The boys’ father, King Dasarath, had expressed the desire to find them suitable wives. Therefore, Vishvamrita next brought them to the kingdom of Mithila. There, King Janaka was to hold a ceremony to choose a husband for his daughter Sita. The requirement he set was that the man to marry his daughter must be able to lift and string a great bow that had been owned by Lord Shiva. This bow was so mystically heavy that it took 300 men to pull the casket in which it was kept, and so far no one had been able to even lift it. None, that is, except Sita herself, who had once been seen casually lifting it to dust under it. King Janaka felt that Sita must be a very special personality and should have a husband who was equally special.

Rama easily picked up the bow and not only strung it, but pulled back the string and bent the bow till it broke with a loud crack, the force of which sent most of the assembly staggering backward. Sita garlanded Rama with a fresh flower garland to indicate her acceptance of Him as her husband.