Did Shri Rama break Pinaka?

[Radhakrishna Warrier]

Did Shri Rama break the Pinaka bow of Shiva during Sita Svayamvaram?  Or was it another bow?

Here is a brief dialogue on this topic between Copilot (the artificial intelligence of Microsoft) and me.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f0sAqJgmBuv3vf6FFqRrxVi2qO5G8Ry5/view?usp=drive_link

 Best regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

[Kalyan Chakravarthy]

In the Ramacharitamanas, the broken bow is considered as Pinaka.

https://archive.org/details/RamcharitmanasGitapressEnglish/page/n288/mode/1up

छुअतहिं टूट **पिनाक** पुराना । मैं केहि हेतु करौं अभिमाना

The Translation in the link does not contain the word Pinaka, but the above refers to Pinaka.

Rama tells to Parashurama - The ancient Pinaka broke merely upon being touched. For what reason should I feel pride?

श्रीकृष्णार्पणम्

[Radhakrishna Warrier]

Thank you Shri Kalyan Chakravarthy ji!

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Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: Did Shri Rama break Pinaka?

 

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[P V S Kumar]

Vishwakarma crafted three magnificent bows:

1.       .  The Bow of Vishnu
2.       .  The Bow of Shiva
3.          The bow wielded by Rukmi in the *Mahabharata*.

During the *Daksha Yajna*, Shiva merely aimed his bow at the celestial deities. However, upon their earnest pleas, he refrained from unleashing it upon them.

Subsequently, on another occasion, the deities sowed discord between Shiva and Vishnu in order to ascertain the relative strengths of the two supreme gods. A fierce battle ensued between them. During this conflict, the sheer force of Lord Vishnu's roar not only left Shiva stunned and motionless but also rendered his immensely powerful bow—the *Shivadhanush*—completely inert. At that juncture, Shiva entrusted the bow and arrows to Devarata, a *Rajarshi*  and ruler of the Videha kingdom. Thus, through Devarata—an ancestor of King Janaka—the bow eventually found its way to Janaka himself. It was this very bow—the *Shivadhanush*—that played a pivotal role in the selection of the groom during the wedding of Sita.

Parashurama recounted this entire narrative to Rama in the 75th Sarga of the *Bala Kanda*.

From that time onward, there is no mention anywhere else in the *Ramayana* of Shiva utilizing this bow in any other context. Having been rendered inert during that epic battle, the bow remained merely a ceremonial relic from that day forward. Upon encountering Rama—the valiant hero capable of breaking that very bow—Parashurama expressed his profound joy and presented the Bow of Vishnu to him. In later times, when Rama waged war against Ravana, it was this very Bow of Vishnu that he wielded.

P V S Kumar

Sringeri