Bits of life

J-7 Words-1600

Soon the messenger sent by Kaikeyi arrived with Rama and waited outside for the permission of the queen Kaikeyi.
Kaikeyi answered the messenger and gave him permission to let the prince Rama enter the inner chamber.
Rama was standing outside the door with a smile on his handsome face. He respected his father ideally. He was ready to do anything to save the honor and prestige of his father.

When he was summoned by Kaikeyi into her chamber, little did he expect his father to be in a miserable condition. His heart flew to him in sympathy. He cried out,
“Oh father! What happened? Who caused you this condition?”
Before he could reach his father to see what exactly had happened to him, Kaikeyi stopped him and said,
“Your father feels sorry that he cannot grant me the two boons he bestowed on me in the past. Hence he lies there in sorrow.”

Rama asked her,
“Mother, tell me what the boons were and why my father who never broke promises, is not able
to fulfill them.”
“Rama! The first boon was to send you to exile for fourteen years and the second one is to make my son Bharat, the king of Kosala.”
“Mother Kaikeyi! I don’t see a problem in fulfilling these wishes of yours. I am ready to oblige you and my father. I am ready to depart to the forest right at this moment.”

Thus expressing his consent to go away from the palace, Rama turned to his father and addressed him thus:
“Oh, Father! My heartfelt obeisance to you. Please don’t feel uneasy to command me to go on exile to the forest. Please speak to me. I will be happy to fulfill the promises you made to mother Kaikeyi. I consider myself lucky to be in a position to serve your command. Please get up and be your cheerful self. It grieves me to see you like this. You are the king. You have the power to command your subjects as you deem fit. This minute I am going to make arrangements to leave Ayodhya as per your wishes.”

With that he bid good bye to his father and Kaikeyi and left their presence. Then returned to his palace and replaced the princely attire he was in with the clothes of a forest dweller. His mother Kousalya and wife Sita and brother Lakshmana were dumbstruck when they saw him in ordinary and simple clothes. They were confused. Soon the word traveled through the length and breadth of Ayodhya and people started gathering before the palace gates. When Rama was about to leave the palace Sita insisted she accompanied him on his departure to the wild forest. Then Rama said,
“O Sita my love! You cannot come with me. You are too delicate for you. Let me know.”
You are too delicate and young to live in a forest. You are used to live in palaces. Life in the forest is going to be ridden with tough challenges. A forest is the habitat for wild animals and demons. You are not fit to live there. You will not be happy there. Stay back with my mother and father at Ayodhya. You will be safe and looked after well. Fourteen years will pass like fourteen days. Please don’t come with me.”

Sita replied with her eyes full of tears thus;

“O my beloved and noble Rama! Staying back while you go away to forest is not option for me. My only option if you want me to be happy is to be with you, to let me come with you. The only place and time to keep me contented and happy is by your side and spend time with you, and serving you. Remember the marital vows we took when we married. You promised your defense for me throughout our marriage. You cannot go back on those holy vows. I am your better half and I intend to stay with you, go where you go and live where you live. It is my duty and desire to be in your presence now and ever.”

So saying Sita too changed her royal attire for an ordinary and simple sari, and got ready to accompany Rama, her husband, in his journey to the thick forest.
Lakshmana, one of the sons of the second consort of king Dasaratha, Sumitra, too started making preparations to accompany his beloved brother Rama and sister-in-law, Sita. When Rama tried to dissuade him from coming with them, Lakshmana pleaded with him to let him come and serve the royal couple in the forest. Rama could not say no to him looking at his determined demeanor.

Rama’s mother Kousalya’s grief was beyond consolation. Imagine the condition of a mother who was expecting her son to become the crown prince on the next day was suddenly told that he would not be made the crown prince anymore but instead he had to leave for the forest for fourteen long years. He will be banished and exiled. Her frail health and failing heart could not take any more shocks and stunning news. She fell silent as though stricken by witch craft and shed silent tears in a never ending flow.

In the meantime, king Dasaratha regained his senses and seeing Kaikeyi before him, he lost his temper and blamed her for the situation that Ayodhya was placed at that time.
“You sinner of woman! What has my Rama done to you to deserve a cruel punishment you meted out to him? You greedy soul! Kings cannot be made or unmade by your desires. They predestined. I feel sorry that I had agreed to grant the boons you never deserved. How would I guess what lay beneath your soft appearance. You woman of low character! Couldn’t you find any other wishes to be fulfilled? Why have you picked on my darling Rama? You will suffer for everything you have done today. You jealous woman! I will go with my Rama to the forest. Enjoy the kingdom with your son.”
So saying Dasaratha walked away to his palace and where Kousalya was crying heartbreaking tears. He was not able to console her nor did he have the heart to approach her after what had transpired between him, Kaikeyi and Rama.

He said to Kousalya in the most pitiful manner thus:
“Oh Kousalya, woman of lofty behavior! I am sorry you have to face this. I must have committed unspeakable sins in my last life. I am being punished for all those sins now. My heart tears apart to see my would be crown prince leaving to live in the wild forest. Please stop him. My ministers! Where are you? Come to me at once and take this command from me. Go immediately to Rama and bring him to me. He cannot disobey my command. He should at once stop his preparations to go to the forest and live here in the palace with me as crown prince.”

Dasaratha ranting and shouting like a mad man started walking to the palace gate where a huge crowd waited for Rama, Sita and Lakshmana as they were expected to go on this unexpected and dangerous journey to the forest. The whole Ayodhya was in a trance like condition. The people of Ayodhya were not able suspend their disbelief. They still expected things to turn a somersault and the situation would repair itself by some means of either magic or providence. They blamed the old king and his third wife Kaikeyi for the cancellation of the ceremony of crown prince for Rama. Well, things did not work as they expected them to work.

Rama soon came to the palace gate dressed like an ordinary man followed by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. Dasaratha was heard shouting for Rama and crying pitifully asking him to stop and wait for him. Then he called out to and commanded Sumantha, his chief minister who was with Rama, to stop him from going away.

Sumantha addressed Rama thus:
“Young prince of Ayodhya, your father, the king, orders me to stop you. What should I do?”
Rama replied, “Dear sir, you can tell my father later that you could not hear him from that distance.”
“How can I lie to him thus, sire?” Sumantha expressed his doubt.

Then Rama replied thus.
“O Sumantha! If you stop me as per my father’s command, then he will get the blame of not keeping his promises. People will doubt his fame as a speaker of truth and a man who never went back on fulfilling his promises. It is true that if you tell him as I am asking you to do it would amount to a lie. But, in my view, taking the blame of lying to him is better than committing the mistake of not adhering to his promises. I don’t want my father to get the blame of being dishonest in keeping his word. Hence, I request you to do as I direct you.”

Sumantha followed Rama’s advice and made pretense as though he could not hear king Dasaratha’s words. And Rama and his wife and brother were soon on their way to Dandakaranya, a much feared forest at a great distance.
The whole of Ayodhya fell into a comma like condition. No one was happy except Mandhara and Kaikeyi.
King Dasaratha fell unconscious once again after his beloved son’s departure from his side. After he came back to senses, he realized that life no more interested him. He lost the very reason to be happy in