16. TWO PROMISES REVIVED (Part - 7)
The King was not appeased by her advice. "The holy
water from Ganga brought for ablution during the coronation
will now serve me for my last drink; the holy fire raised will
serve to light my funeral pyre. Rama, Rama, don't go. I take
back my word to Kaikeyi… . How can I bear to see you go? I
will not survive your departure. If I lived after your departure,
what would be the difference between me and that monster
in wife's shape—Kaikeyi?" Thus and in many other ways,
Dasaratha lamented.
Vasishtha said, "Do not grieve… . I will see that your son
is persuaded to stay back." Dasaratha had become so
weakened in will that he clung to this hope when he saw the
sage depart. Kausalya comforted the King by saying, "It is
quite likely Vasishtha will come back with Rama." She
tenderly lifted him, nursed him, and stroked his head and
shoulder. He kept repeating, "Will Rama come? When? How
terrible that Kaikeyi, whom I loved so much, should contrivemy death so that she may place Bharatha on the throne!"
Silence for a while, but once again all his lamentations and
fears would return redoubled.
"Kausalya, my dearest wife, listen. Rama will not change
his aim, but definitely go away, and my life will end. You
know why? It's an old story.
"Once while I was hunting in a forest, I heard the gurgling
of water—the noise an elephant makes when drinking water.
I shot an arrow in that direction, and at once heard a human
cry in agony. I went up and found that I had shot at a young
boy. He had been filling his pitcher; and water rushing into it
had created the noise. The boy was dying and told me that
his old parents, eyeless, were not far away. He had tended
them, carrying them about on his back. They died on hearing
of this tragedy, after cursing the man who had killed their son
to suffer a similar fate. And so that is going to be my fate… ."
When Rama's exile became known, the kings and
commoners assembled at the hall broke down and wept; so
did the religious heads and ascetics. Men and women wept
aloud; the parrots in their cages wept, the cats in people's
homes; the infants in their cradles, the cows and calves.
Flowers that had just bloomed wilted away. The water birds,
the elephants, the chargers that drew chariots—all broke
down and lamented like Dasaratha himself, unable to bear
the pang of separation from Rama. What a moment ago hadbeen a world of festivities had become one of mourning.
Crowds thronged hither and thither, stood in knots at street
corners, watched the portals of the palace, speculating and
commenting. "Kaikeyi—the red-lipped prostitute," they said.
"We never suspected that our King was so lost in
infatuation… . We thought that the red-lipped woman was
our Queen, but she has shown her true nature—using her
flesh to bait a senile male, who has sought his own ruin and
thereby the ruin of our country. Let Kaikeyi try and rule this
country with her son—there will be none left to rule over; we
will all kill ourselves or move out with Rama. Ah, unfortunate
earth not destined to have Rama as your overlord! What is
Lakshmana doing? How will he stand this separation? What
justification can there be for breaking a promise made to
Rama? Strange act of justice this! The world has suddenly
gone mad!"
Lakshmana, on hearing of the developments, was roused
like the fire starting to consume the earth on the last day.
"Food kept for the lion is sought to be fed to the street puppy
—so plans that doe-eyed Kaikeyi," commented Lakshmana.
He picked up his sword and bow, put on his battle dress,
and aggressively roamed the streets swearing, "Rama shall
be crowned, and whoever comes in the way will be
annihilated. Let the whole world come, I'll destroy everyone
who opposes, and pile up their carcasses sky high. I'll seize
the crown and will not rest till I place it on Rama's head. This
I'll achieve this very day, this very day." Seeing his fiery eyes and hearing his stentorian challenges, people withdrew from
his proximity. "If all the gods in heaven, all the demons, all the
good people of the earth, and bad—if the whole world
oppose me, I'll not relent or yield to the desire of a mere
female… ."
His challenges and the rattling of his arms and the
twanging of his bow-string reached the ears of Rama, who
was just on his way to take leave of his stepmother Sumithra,
Lakshmana's mother, and he immediately turned back and
confronted Lakshmana. "What makes you wear all this
battle-dress, and against whom are you uttering your
challenges? And why are you so wild and angry?"
Lakshmana said, "If this is not the occasion for anger,
when else is it? After having promised you your rightful place
—to deny it now! I can't tolerate it. The vicious dreams of that
black-hearted woman shall not be fulfilled. I'll not let my
senses watch this injustice passively. I'll resist it till I perish."
"It was my mistake," said Rama. "I have only myself to
blame for accepting my father's offer of the throne so readily
without thinking of the consequences. Your tongue, learned
in the recital of Vedas and all the truths of godly life, should
not be allowed to utter whatever it likes so irresponsibly.
Your charges will not stand the scrutiny of judicious and
serene temperaments. You must not utter such bitter
remarks about people who after all are none other than your
father and mother." (Rama makes no distinction between mother and stepmother). "Calm yourself. Sometimes a river
runs dry, and then it cannot be said to be the fault of the river
—it's dry because the heavens are dry. So also, our father's
change of mind, or the apparent hardheartedness of
Kaikeyi, who has been so loving and kind, or Bharatha's
chance of succession… . These are really not our own
doing, but some higher powers have decreed them. Fate …"
"I'll be the fate to overpower fate itself," said Lakshmana,
with martial arrogance. Rama argued with him further. "I'll
change and alter fate itself, if necessary," repeated
Lakshmana and concluded his sentence with the refrain,
"Whoever dares to oppose my aim will be destroyed.