Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 6
Śrī Rāmacandra-avatāra — Vow, Exile, Laṅkā-vijaya, and Rāma-rājya
Concise Bhāgavata Account
यो लोकवीरसमितौ धनुरैशमुग्रं सीतास्वयंवरगृहे त्रिशतोपनीतम् । आदाय बालगजलील इवेक्षुयष्टिं सज्ज्यीकृतं नृप विकृष्य बभञ्ज मध्ये ॥ ६ ॥ जित्वानुरूपगुणशीलवयोऽङ्गरूपां सीताभिधां श्रियमुरस्यभिलब्धमानाम् । मार्गे व्रजन् भृगुपतेर्व्यनयत् प्ररूढं दर्पं महीमकृत यस्त्रिरराजबीजाम् ॥ ७ ॥
yo loka-vīra-samitau dhanur aiśam ugraṁ sītā-svayaṁvara-gṛhe triśatopanītam ādāya bāla-gaja-līla ivekṣu-yaṣṭiṁ sajjyī-kṛtaṁ nṛpa vikṛṣya babhañja madhye
O King, the pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra were wonderful, like those of a baby elephant. In the assembly where mother Sītā was to choose her husband, in the midst of the heroes of this world, He broke the bow belonging to Lord Śiva. This bow was so heavy that it was carried by three hundred men, but Lord Rāmacandra bent and strung it and broke it in the middle, just as a baby elephant breaks a stick of sugarcane. Thus the Lord achieved the hand of mother Sītā, who was equally as endowed with transcendental qualities of form, beauty, behavior, age and nature. Indeed, she was the goddess of fortune who constantly rests on the chest of the Lord. While returning from Sītā’s home after gaining her at the assembly of competitors, Lord Rāmacandra met Paraśurāma. Although Paraśurāma was very proud, having rid the earth of the royal order twenty-one times, he was defeated by the Lord, who appeared to be a kṣatriya of the royal order.
FAQs
It says Lord Rāma lifted the formidable divine bow as easily as a young elephant plays with sugarcane and, while drawing it to string it, broke it in the middle—showing His supreme prowess.
The bow-breaking occurred as He drew the bow to string it, fulfilling the challenge of the svayaṁvara and demonstrating that He alone possessed the strength and qualification to wed Sītā.
The verse highlights steady competence without pride: cultivate strength and skill as service to dharma, and let genuine qualification—not display—speak for itself.