The Ramayana

by Valmiki

  Chapter Two

  Queen Kaikeyī had an old servant whose origins and birth were completely unknown. She had brought this woman, Mantharā, with her when she came to Ayodhyā from her father’s house. That night, Mantharā happened to climb to the palace terrace. She looked down upon the city and saw that the roads had been cleaned and decorated with garlands of lotuses. Banners hung everywhere, temples had been washed down with sandal-scented water and crowds milled in the streets. She noticed Rāma’s wet-nurse standing nearby, obviously celebrating something. Mantharā said to her, ‘Why is Rāma’s mother distributing this great wealth among the people? What are the people celebrating with such abandon? What is the king up to, that he is so pleased?’

  Rāma’s wet-nurse was beside herself with joy and she told the hunchbacked Mantharā about the honour that had been bestowed upon Rāma. ‘Tomorrow, under the Puṣya constellation, King Daśaratha will anoint the flawless Rāma his heir!’ Mantharā seethed with anger and she quickly climbed down from the terrace that was as beautiful as the peaks of Mount Kailāsa. She went directly to Kaikeyī’s apartments.

  ‘Get up, you clueless woman!’ she cried, bent on making trouble. ‘How can you sleep? Have you no idea of the terrible disaster that is about to befall you? You boast of your good fortune from you marriage—well, that is about to end. It will dry up as quickly as a river in summer!’

  Kaikeyī was disturbed by the hunchback’s outburst. ‘Mantharā, you seem so agitated! Is there something wrong? she asked gently. Kaikeyī’s concern did nothing to abate Mantharā’s anger. She pretended to be woebegone and downcast. Keeping Kaikeyī’s welfare in mind as she plotted against Rāma, she chose her words carefully. ‘My dear lady, a great disaster looms that will be the very end of you! King Daśaratha has chosen Rāma as his heir! My fear is like a bottomless pit and my grief burns me like fire! I have come here to help you! Your sadness makes me even sadder, Kaikeyī, for there is no doubt that my welfare is linked to your success!

  ‘You were born in a royal family and you have been married to a mighty monarch,’ continued Mantharā. ‘How can you be so ignorant about the ruthless business of statecraft? Your husband appears righteous but he is a devious man! He speaks sweet words to you, but in reality, he is harsh and cruel. You cannot see his deceit because you are so trusting. Your husband pampers you with caresses and sweet nothings, but today he has proved that his real concern is for Kausalyā! The wicked king sent your son Bharata away to his relatives and now he uses this time to place Rāma securely on the throne. Daśaratha has revealed his true colours today, like a snake that has gone unnoticed. He has destroyed you and your family even while he kept you happy with his lies and deceits! Kaikeyī, seize the moment and act for your own benefit! Don’t look so surprised—do whatever you must to save yourself, your son and me!’

  Beautiful Kaikeyī rose from her bed and with great joy she gave the hunchback an exquisite jewel. ‘Mantharā, you have made me very happy,’ she said. ‘You have brought me such good news. What else can I do for you? I see no difference between Rāma had Bharata. I am delighted that the king has chosen Rāma as his heir. You could not have brought me better news. Let me do something for you that will make you as happy as you have made me. Ask for anything and I shall give it to you!’

  Mantharā flung the jewel away and cried out in rage and frustration. ‘Silly woman! How can you be so happy? Don’t you see that you are sinking into an ocean of suffering? Kausalyā is the lucky one. It her son who shall be installed as the heir tomorrow. She will attain the greatest happiness and her rivals will be destroyed. You shall be her slave, bowing to her every whim! Rāma’s women will reign supreme while you daughters-in-law will lament Bharata’s downfall.’

  Alarmed at Mantharā’s distress, Kaikeyī began to enumerate Rāma’s many virtues. ‘Rāma is the oldest son and deserves to be the king. Besides that, he is well-versed in dharma, courteous, honourable and respectful to his elders. He will protect his brothers and his retainers like a father all through his long reign. Why does the news of his consecration distress you so? Bharata will succeed Rāma after one hundred years and occupy the throne that belongs to his forefathers. Mantharā, this is a time of celebration for us all since our future welfare is guaranteed. Why do you grieve? Rāma treats me with even greater respect than he treats Kausalyā!’

  Mantharā grew more and more agitated as Kaikeyī spoke. ‘Your simplicity does not allow you to see your own downfall or the fact that there is only sadness and oppression ahead for you,’ she sighed. ‘Rāma will be king and his sons shall succeed him. Then, Kaikeyī, his descendants will scorn Bharata. It is true that all princes cannot become kings since that would lead to chaos. That is why kings place their oldest sons on the throne, irrespective of the virtues of their other sons. Your defenceless son shall be excluded from all of the pleasures of kingship.

  ‘I have come here to help you but you misunderstand me. You give me a jewel to celebrate the good fortune of your rival! I have no doubt that once Rāma is firmly established on the throne he will either banish Bharata or have him killed. Even inanimate beings develop closeness and sympathy as a result of physical proximity, but you sent Bharata away to your brother’s family while he was still a child. Lakṣmaṇa, the son of Sumitrā, has been able to attach himself to Rāma. Those two brothers are like the aśvins and are known all over the world as a pair. Rāma will never harm Lakṣmaṇa and it is clear that he will be hostile towards Bharata. Let Rāma be sent into the forest! I am sure this will benefit you and Bharata. If Bharata gains the throne legitimately, it will ensure the prosperity of your clan. Your child deserves the best and Rāma is his natural enemy. How can you expect Bharata to live in deprivation in the house of a man who has everything? Protect Bharata from Rāma! He is in trouble, like an elephant attacked by a lion in a forest! Rāma’s mother’s pride was crushed in the past by your good fortune. You must expect her hostility!

  ‘When Rāma inherits the earth, it will mean the end of Bharata. Think! How can your son gain the kingdom and his rival be exiled?’

  Kaikeyī was blazing with anger by the time Mantharā had finished speaking. She took a deep breath and said, ‘I shall see to it that Rāma is exiled into the forest this very day and that Bharata is anointed heir to the throne at once! Mantharā, think of a plan by which Bharata will inherit the kingdom in such a way that Rāma can never challenge him!’

  Mantharā was bent on Rāma’s destruction and on making trouble, so she said, ‘Listen, Kaikeyī, and I will tell you how to secure kingship for Bharata alone!’ Kaikeyī half rose from her couch, her diaphanous veil slipping, and urged Mantharā to explain her scheme. The malicious hunchback continued, ‘During the war between the gods and the asuras, your husband took you with him when he went to Indra’s aid. Daśaratha was wounded in battle and fell unconscious. You carried him to safety and took care of him and protected him. He was pleased with you and granted you two boons. You told the king to hold the boons until you asked for something and he agreed. Even I did not know this until you told me about it long ago. Ask your husband for those two boons now! Make Bharata heir to the throne and banish Rāma into the forest for fourteen years!

  ‘Kaikeyī, pretend to be angry and go into a darkened room. Put on soiled clothes and throw yourself on the ground. Refuse to speak to the king or even to look at him! I have no doubt that the king loves you dearly and that he would even jump into the fire to please you. He would never make you angry, nor can he bear your anger. He would give up his life for your sake. He cannot refuse you anything. Gentle lady, understand the power of your charms!

  ‘Daśaratha will offer you pearls and shining jewels of all kinds but do not be satisfied with any of them. Keep your purpose in mind and remind him of the two boons that he gave you during the war between the gods and the asuras. He will promise to fulfil the boons and will raise you from the floor. Make him swear that he will give you anything you ask for. Then tell him that he must banish Rāma i
nto the forest for fourteen years and make mighty Bharata king of the earth!

  ‘When Rāma is banished, he will lose his place in the hearts of his subjects and Bharata, rid of his rival, will establish himself firmly as king. By the time Rāma returns from the forest, your son will have won allies and collected his friends around himself. The time has come to act! Do not be afraid. Make the king stop the preparations for Rāma’s consecration!’

  Thus, Mantharā managed to turn their misfortune into good and Kaikeyī became happier. ‘I had no idea, dear hunchback, that you were such a good advisor! You are the most intelligent and determined of all the hunchbacks on earth!’ she cried. ‘You have always been devoted to me and I would never have understood the king’s intention had it not been for you. Some hunchbacks are wicked and twisted, the cause of grief, but you, you are as beautiful as a lotus that bends in the breeze! Your breasts rise up to your shoulders as if to rival them. Your waist, adorned by a lovely navel, is small, as if shrunk by modesty. Your wide hips are decorated with this girdle that tinkles as you walk. Your thighs and calves, even your feet, are well shaped. O Mantharā, when you are clothed in the finest silks and walk before me, you shall be as elegant as a swan!

  ‘That hump of yours, which rises high and proud as a chariot wheel, is the repository of all your wisdom and cunning. When Bharata has been consecrated and Rāma sent into the forest, I shall adorn your hump with a necklace of gold! When I have accomplished my aims, I will anoint your hump with sandal paste and cover it with beaten gold, I will place a gilded crown upon your head and load you with the finest ornaments. You shall wear the best of clothes and walk like a goddess. Your face will rival the moon and you can throw scorn at your enemies! And other hunchbacks shall wait on you and serve you as you have served me.’

  Mantharā was greatly flattered. She looked at Kaikeyī lying on her couch, blazing like a flame on a sacrificial altar, and said, ‘There is no point in building a dam after the river has flooded. Get up and put the plan into action. Let the king see you!’ Large-eyed Kaikeyī, proud of her position as the king’s favourite, went with Mantharā into a darkened room. She took off her necklace made of hundreds of thousands of pearls and threw off her other ornaments and her fine clothes. Swayed by Mantharā’s words, golden-skinned Kaikeyī flung herself on the ground. ‘Mantharā, go and tell the king that I lie here dying. Unless Rāma is sent into the forest and Bharata anointed in his place, I shall kill myself!’ Lying on the ground, her face dark with anger, her flowers and jewellery scattered, Kaikeyī looked like the night sky after the stars have set.

  Chapter Three

  After ordering the preparations for Rāma’s consecration, Daśaratha entered the inner apartments to share the news with all those that deserved to hear it. The aged king, completely unaware of all that had happened, saw his beloved wife lying on the hard ground which should never have been her bed, burning with grief, her heart set on a terrible deed. He caressed her gently with deep humility, as a tusker might stroke his mate who has been injured by a hunter’s arrow.

  The lovelorn king spoke anxiously. ‘Has someone been rude to you or spoken to you harshly? It hurts me to see you lying in the dust like this, like a woman possessed by an evil spirit. Could I have displeased you in any way? I have many competent physicians who can make you feel better, if only you would tell me what is wrong! Is there anything I can do to make you happy? Would you like an innocent man punished? Or a guilty man set free? I will do anything you ask, even give up my life!’

  Kaikeyī listened to the besotted king and felt reassured. She set about to do what would cause her husband boundless grief. ‘No one has hurt me or been rude to me,’ she said. ‘But there is something I want you to do for me. Promise me that you will do as I wish or I shall not tell you what I want.’

  Daśaratha, who was held completely in thrall by this favourite wife, smiled at her and said, ‘You know that there is no one except Rāma who is dearer to me than you. You know how much I love You. Ask me for anything and lift my heart from the depths of despair. I swear by all the merit I have earned for my good deeds that I shall do whatever you ask!’

  Delighted by his promise, Kaikeyī revealed her intentions to Daśaratha, intentions that were like a fatal blow. ‘Since you have sworn to grant me a boon, let the thirty-three gods led by Indra hear this! The moon and the sun, the stars, the planets and the sky, day, night and the four directions, the earth, all divine and living beings, let them all hear what you said! Let all the gods hear that this man, devoted to dharma, truthful, and totally in control of himself, has given me a boon!’ Thus did Kaikeyī praise the mighty warrior who had given her two boons while he was overcome with desire and she bent him to her will.

  ‘Great king, you had offered me two boons a long time ago. Today I ask that they be redeemed. Listen to my words! Let the preparations being made for Rāma’s consecration be used to anoint my Bharata as your successor! His hair matted, wearing the rough clothes of an ascetic, let Rāma live in the Daṇḍaka forest for fourteen years! Proclaim Bharata your heir today! I want to see Rāma leave for the forest without further delay.’

  The king reeled in confusion when he heard Kaikeyī’s words. He looked at her as a deer would look at a tigress. He heaved a great sigh and feel to the floor, like a great serpent made powerless by a spell. ‘Damn you!’ he screamed in anger and lost consciousness. After a few minutes, the distraught king regained his senses but his anger remained unabated. ‘Heartless, wicked creature!’ he cried, his eyes blazing. ‘Destroyer of my clan! Vile woman! What have Rāma or I done to deserve this? Rāma has always treated you like a mother. How could you be bent on his destruction? I let you into my house thinking that you were from a royal and noble family. I had no idea that you were a poisonous snake, determined to destroy me!

  ‘The whole world sings of Rāma’s virtues. How can I reject my most beloved son? I can renounce Kausalyā or Sumitrā or my kingship, even my life, but how can I renounce Rāma who loves me so dearly! The sight of Rāma makes me happy. If I do not see him, my spirits sag. The world may survive without the sun and crops without water, but I cannot live without Rāma. Wretched woman, don’t go through with this terrible plan. Have mercy on me! I shall even place my head at your feet!’

  The great king, protector of the earth, wept like a man who has lost everything. He was so enslaved by this woman that he fell at her feet. But she moved away so that he could not touch them.

  The mighty king lay on the floor, a place wholly unsuited to him, like Yayāti who fell from heaven when his merit ran out. But wicked Kaikeyī, the very incarnation of terror, was unmoved. ‘Great king, you say that you are a man of your word, that you are firm in your resolve,’ she persisted fearlessly, for she had not yet been granted her boon. ‘Why are you trying to cancel the boons you gave me?’

  As the king sat there in stunned silence, the day ended. The night was made bright by the moonlight but the king did not see its beauty. The aged Daśaratha looked up at the moon and sighed. ‘Let the morning arrive quickly! Or maybe, bright moon, you should fade away so that I do not have to look upon this cruel woman, this despicable creature who has brought this terrible calamity upon my family!’ He turned to Kaikeyī again and joined his palms in supplication. ‘Dear lady, be kind to an old man who is powerless under your spell, a man who has lived a virtuous life and is, moreover, a king! I have publicly announced my intention to consecrate Rāma! Behave in a way that will make me and my sons and all our loved ones happy!’ pleaded the noble king, his eyes brimming with tears.

  Cruel Kaikeyī ignored her husband’s plea. When Daśaratha saw that his wife who had never displeased him before was determined to exile Rāma, he swooned with grief.

  Kaikeyī looked at the scion of the Ikṣvākus lying on the ground, overcome with grief. She paced restlessly and said, ‘You have heard my words. Why do you persist with doing wrong? Lying on the floor like this does not become you! Learned men say that dharma is the highest t
ruth. I resorted to the same truth when I asked you to do what is appropriate. King Śibi was prepared to sacrifice his own body for the dove and he was suitably rewarded for that. Alarka plucked out his eyes when a brahmin asked for them. The ocean submits to the cosmic order and maintains his bounds even though it would be simple for him to transgress them. If you do not do what I ask, I shall kill myself right here in front of you!’

  The king was trapped by his oath as Bali was trapped by Indra’s bonds. His mind was in a whirl and his face was drained of all colour. Blind with grief, he could see nothing at all. With a great effort of will, he collected himself but Kaikeyī, still intent upon her wicked course of action, spoke harshly to him, choosing her words with care. ‘You will have done the right thing when you place my son on the throne. Banish Rāma into the forest and rid me of my rivals!’

  Daśaratha was stung by Kaikeyī’s words the way a thoroughbred horse is lashed by a whip. ‘I may have lost my senses but I know that I am bound by the dictates of dharma,’ he said. ‘I want to see my beloved Rāma!’ Kaikeyī herself ordered Sumantra to bring Rāma into the king’s presence. Sumantra hurried away, sure that the summons indicated more good news for Rāma.

  Sumantra stepped out of the place and saw the great kings and the wealthy citizens who were beginning to gather for Rāma’s consecration. The sun rose into the bright sky and the Puṣya constellation was in the ascendant. All the ritual materials for the ceremony had been collected and the brahmins were waiting to begin. The main streets of the city were decorated with flags and flowers and everywhere Sumantra heard people discussing the consecration.

  Wise Sumantra left the crowds behind and approached Rāma’s palace. He entered the central courtyard and was greeted by young men adorned with bright ear rings and armed with spears and bows. They were all keen and alert and devoted to their duties. Close by were the elders, the palace chamberlains who wore clothes of ochre and many fine jewels, standing guard at the doors of various rooms. They rose from their seats when they saw Sumantra and rushed inside to tell Rāma that he had arrived. Rāma immediately ordered that he be allowed in.