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Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventh sarga of the ayOdhyakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
King daSaratha proposes to appoint his eldest son rAma as the heir apparent. The eminent citizens thunderously echo his thoughts. The crowning is set to happen the next day itself. rAma has been initiated into the vow by sage vasisTha. the citizens deck up their homes and the city both beautifully and tastefully. It is a moment of extravagant celebrations in ayOdhya. And then… Onwards…
Queen kaikEyi, the youngest of the three chief queens of king daSartha had a maid named manthara and confidante who attended to her since her childhood. manthara casually went up the gorgeous palace.
As she gazed, from that vantage point, at the beautifully decorated city, she found the royal highways have been sprinkled with water and strewn with flowers. She looked around and was astonished to find, the high rises sporting beautiful and costly flags, ecstatic crowds greeting each other with garlands and exchange of sweets, temples reverberating to the holy vEdic chants, auspicious musical beats everywhere, horses, elephants, bulls and cows of the best breeds on the streets of ayOdhya. With utter astonishment about the goings on, she asked an attendant who was not very far, was dressed in beautiful white silks and had a pleasant countenance with wide eyes about the reason for such happy scenes all around and why the money-minded (!) mother of rAma was giving wealth away in charity! She wondered if the king had announced some sort of celebrations which has made the citizens flock to the streets in such happy ways. The happy royal maid let manthara know about the glad tidings of the crowning of rAma, when the star pushya is in conjunction with the moon on the morrow.
The hunchbacked manthara was furious to learn about the crowning of rAma and at once came down from that imposing terrace of the royal palace. Incensed with anger that wicked manthara approached queen kaikEyi who was resting on her couch.
उत्तिष्ठ मूढे किं शेषे भयं त्वामभिवर्तते।
उपप्लुतामौघेन किमात्मानं न बुध्यसे।।2.7.14।।
She at once flew in to a rage and said – “O dullard (!), how are you so happily lying down when such a perilous doom is impending upon you! You think you’re the darling queen of your husband, but indeed you are highly disliked! Your fortune is drying up like the flow of the river during the summer”.
kaikEyi was upset to hear these ominous words from the crooked maid of hers. She enquired the reason for her outburst and if something is not alright which makes her so visibly upset. Listening to the sweet words of kaikEyi, the highly articulate manthara displaying her grief, with a view seed differences with rAghava spoke these words –
“O kaikEyi, your end is well nigh! daSaratha has decided to crown rAma as the heir apparent. I am so incensed at burning at this terrible news and am distressed and yet I am here seeking your welfare. O kaikEyi, your sorrow will enhance my sorrow, my prosperity lies verily in your propseprity, there is no doubt about this. How are you so innocent as to not understand the ruthless statecraft despite being born in a royal family?
He ascends high moral pedestal in public but is indeed deceitful, speaks sweetly but is crooked. He exploits your innocence, speaks sweet nothings when he is with you but is going to shower fortune on kausalya today. That wicked king, having sent bharata away to his maternal uncle’s place is planning to crown rAma as the heir apparent tomorrow without any obstruction!
You have been meaning good of your husband as a mother would, but you are indeed courting with a venomous snake in your lap! Just what courted snake would do when one is not alert, that is precisely what the king has done unto you and your son today. O childish one, you have been spoilt with luxury and pampering and lost your senses. Once rAma is installed as the prince regent, ruin will befall on you and your son.
Therefore, act now, act fast O kaikEyi, save yourself, your son and me as well”.
Having heard the speech of manthara from her couch, the gracious kaikEyi was filled with delight and swelled with happiness like the ocean would at the sight of the moon! In that utter delight she presented a beautiful ornament to the hunchbacked maid and then said –
“O manthara indeed you bring glad tidings which make me exceedingly happy. What more can I do to you than shower this excellent gift for being the harbinger of this great news. I do not differentiate between rAma and bharata. therefore I am not troubled by rAma being installed as the heir apparent.
In fact, this news has filled me with such happiness. I can’t ask for more. I am so happy that I wish to to reward you even further, feel free to ask anything”.
Here we conclude the seventh sarga of the ayOdhya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Next: 2.8. Hunchback’s slanderous onslaught
Previous: 2.6. ayOdhya all set!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 