Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 18 of 119 · 41 verses
Kaikeyi Tells Rama
Rama sees his father seated with Kaikeyi, downcast and miserable, his mouth dry. He bows first at his father’s feet, then at Kaikeyi’s. The king can only say “Rama!” with tears in his eyes; he can neither look at him nor speak. Rama, frightened as if he had stepped on a snake, sees his father like a stirred ocean, an eclipsed sun, a sage who has spoken a lie. “Why does my father not greet me today? Even when angry he softens when he sees me.” He asks Kaikeyi: “Have I unknowingly wronged him? Tell me, and win his favour for me. Is he ill in body or mind? Has something bad happened to Bharata, Shatrughna or my mothers? I would not want to live a moment with the king angry with me. How could a man not obey his father, who is the visible god from whom he came? Did you say something harsh to him in pride?”
Shamelessly, Kaikeyi answers: “The king is not angry and nothing is wrong. He cannot bring himself to say an unpleasant thing to you, whom he loves. He gave me a boon and now regrets it like any common man, trying to build a dam after the water has gone. Truth is the root of dharma. If you will do what he says, good or bad, I will tell you.” Pained, Rama replies before the king: “Shame! You should not speak to me so. At the king’s word I would jump into fire, drink sharp poison, or throw myself into the ocean. Tell me what the king wants; I promise I will do it. Rama does not speak twice.”
Kaikeyi says: “In the war of the gods and asuras your father gave me two boons for saving him. I have asked for Bharata’s consecration and for you to go to the Dandaka forest today. If you want your father and yourself to be true to your word, live in the forest for nine years and five, give up this consecration, wear matted hair and bark, and let Bharata rule the earth. That is why the king, overcome with pity, cannot look at you. Do as he says and save him by great truth.” As she speaks these harsh words, Rama does not give way to grief, but the great-souled king, burning with grief for his son, is stricken.
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स ददर्शासने रामो विषण्णं पितरं शुभे । कैकेय्या सहितं दीनं मुखेन परिशुष्यता ॥ १ ॥
Rama saw his father seated on a fine seat with Kaikeyi, dejected, wretched, his mouth parched.
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स पितुश्चरणौ पूर्वमभिवाद्य विनीतवत् । ततो ववन्दे चरणौ कैकेय्याः सुसमाहितः ॥ २ ॥
First he humbly saluted his father’s feet, then, with full attention, he saluted Kaikeyi’s feet.
रामेत्युक्त्वा तु वचनं बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणः । शशाक नृपतिर्दीनो नेक्षितुं नाभिभाषितुम् ॥ ३ ॥
Saying only “Rama!”, his eyes filled with tears, the wretched king could neither look at him nor speak.
तदपूर्वं नरपतेर्दृष्ट्वा रूपं भयावहम् । रामोऽपि भयमापन्नः पदा स्पृष्ट्वेव पन्नगम् ॥ ४ ॥
Seeing that terrifying, unprecedented look on the king, Rama too was seized with fear, as if he had touched a snake with his foot.
इन्द्रियैरप्रहृष्टैस्तं शोकसंतापकर्शितम् । निःश्वसन्तं महाराजं व्यथिताकुलचेतसम् ॥ ५ ॥
ऊर्मिमालिनमक्षोभ्यं क्षुभ्यन्तमिव सागरम् । उपप्लुतमिवादित्यमुक्तानृतमृषिं यथा ॥ ६ ॥
The great king, his senses joyless, worn with grief and pain, sighing, his mind distressed and confused, like the unshakable ocean garlanded with waves now heaving, like the eclipsed sun, like a sage who has spoken a falsehood:
अचिन्त्यकल्पं नृपतेस्तं शोकमुपधारयन् । बभूव संरब्धतरः समुद्र इव पर्वणि ॥ ७ ॥
Perceiving that inconceivable grief of the king, Rama became deeply agitated, like the ocean at the full moon.
चिन्तयामास चतुरो रामः पितृहिते रतः । किंस्विदद्यैव नृपतिर्न मां प्रत्यभिनन्दति ॥ ८ ॥
Clever Rama, devoted to his father’s good, thought: “Why does the king not welcome me today?
अन्यदा मां पिता दृष्ट्वा कुपितोऽपि प्रसीदति । तस्य मामद्य सम्प्रेक्ष्य किमायासः प्रवर्तते ॥ ९ ॥
“At other times, when my father sees me, even if he is angry, he grows gracious. Why, seeing me today, has this distress arisen?”
स दीन इव शोकार्तो विषण्णवदनद्युतिः । कैकेयीमभिवाद्यैव रामो वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ १० ॥
Wretched as if stricken with grief, the brightness of his face dimmed, Rama saluted Kaikeyi and said:
कच्चिन्मया नापराद्धमज्ञानाद् येन मे पिता । कुपितस्तन्ममाचक्ष्व त्वमेवैनं प्रसादय ॥ ११ ॥
“Have I unknowingly done some wrong, for which my father is angry? Tell me, and you yourself win his favour.
अप्रसन्नमनाः किं नु सदा मां प्रति वत्सलः । विषण्णवदनो दीनः नहि मां प्रति भाषते ॥ १२ ॥
“Why is he displeased in mind, who has always loved me? Downcast and wretched, he does not speak to me.
शारीरो मानसो वापि कच्चिदेनं न बाधते । संतापो वाभितापो वा दुर्लभं हि सदा सुखम् ॥ १३ ॥
“Is some suffering of body or mind afflicting him, some pain or affliction? For happiness is always hard to keep.
कच्चिन्न किंचिद् भरते कुमारे प्रियदर्शने । शत्रुघ्ने वा महासत्त्वे मातॄणां वा ममाशुभम् ॥ १४ ॥
“Has something bad happened to the handsome prince Bharata, or to mighty Shatrughna, or to my mothers?
अतोषयन् महाराजमकुर्वन् वा पितुर्वचः । मुहूर्तमपि नेच्छेयं जीवितुं कुपिते नृपे ॥ १५ ॥
“If I fail to please the great king or do not carry out my father’s word, I would not wish to live even a moment with the king angry.
यतोमूलं नरः पश्येत् प्रादुर्भावमिहात्मनः । कथं तस्मिन् न वर्तेत प्रत्यक्षे सति दैवते ॥ १६ ॥
“How could a man not act rightly toward the one he sees as the root of his own coming into being here, while that deity stands visible before him?
कच्चित्ते परुषं किंचिदभिमानात् पिता मम । उक्तो भवत्या रोषेण येनास्य लुलितं मनः ॥ १७ ॥
“Have you, out of pride, said something harsh to my father in anger, by which his mind has been disturbed?
एतदाचक्ष्व मे देवि तत्त्वेन परिपृच्छतः । किंनिमित्तमपूर्वोऽयं विकारो मनुजाधिपे ॥ १८ ॥
“Tell me this truly, queen, as I ask: what is the cause of this unprecedented change in the lord of men?”
एवमुक्ता तु कैकेयी राघवेण महात्मना । उवाचेदं सुनिर्लज्जा धृष्टमात्महितं वचः ॥ १९ ॥
So addressed by great-souled Raghava, Kaikeyi, utterly shameless, spoke these bold words for her own interest:
न राजा कुपितो राम व्यसनं नास्य किंचन । किंचिन्मनोगतं त्वस्य त्वद्भयान्नानुभाषते ॥ २० ॥
“The king is not angry, Rama, and no misfortune has befallen him. Something is in his mind that he does not speak out of fear of you.
प्रियं त्वामप्रियं वक्तुं वाणी नास्य प्रवर्तते । तदवश्यं त्वया कार्यं यदनेनाश्रुतं मम ॥ २१ ॥
“His voice will not move to say an unpleasant thing to you whom he loves. So you must certainly do what he has promised me.
एष मह्यं वरं दत्त्वा पुरा मामभिपूज्य च । स पश्चात् तप्यते राजा यथान्यः प्राकृतस्तथा ॥ २२ ॥
“Having given me a boon long ago and honoured me, the king now repents of it afterwards, like any ordinary man.
अतिसृज्य ददानीति वरं मम विशाम्पतिः । स निरर्थं गतजले सेतुं बन्धितुमिच्छति ॥ २३ ॥
“Having granted it, saying ‘I will give’, the lord of the people now wants, uselessly, to build a dam after the water has gone.
धर्ममूलमिदं राम विदितं च सतामपि । तत् सत्यं न त्यजेद् राजा कुपितस्त्वत्कृते यथा ॥ २४ ॥
“This is the root of dharma, Rama, and known even to the good. The king must not abandon that truth, angry because of you.
यदि तद् वक्ष्यते राजा शुभं वा यदि वाशुभम् । करिष्यसि ततः सर्वमाख्यास्यामि पुनस्त्वहम् ॥ २५ ॥
“If you will do all of it, whatever the king will say, good or bad, then I will tell you everything.
यदि त्वभिहितं राज्ञा त्वयि तन्न विपत्स्यते । ततोऽहमभिधास्यामि न ह्येष त्वयि वक्ष्यति ॥ २६ ॥
“If what the king has said is not to go wrong with you, then I will tell it; he will not tell you himself.”
एतत् तु वचनं श्रुत्वा कैकेय्या समुदाहृतम् । उवाच व्यथितो रामस्तां देवीं नृपसंनिधौ ॥ २७ ॥
Hearing these words spoken by Kaikeyi, Rama, distressed, said to the queen in the king’s presence:
अहो धिङ् नार्हसे देवि वक्तुं मामीदृशं वचः । अहं हि वचनाद् राज्ञः पतेयमपि पावके ॥ २८ ॥
“Ah, shame! You should not speak such words to me, queen. At the king’s word I would even fall into fire,
भक्षयेयं विषं तीक्ष्णं पतेयमपि चार्णवे । नियुक्तो गुरुणा पित्रा नृपेण च हितेन च ॥ २९ ॥
“eat sharp poison, or throw myself into the ocean, if commanded by my teacher, my father, my king, my well-wisher.
तद् ब्रूहि वचनं देवि राज्ञो यदभिकांक्षितम् । करिष्ये प्रतिजाने च रामो द्विर्नाभिभाषते ॥ ३० ॥
“So tell me, queen, what the king desires. I will do it, and I promise. Rama does not speak twice.”
तमार्जवसमायुक्तमनार्या सत्यवादिनम् । उवाच रामं कैकेयी वचनं भृशदारुणम् ॥ ३१ ॥
To that straightforward, truthful Rama, ignoble Kaikeyi spoke most cruel words:
पुरा देवासुरे युद्धे पित्रा ते मम राघव । रक्षितेन वरौ दत्तौ सशल्येन महारणे ॥ ३२ ॥
“Long ago, in the war of the gods and asuras, Raghava, your father gave me two boons, when he was protected by me, wounded, in the great battle.
तत्र मे याचितो राजा भरतस्याभिषेचनम् । गमनं दण्डकारण्ये तव चाद्यैव राघव ॥ ३३ ॥
“From these I have asked the king for Bharata’s consecration, and for your going to the Dandaka forest this very day, Raghava.
यदि सत्यप्रतिज्ञं त्वं पितरं कर्तुमिच्छसि । आत्मानं च नरश्रेष्ठ मम वाक्यमिदं शृणु ॥ ३४ ॥
“If you wish to make your father true to his promise, and yourself, best of men, hear these words of mine.
संनिदेशे पितुस्तिष्ठ यथानेन प्रतिश्रुतम् । त्वयारण्यं प्रवेष्टव्यं नव वर्षाणि पञ्च च ॥ ३५ ॥
“Abide by your father’s command, as he has promised: you must enter the forest for nine years and five.
भरतश्चाभिषिच्येत यदेतदभिषेचनम् । त्वदर्थे विहितं राज्ञा तेन सर्वेण राघव ॥ ३६ ॥
“And let Bharata be consecrated with this whole consecration that the king arranged for you, Raghava.
सप्त सप्त च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः । अभिषेकमिदं त्यक्त्वा जटाचीरधरो भव ॥ ३७ ॥
“For seven and seven years, living in the Dandaka forest, giving up this consecration, wear matted hair and bark.
भरतः कोसलपतेः प्रशास्तु वसुधामिमाम् । नानारत्नसमाकीर्णां सवाजिरथसंकुलाम् ॥ ३८ ॥
“Let Bharata rule this earth of the Kosala king, filled with many jewels, crowded with horses and chariots.
एतेन त्वां नरेन्द्रोऽयं कारुण्येन समाप्लुतः । शोकैः संक्लिष्टवदनो न शक्नोति निरीक्षितुम् ॥ ३९ ॥
“For this reason this lord of men, overwhelmed with pity, his face worn with grief, cannot look at you.
एतत् कुरु नरेन्द्रस्य वचनं रघुनन्दन । सत्येन महता राम तारयस्व नरेश्वरम् ॥ ४० ॥
“Do this word of the lord of men, delight of the Raghus; by great truth, Rama, save the lord of men.”
इतीव तस्यां परुषं वदन्त्यां न चैव रामः प्रविवेश शोकम् । प्रविव्यथे चापि महानुभावो राजा च पुत्रव्यसनाभितप्तः ॥ ४१ ॥
As she spoke these harsh words, Rama did not enter into grief; but the great-souled king, burning with the calamity of his son, was deeply pained.