Story of Mahadev’s Pinaka bow

Lord Shri Ram, on the orders of Guru Vishwamitra ji, broke the hard bow of Shiva and married Sita ji in Sita ji’s Swayamvar. But very few people know the secret of who made that bow of Shivji and from whom and how that Shiv bow reached Maharaj Janak ji.

There is a very strange story of Pinak Dhanush. It is said that once Sage Kanva was performing severe penance inside Ghor Kanan. Due to being in samadhi while doing penance, he did not realize that his body was turned into an anthill by termites. A beautiful bamboo grew on that heap of soil. When Kanva ji’s penance was completed, Brahma ji appeared and made Kanva ji’s body beautiful with his infallible water.

Brahma ji granted him many boons and when Brahma ji started leaving, he realized that the bamboo growing on Kanva’s idol could not be any ordinary one. Therefore it should be used well. Thinking this, Brahma ji cut that bamboo and gave it to Vishwakarma ji. Vishwakarma made two divine bows from it, one of which was named Sarang, he dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the other named Pinaka, to Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva is called Pinaki because he holds the Pinak bow. With one stroke of the Pinaka bow which Lord Shiva held, the clouds would burst and the earth would shake. It seemed as if a terrible earthquake had occurred. This extraordinary bow was extremely powerful. Lord Shankar had destroyed all three cities of Tripurasura with just one arrow. After the end of the period of Gods and Goddesses, this bow was handed over to the Gods. The gods gave this bow to Devarat, the ancestor of Maharaja Janak ji.

Among the ancestors of Maharaja Janak ji was Devarat, the eldest son of Nimi. That bow of Lord Shiva was safe with Janak ji as his heritage. No one had the ability to lift this Shiva bow. Once Goddess Sita ji had lifted this bow, due to which Janak ji was impressed and thought that this is no ordinary girl. Therefore, whoever marries her should not be an ordinary man.That is why Janak ji had organized Sita ji’s Swayamvar and had set a condition that whoever would pick up and break this Shiva bow, Sita ji would marry him. In that meeting, Lord Shri Ram broke Shiva’s bow and married Sita ji. When that hard bow of Lord Shiva broke, hearing its sound, Parshuram ji got angry and came to Janak ji’s meeting because Lord Shankar is the worshipable deity of Parashuram ji.