2.18. Cruel kaikEyi, devastated daSaratha and resolute rAma

Hari Om.

Let us begin the eighteenth sarga of the ayOdhyakAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.

A stubborn kaikEyi and a helpless and desperate daSaratha spent a night arguing with each other, the king often flying into an emotional rage, cursing, fretting and fainting. kaikEyi kept repeating her demand and reminded the king of the ignominy he would be subjected to if he would not keep his word. The morning dawned and the loyal minister sumantra who came to inquire about the readiness of the king, was pressed into service to fetch rAma. The minister went to fetch rAma, blissfully unaware of what was in store for him. That was pretty much the state of entire ayOdhya. People were rejoicing and a festive atmosphere was all around. That being so, when rAma hit the highway on his chariot to meet his father, catching a glimpse of him sent thrills down their being. They kept staring in the direction long after he was gone, not wanting to disturb that experience. rAma then entered the palace, leaving behind the friends and well-wishers. Onwards…

rAma entered the inner chambers of the queen kaikEyi and king daSaratha. He humbly bowed and touched the feet of father daSaratha, and then of mother kaikEyi. The king’s sorrow swelled as he beheld rAma, he said “rAma!”. His voice choked, neither could he speak any more, nor could he see rAma in the eye! rAma was shocked and scared, as though he had stepped on a snake, to see this unprecedented state of his father!

rAma witnessed his father of dulled senses, with an agitated mind, steeped in deep sorrow, breathing heavily. He resembled an otherwise stable ocean agitated with a row of waves, the eclipsed sun, or a sage who has uttered falsehood! Beholding this unimaginable state of his beloved father, rAma himself was highly perturbed, like the agitated ocean on a new-moon day.

ऊर्मिमालिनमक्षोभ्यं क्षुभ्यन्तमिव सागरम्।

उपप्लुतमिवादित्यमुक्तानृतमृषिं यथा।।2.18.6।।

rAma, ever devoted to welfare of his father, started to reflect on the strange state and behavior of his father who was not reciprocating his greeting. Usually, even when daSaratha was angry, he would be so happy when he saw rAma, and so when the father was not reciprocating his greetings that day, rAma was struck with sorrow.

With a long face, he turned to kaikEyi and enquired – “Has any wrong been committed by me unknowingly, that father is upset with me? Only you are capable of propitiating him. He has always been very affectionate towards me, but today, he wouldn’t even look at me! Why does he look so poignant and pensive? Is he not well in either body or mind? Of course, one cannot be expected to be in best of physical and mental health always. Has any calamity befallen on either bharata or Satrughna or any of my mothers? If it is me who has caused this agony to him by not observing any of his wish, I would not like to live at all, for how can anyone not observe the wish of his father who is verily the cause for their existence? Or have you in your anger slighted the king in a way that had hurt his self esteem? O dEvi, I ask you about the reason for this never-seen-before state of my father. Please be factual in narrating what has happened to him.”

Thus questioned by the sagacious rAma, the queen kaikEyi pretty shamelessly minding her own selfish interests, replied – “O rAma, the king is neither angry nor has any misfortune befallen him. He has something in mind which he is not able to convey to you out of fear. Since you are his beloved son, he is unable to muster his voice to tell you something unpleasant; but he has promised that to me and you ought to fulfil that. In the past he has bestowed two boons upon me and now, when the time has come to honour those, he sulking in repentance like an ordinary man. Having promised me in the past about two boons, now he wishes to render those void in retrospect, much like building a dam after the water has flown past!

अतिसृज्य ददानीति वरं मम विशांपतिः।

स निरर्थं गतजले सेतुं बन्धितुमिच्छति।।2.18.23।।

[this phrase of gata jala sEtu bandhanam – building a bridge in the past – is used to mean trying to negate something in retrospect has been used in local languages]

rAma, you know it well that truth is the basis for righteousness and the king should not transgress the truth out of anger towards me for your sake. If you promise me that you will observe those words whether auspicious or not, I shall relate those to you. The king is not likely to speak to you about it.”

rAma said -“O dEvi, it doesn’t befit you to speak to me like that, in an inquiring manner, about my readiness to observe the king’s command. Upon the king’s command, I can enter into fire, drown in sea or consume poison – he is my father, guru and well wisher. Tell me what those two promises are, and I shall fulfil those without a second thought. rAma is not one of two words!”

तद्ब्रूहि वचनं देवि राज्ञो यदभिकाङ्क्षितम्।

करिष्ये प्रतिजाने च रामो द्विर्नाभिभाषते।।2.18.30।।

That disgraceful kaikEyi then spoke the following dreadful words to that embodiment of excellent conduct and truthful rAma.

“In the past, there was the battle between the gods and the demons. Your father fought on behalf of the gods and was terribly injured by a javelin. It was I who recouped him to good health and, pleased with me, he gave me two boons. I asked the following as those boons – crowning of bharata as the heir apparent and your immediate banishment to the danDaka forest. If you want your father and yourself to be known as adhering to truth, then go away to the danDaka forest at once for a period of fourteen years as commanded by your father. With the all the arrangements made now, bharata should be consecrated as the king instead of you. You don the deerskin and with matted locks and go away to the danDaka forests, giving up the crowning. Let bharata be the master of this wealthy and opulent kOsala kingdom, replete with cattle, horses, elephants, chariots, gems and gold. Unable to convey this to you, the king, out of compassion towards you, is upset and sulking in repentance. It is upto you rAma, now to make his words come true and save him from the ignominy of being branded untruthful.”

kaikEyi commanding rAma to make his father truthful! Pic from here.

Even though the cruel kaikEyi spoke so harshly, rAma didn’t grieve at all and was very composed! The king on the other hand was devastated to hear what she commanded his dear son to do!

इतीव तस्यां परुषं वदन्त्यां

न चैव रामः प्रविवेश शोकम्।

प्रविव्यथे चापि महानुभावो

राजा तु पुत्रव्यसनाभितप्तः।।2.18.41।।

Here we conclude the eighteenth sarga of the ayOdhya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!

jAi SrIrAma.