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Hari Om.
Let us begin the eleventh sarga of the ayOdhyakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Brainwashed thoroughly by the hunchbacked maid manthara, the gullible queen kaikEyi took her advice seriously and entered thr house of wrath in order to psychologically assault the king, blackmail him emotionally and press on the twin demands of rAma’s banishment and bharata’s crowning. King daSaratha, at the end of the day, engulfed with some passion, visits the abode of his charming queen and is anxious not finding the temperamental mistress in her inner chambers! He finds his way to the house of wrath and overcome by affection and passion, he rains a monologue of offers in order to placate her! Onwards…
Queen kaikEyi spoke to the king daSartha who was overwhelmed by the god of love and engulfed in passion. She said – “no, neither have I been disregarded nor insulted. I have an objective which you shall fulfil. If you are inclined to do so, promise me, I shall reveal those once you promise”! The king, smitten by her charms and suffering the torments of the god of love, smiled a bit, caressed her hair with his hands and said – “O charmingly proud lady, do you not know that among woman there is none dearer to me than you and among men, there is none dearer than the best of men – rAma! I swear in the name of that great and invincible rAma who is worthy of long life and without seeing whom I cannot live for a moment, tell me what troubles you! Even at the expense of my life or that my sons other than rAma, I shall fulfil your desire. O lady, it is heart-wrenching for me to see you thus, I swear on my accumulated merits to fulfil you wish. It doesn’t befit you having known my might and authority”,
[Thus daSaratha repeatedly and innocently swore in the name of rAma to fulfil the crooked wish of the queen. Inexplicable are god’s ways!]
The queen was gladdened at this unconditional swearing of daSaratha to fulfil her secret wish which had stormed her mind as swiftly as death itself! She finally spoke – “Very well, you have repeatedly swore to fulfil my wish and the thirty three gods led by the fire god are the witness to it. The sun, moon, sky, earth, planets, day, night, directions, the universe, demi gods, demons, nocturnal creatures, family deities and whichever other being is aware of your words now – may all those be witnesses to the fact that the ever truthful and a stickler to his vows, the great king daSaratha has given word to me”.
having thus flattered the king, the queen kaikEyi resumed – “do you remember in the past when you assisted gods in their war with demons and you lost everything except your life in that battle? It was I who had shown great presence of mind and saved your life. You were pleased with my life saving efforts and conferred two boons on me. I had kept those two boons in abeyance and now I seek those two boons from you, O great king! If you honor your word and grant those, it is good, or else, rejected by you I shall end my life”.
Much like a deer jumps into its trap unknowingly, the king was trapped by kaikEyi and came under her control with his own promises.
वाङ्मात्रेण तदा राजा कैकेय्या स्ववशे कृतः।
प्रचस्कन्द विनाशाय पाशं मृग इवात्मनः।।2.11.22।।
She continued resolutely – “You have made elaborate preparations for the crowning of rAma. With those arrangements, let my son bharata be crowned. And here comes the time for the second boon as well. Clad in deer skin and bark, wearing matted locks, let rAma live the life of ascetic in the danDaka forest for fourteen years. Let bharata be the unrivalled heir apparent. This is my greatest desire. rAma shall leave for the forests right away. O king, be true to your words. I am sure, you are aware of the words of great sages, it is only truth that secures this life and afterlife for men. So stand true to your words”.
नव प़ञ्च च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः।।2.11.26।।
चीराजिनजटाधारी रामो भवतु तापसः।
Here we conclude the eleventh sarga of the ayOdhya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Next: 2.12. daSaratha blows hot and cold
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 