nir ghaata= down, plunging [thunder]; sama= equal to; niH svanaH= out, bursting [explosiveness]; mahaan aasiit= great [explosive,] is there [bechanced]; parvatasya diiryataH iva= of mountain, exploding, like [as it happens]; su mahaan= very, great [tremulously]; bhuumi kampaH ca= earth, tremulous, also – has happened.
Then there bechanced an explosive explosion when the bow is broken, like the explosiveness of down plunging thunder, and the earth is tremulously tremulous, as it happens when a mountain is exploding. [1-67-18]
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