Ramayana is the most popular epic that references the “Shiva Dhanush”, when Lord Rama broke the supernatural Bow while attempting to string, in Sita Devi’s Swayam-varam.
Let’s take a roundtrip on popular stories of Shiva Dhanush….
The Shiva Dhanush is also called as “Pinaka” and Lord Shiva thus got the name “Pinakapaani”. It is popularly referenced as the twin of Lord Vishnu’s divine bow “Sharanga”.
Creation
It is believed that the principal architect of devas “Vishwakarma” crafted two divine bows and gave them to Lord Shiva (Pinaka) and Lord Vishnu (Sharanga).
The Devas wanted to test the bows and requested Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu to engage in a combat. However, they stopped the combat as they heard a “Asiriri” or “Akashavani” (voice from the heaven) advising that the combat will result in destruction of the entire universe.
Reaching the Earth
On hearing the celestial voice, Lord Shiva is said to have dropped the divine bow and it fell on Earth and came into possession of ancestors of King Janaka (Sita’s Father).
The ancestors of King Janaka, knew the divinity of the bow and worshipped it religiously. It is said that hundreds or thousands of men were needed to move the bow.
Sita Devi’s Swayam-varam
When Sita Devi was growing up, she had playfully moved the table on which the divine bow was present. It is also said that as she grew up, she could lift the bow with ease and perform pooja.
King Janaka realized the divinity of his daughter and thus decided that a person who is equally divine enough to lift and string the bow, will be the best match for Sita Devi.
During the Swayam-varam, Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu was able to easily lift the bow. But when he attempted to string it, it broke with a thunderous loud noise.
Remains of Pinaka
It is believed that the Pinaka bow broke into three pieces, one piece flew to heaven, the other flew to hell and the third piece fell on the ground.
Dhanusadham is a place in current age “Nepal”, where it is believed that the third piece fell on earth. It is around 20km from “Janakpur” (also in Nepal) and hence remains a concrete proof of events of the Ramayanam era.
In a temple in Dhanushdam, there is a tree where the roots are seen above the ground that looks like a fossilized rock and in the shape of a bow.
Image Courtesy: Touristblog, WordPress
Did you know?
The indigenously developed Indian rocket system is named after Lord Shiva’s bow. Its role in the battlefield and importance of the latest acquisition is expected to be complete by 2024.
The development of the Pinaka was started by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in the late 1980s, as an alternative to the multi-barrel rocket launching systems of Russian make, called like the ‘Grad’, which are still in use.
After successful tests of Pinaka Mark-1 in the late 1990, it was first used in the battlefield during the Kargil War of 1999, quite successfully. Subsequently multiple regiments of the system came up over the 2000s.
News Source and Photo Courtesy: The Indian Express
End-Note
Thanks for reading this post; please leave your feedback in the comment box below.
Check the Home page for the latest posts from our blog.
Browse the Blog page to find all the posts.
Visit the About page for the introduction to the blog.
Learn about the Research, Titbits, and Bliss sections of this blog.
To know the terms and conditions of this blog, please read the Norms page.
Go to the Contact page to message me and/or to find me on social media.
DetectHistory.in 
