Holding A Brief for Kaikeyi

The queen who got Rama sent away to the forest in exile was merely abiding by a cosmic plan.

Rama accorded Kaikeyi full respect; he gave her his abode and released her from the cycle of births and deaths. Yet Rama’s devotees find it difficult to forgive her for banishing him to the forest. Tulasidas, however, says it was all a Cosmic Play to destroy the demons. But devotees argue that Rama could have gone to the forest anyway, to destroy the demons. Why drag Sita along? Yet a reading of Ramayana shows that all those who met Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were blessed and they attained life’s goal by seeing, meeting, serving, talking to Rama. Many lives were transformed by the vision of Rama with Sita and Lakshmana. Only one person was forever disgraced and disrespected, and that person was Kaikeyi.

No girl is named Kaikeyi lest she takes on her characteristics. This is the bhakti perspective as Kaikeyi is seen in negative light. A jnani would know that what Kaikeyi contributed to the Cosmic Drama. Hers was the greatest sacrifice as she embraced infamy forever. Rama acknowledges her sacrifice and gives her due respect when they all come to meet him in the forest and when he comes back to Ayodhya later.

Kaikeyi’s maid Manthara’s motives are clear as she wanted to serve the king’s mother. But Kaikeyi’s change of behaviour is strange. Kaikeyi was the daughter of King Ashwapati and the only sister of seven brothers. She was brave, daring, rode chariots, fought wars, was extremely beautiful, played instruments, sang and danced. King Dasaratha saw her on a hunting expedition in Kashmir and fell in love with her. Kaikeyi’s father extracted a promise that her son (his grandson) would ascend the throne. Dasaratha agreed as he had no son from any of his wives. But Kaikeyi did not bear a son and so Dasaratha married Sumitra.

It is only in old age that Dasaratha gets four sons due to a yagna ceremony and Rama is the beloved of all. Kaikeyi loves Rama more than her own son Bharata, so it was inconceivable that she would banish Rama to the forest for 14 years. Sages say all this was going according to a Cosmic Plan. Just as there are several grounds for God’s incarnation as Rama and the creation of Ravana, there are several reasons for Kaikeyi’s actions. Firstly, Dasaratha had promised the throne to Kaikeyi’s son and the promise had to be honoured as was the rule of the Raghu Dynasty- ‘Praan jaaye par vachan na jaaye’- ‘Our words must be honoured even at the cost of our life.’ Second, as a child, Rama told Kaikeyi that since he was the incarnation of Vishnu, he needed an excuse to destroy demons and save sages. He needed someone to banish Him for 14 years and chose Kaikeyi as she was the boldest of the queens. Thirdly, as a child, Kaikeyi had blackened the face of a sage in meditation and he cursed her that she too would get a similar black reputation.

Ramkatha exponent Morari Bapu, gives us a fourth reason. Kaikeyi’s guru Sage Ratna, an astrologer, predicted that she would marry the king of Ayodhya who would die due of grief for his sons. To save the Raghu Dynasty, Kaikeyi would have to ensure that for 14 years no one sat on the throne for that would lead to misfortune. Sage Ratna was father of Shravan Kumar’s grandparents. Shravan Kumar was later killed accidentally by King Dasaratha’s arrow. Shravan Kumar’s grandfather was Sage Dhoumya whose parents were Ratnavali and Sage Ratna. Sage Ratna was a royal priest of Nandigram ruled by King Ashwapati. Sage Ratna had warned her that life as a queen would be very testing and her husband would die of grief for his son. Guru Vasishtha knew of this and decided that grief for son could be death of a son so rather than one son and king dying it would be better that only the king dies. So grief of separation was introduced and Dasaratha was allowed to die. Vasishtha advised Kaikeyi to ask for her two boons -- for Rama to be exiled for 14 years and throne for Bharata. He knew that Bharata would never sit on the throne as long as Rama was living. It was Vasishtha who advised Bharata to install Rama's wooden slippers on the throne if Rama disagreed to return to Ayodhya. The whole drama was planned and the players merely acted.

Kaikeyi had been given two boons for her fighting skills. When Indra, king of gods, requested Dasaratha to fight demon Samhasura, Kaikeyi accompanied him. In the battle Dasaratha’s chariot wheel got loose and Kaikeyi put her little finger in the spoke. Soon she took the chariot to a safe place, changed the wheel, nursed the wounded king and again went in the battlefield and they won. Dasaratha promised her two boons which she laughed away. She had forgotten about these boons but not Vashishtha and Manthara. They advised her to use these boons, but the intentions were different.

Kaikeyi inherited obstinacy from her mother. Once when King Ashwapati and his queen were strolling he heard a pair of birds talking and laughed uncontrollably. Ashwapati, King of Kashmir, had the boon of understanding language of birds, insects and animals. The queen wanted to know what the bird had said but the king replied that according to the boon if he disclosed it he would die. The queen said she didn’t care whether he lived or died but he must tell her what the birds had said. The king banished her forever to her parental home. Kaikeyi was raised by maid Manthara who wanted Kaikeyi to enjoy the highest status.

Kaikeyi knew she would be abused, hated and disliked for all times to come but she agreed to be a part of God’s Lila or play.