Bits of life

J-6 Words- 1600

will have more pleasurable engagements than you could ever dream of. Your happy days are coming to an end. After a few years, the old king, your husband will die. Then you and your son Bharat will become orphans. Kousalya will plan to drive you and your son and the other queen Sumitra and her two sons, Lakshmana and Shatrughna from the palace so that she alone could enjoy life in the palace. Unable to bear with the insulting life, soon you will commit suicide rendering your son an orphan. Is it to suffer this kind of misery and hell you got married to Dasaratha? Think about what I am telling you and visualize life from that angle. Can you bear it?”

She started visualizing the scenes described by Mandhara in the aftermath of Rama’s anointment as the king of the land. Kaikeyi was constantly left with the thought that she would serve them as a maid in waiting. Drilling of evil thoughts went into the mind and soul of Kaikeyi.

Kaikeyi was terrified at what her misled imagination showed once things had changed and she falling from grace and the position of the most favored of the queens of Dasaratha.

Mandhara was a hunchbacked woman with an evil mind. She was known to be cunning and jealous. As a cunning woman she could manipulate her argument and make the listener follow her suggestions. She was jealous of Rama because Kaikeyi spent more time with him than with her own son, Bharat. She instigated Kaikeyi that she should not agree for making Rama the crown prince when her husband Dasaratha visited her. When Kaikeyi asked her on what grounds she should stop the ceremony of Rama being made the future king. Then the manipulating maid Mandhara replied,
“Queen Kaikeyi! Have you forgotten the two boons that king Dasaratha had granted you? When he was locked in a celestial battle with the deities and lost consciousness what did you do? Don’t you remember? You have taken charge of the battle and drove his chariot away from the field of war. You have taken him to a remote place where you have administered the right medicines on his failing life and brought him back to consciousness. Recall now what had transpired at that time.”

Thus when Mandhara reminded her of a distant past, Kaikeyi immediately remembered it. Yes, on that fateful day she saved the king’s life because the battle took place only with her by his side. The king fell down being targeted by the celestial power. She herself took the reins of the horses that led the chariot and drove it away from the battlefield. There she served him for a few days and brought him back to life. Pleased by her services and saving his life, king Dasaratha said,

“Beloved Kaikeyi! You deserve praise. You have done unforgettable service to me, your husband and the king. I am pleased at your manner of tackling a problem and solving it in a befitting manner. So here I am granting you two boons. You can ask for anything and I am ready to grant you the favors. Ask away.”
But Kaikeyi at that point of time had no particular favors to ask the king. So she said,
“My husband and king! I am grateful for the bestowing of the boons on me. But right now I don’t have any particular wish to fulfill. So give me the permission to ask for the boons to be fulfilled when I require them to be fulfilled.”

King Dasaratha was pleased to let her keep the boons in reserve and ask for them any time she wanted.
Now at this time of need, Kaikeyi was reminded of those two boons promised by her husband in the past.

She asked Mandhara,
“What should I ask for Mandhara?”
Mandhara replied,
“Dear queen, the first boon you should ask for is that the king Dasaratha should banish Rama to the forest for fourteen years. The second boon is to make your son Bharat, the crown prince and the future king of Kosala.”
Kaikeyi expressed the doubt whether the old king would relent to the wishes.
Mandhara said,

“Have no doubt, O Queen, the king is a stickler to truth. He will never go back on promises he had made. He will definitely oblige you. But before that you should do a little acting to ascertain the boons from him.”

“What should I do?” asked Kaikeyi.

Mandhara gave her the whole scene she should enact when Dasaratha visited her that night. She should wear an old dirty sari and choose a remote and a dark room to lie down as though suffering from illness. She should cry and her eyes must puff up. She should not have any decorations in her hair. Her long dark hair must be in great disarray so the king feels unhappy and concerned about her health.

Kaikeyi gave a nod to Mandhara’s plans to trap the old king into agreeing to what she would ask for. Everything was arranged as per the plan. The king arrived at Kaikeyi’s palace to inform her of the next day’s festivities during which their beloved son Rama would be anointed as the crown prince.

Dasaratha arrived at the expected hour. He entered the inner chambers of the queen Kaikeyi and looked for her in all directions. He called her name out and asked her to join him in sharing the happy news he carried for her. A maid in waiting answered the king. She told him of Kaikeyi’s sudden change of mood and that her highness was angry and in an indescribable condition lying in the lonely chamber which she used only when she was deeply depressed. King Dasaratha was immediately taken aback and felt alarmed at the unexpected events. He straight went to the dark room where Kaikeyi lay prostrate on the cold naked floor with her hair spilt all around her in an unbecoming manner. Dasaratha was shocked to see her in this unpresentable condition and sat on the floor beside his queen and asked her the reason for all this fuss. The queen stayed silent. The king got more concerned and begged her to tell him the cause for her sorrow and tell the name of the person who caused her this condition.

On repeated requests from the king to reveal the cause for her sorrow, Kaikeyi sat up and told him so.
“o king! I want you to grant me the two boons you have promised during the celestial war you fought and when you were injured and fell unconscious I drove your chariot to safety and made you recover from the blow.”
Dasaratha was quick to recall the events of that day when he was helpless and when Kaikeyi helped him to recover and come back to life.

“Yes, my love, I clearly remember that I gave you two boons which you said you would ask for when you need them. is that the reason why you are angry with me? Don’t worry my love. I will definitely let you have the boons. I will not hesitate in giving whatever you ask for. You know I never break promises. So please come with me to the outer room and relax.”

Kaikeyi refused to budge from the dark room until and unless he fulfilled her two wishes. Dasaratha agreed to her condition and waited for her to voice her will.
“O King! Here are my two wishes which you promised will grant. Number one is to send Rama away to the forest for fourteen years on exile. Number two is my son Bharat should be made the crown prince and future king of Kosala.”
Dasaratha fell down as though a thunderbolt had hit him. He lost his consciousness for a while. Then he came back to senses and addressed her thus:

“ O Kaikeyi! Why are you doing this to me in my most rejoicing moment of life? What sin have I committed to deserve this fate which is worse than death? Are you in your senses? You love Rama more than his own mother does. Why are talking so cruelly? What has happened to you? Who poisoned your golden mind like this?”

Kaikeyi replied,
“Sire! Either you say yes or nay to my wishes. Don’t dillydally with silly questions. I am very much in senses and I am aware of what I am asking for. I am not going to change my mind or will whatever you say. Send word to your eldest son Rama to come to you.”

When king Dasaratha was unable to utter a single word, Kaikeyi herself called the messenger and asked him to bring Rama to her palace immediately.

Dasaratha opened his eyes and felt as though he had aged all of a sudden. His mind and body became heavy and he was unable to move his body off the ground. He seemed to have stricken at the root of his vitality.
Still he gathered his drifting senses and said thus to Kaikeyi:“O Kaikeyi, have some pity on my Rama. He is too young to suffer the trials and tribulations of forest life. He is used to the comfort and luxury of king’s life. Now you want me to condemn him to exile and cruel surroundings. I cannot do this Kaikeyi. Take pity on an old man life who needs the help and support of his sons. Now you are rendering me alone and helpless with your meaningless desires.”
Kaikeyi had paid no heed to her husband’s pleadings.