Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 11 of 119 · 29 verses
Kaikeyi Names Her Boons
To the king, pierced by love’s arrows, Kaikeyi says: “No one has wronged or insulted me. I have a wish I want you to fulfil. Swear first that you will do it; then I will tell you.” The king, smiling a little, lifts her head by her hair as she lies on the ground and says: “Proud one, don’t you know that no one is dearer to me than Rama? By Rama, the unconquerable, whom I cannot live a moment without seeing, I swear I will do what you say. Tell me.”
Delighted, Kaikeyi calls the gods to witness: the thirty-three gods with Indra, the sun and moon, sky, planets, night and day, the directions, the world and the earth, gandharvas, rakshasas, night creatures and household gods: “Let them all hear that this truthful, righteous king grants me a boon.” Then she reminds him of the war of the gods and asuras, when an enemy nearly took his life and she, watchful and striving, saved him, and he gave her two boons. “I ask for them now. If you do not give them, I will give up my life today, dishonoured by you.” Caught by her words like a deer stepping into a snare, he hears her: “With the very preparations made for Rama’s consecration, let Bharata be consecrated. And let Rama go to live in the Dandaka forest for nine years and five, wearing bark and deerskin, as an ascetic, so that Bharata may enjoy the kingdom without a rival. This is my greatest wish; today let me see Raghava leave for the forest. Be true to your promise, king of kings, and protect your family, your character and your birth.”
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तं मन्मथशरैर्विद्धं कामवेगवशानुगम् । उवाच पृथिवीपालं कैकेयी दारुणं वचः ॥ १ ॥
To the lord of the earth, pierced by the arrows of Manmatha and swept along by the force of desire, Kaikeyi spoke cruel words:
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नास्मि विप्रकृता देव केनचिन्नावमानिता । अभिप्रायस्तु मे कश्चित् तमिच्छामि त्वया कृतम् ॥ २ ॥
“Lord, I have not been wronged by anyone, nor insulted. But I have a certain wish, and I want it done by you.
प्रतिज्ञां प्रतिजानीष्व यदि त्वं कर्तुमिच्छसि । अथ ते व्याहरिष्यामि यथाभिप्रार्थितं मया ॥ ३ ॥
“Make a promise, if you wish to do it; then I will tell you what I have asked for.”
तामुवाच महाराजः कैकेयीमीषदुत्स्मयः । कामी हस्तेन संगृह्य मूर्धजेषु भुवि स्थिताम् ॥ ४ ॥
The great king, smiling slightly, the lover, taking her by the hair as she lay on the ground, said to Kaikeyi:
अवलिप्ते न जानासि त्वत्तः प्रियतरो मम । मनुजो मनुजव्याघ्राद् रामादन्यो न विद्यते ॥ ५ ॥
“Proud one, do you not know that no man is dearer to me than Rama, tiger among men?
तेनाजय्येन मुख्येन राघवेण महात्मना । शपे ते जीवनार्हेण ब्रूहि यन्मनसेप्सितम् ॥ ६ ॥
“By that unconquerable, foremost, great-souled Raghava, whose life must be protected, I swear to you: tell me what your heart desires.
यं मुहूर्तमपश्यंस्तु न जीवे तमहं ध्रुवम् । तेन रामेण कैकेयि शपे ते वचनक्रियाम् ॥ ७ ॥
“By that Rama, Kaikeyi, without seeing whom for a moment I surely could not live, I swear to you that I will do as you say.
आत्मना चात्मजैश्चान्यैर्वृणे यं मनुजर्षभम् । तेन रामेण कैकेयि शपे ते वचनक्रियाम् ॥ ८ ॥
“By that Rama, Kaikeyi, bull among men, whom I would choose over myself and my other sons, I swear to you that I will do as you say.
भद्रे हृदयमप्येतदनुमृश्योद्धरस्व मे । एतत् समीक्ष्य कैकेयि ब्रूहि यत् साधु मन्यसे ॥ ९ ॥
“Good lady, even this heart of mine, tear it out if you wish. Considering this, Kaikeyi, say what you think right.
बलमात्मनि पश्यन्ती न विशङ्कितुमर्हसि । करिष्यामि तव प्रीतिं सुकृतेनापि ते शपे ॥ १० ॥
“Seeing your power over me, you should not doubt me. I will do what pleases you; I swear it to you by my good deeds.”
सा तदर्थमना देवी तमभिप्रायमागतम् । निर्माध्यस्थ्याच्च हर्षाच्च बभाषे दुर्वचं वचः ॥ ११ ॥
The queen, her mind on her purpose, now that the moment for her wish had come, from partiality and from joy, spoke words hard to speak.
तेन वाक्येन संहृष्टा तमभिप्रायमात्मनः । व्याजहार महाघोरमभ्यागतमिवान्तकम् ॥ १२ ॥
Delighted at his words, she declared her purpose, most terrible, like Death arriving:
यथा क्रमेण शपसे वरं मम ददासि च । तच्छृण्वन्तु त्रयस्त्रिंशद् देवाः सेन्द्रपुरोगमाः ॥ १३ ॥
“As you swear in due order and grant me a boon, let the thirty-three gods, with Indra at their head, hear it;
चन्द्रादित्यौ नभश्चैव ग्रहा रात्र्यहनी दिशः । जगच्च पृथिवी चेयं सगन्धर्वाः सराक्षसाः ॥ १४ ॥
निशाचराणि भूतानि गृहेषु गृहदेवताः । यानि चान्यानि भूतानि जानीयुर्भाषितं तव ॥ १५ ॥
“the moon and sun and the sky, the planets, night and day, the directions, the world and this earth, with the gandharvas and rakshasas, the beings that roam by night, the household gods in homes, and all other beings: let them know what you have said.
सत्यसंधो महातेजा धर्मज्ञः सत्यवाक्शुचिः । वरं मम ददात्येष सर्वे शृण्वन्तु दैवताः ॥ १६ ॥
“This truthful, radiant king, who knows dharma, pure and true of speech, grants me a boon: let all the gods hear.”
इति देवी महेष्वासं परिगृह्याभिशस्य च । ततः परमुवाचेदं वरदं काममोहितम् ॥ १७ ॥
So the queen, having secured the great archer and called witnesses, then said this to the giver of boons, deluded by desire:
स्मर राजन् पुरा वृत्तं तस्मिन् देवासुरे रणे । तत्र त्वां च्यावयच्छत्रुस्तव जीवितमन्तरा ॥ १८ ॥
“Remember, king, what happened long ago in that war of the gods and asuras. There the enemy brought you down, and your life hung in between.
तत्र चापि मया देव यत् त्वं समभिरक्षितः । जाग्रत्या यतमानायास्ततो मे प्रददौ वरौ ॥ १९ ॥
“And there, god, because you were protected by me, watchful and striving, you gave me two boons.
तौ दत्तौ च वरौ देव निक्षेपौ मृगयाम्यहम् । तवैव पृथिवीपाल सकाशे रघुनन्दन ॥ २० ॥
“Those two boons, given and held in trust, I now seek from you, lord of the earth, delight of the Raghus.
तत् प्रतिश्रुत्य धर्मेण न चेद् दास्यसि मे वरम् । अद्यैव हि प्रहास्यामि जीवितं त्वद्विमानिता ॥ २१ ॥
“If, having promised by dharma, you do not give me the boon, I will give up my life today, dishonoured by you.”
वाङ्मात्रेण तदा राजा कैकेय्या स्ववशे कृतः । प्रचस्कन्द विनाशाय पाशं मृग इवात्मनः ॥ २२ ॥
By mere words the king was then brought under Kaikeyi’s control, and he leapt toward his own destruction, like a deer into a noose.
ततः परमुवाचेदं वरदं काममोहितम् । वरौ देयौ त्वया देव तदा दत्तौ महीपते ॥ २३ ॥
Then she said to the giver of boons, deluded by desire: “The two boons must be given by you, god, which you gave then, lord of the earth.
तौ तावदहमद्यैव वक्ष्यामि शृणु मे वचः । अभिषेकसमारम्भो राघवस्योपकल्पितः ॥ २४ ॥
“I will tell you those two now; hear my words. The preparations for Raghava’s consecration have been made:
अनेनैवाभिषेकेण भरतो मेऽभिषिच्यताम् । यो द्वितीयो वरो देव दत्तः प्रीतेन मे त्वया ॥ २५ ॥
तदा देवासुरे युद्धे तस्य कालोऽयमागतः । नव पञ्च च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः ॥ २६ ॥
“with this very consecration let my Bharata be consecrated. And the second boon you gave me, god, when you were pleased, in that war of the gods and asuras: its time has now come. For nine years and five, living in the Dandaka forest,
चीराजिनधरो धीरो रामो भवतु तापसः । भरतो भजतामद्य यौवराज्यमकण्टकम् ॥ २७ ॥
“wearing bark and deerskin, let the steadfast Rama become an ascetic, and let Bharata enjoy the position of crown prince today, without a rival.
एष मे परमः कामो दत्तमेव वरं वृणे । अद्य चैव हि पश्येयं प्रयान्तं राघवं वने ॥ २८ ॥
“This is my greatest wish; I choose the boon already given. Let me see Raghava set out for the forest this very day.
स राजराजो भव सत्यसंगरः कुलं च शीलं च हि जन्म रक्ष च । परत्र वासे हि वदन्त्यनुत्तमं तपोधनाः सत्यवचो हितं नृणाम् ॥ २९ ॥
“Be the king of kings, true to your promise, and protect your family, your character and your birth. For ascetics say that truthful speech is the supreme good for men in their life in the other world.”