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(Continued from yesterday's
instalment)
 Once again Kamban has chosen his own way of narrating the story as far as this promise of Dasaratha to the king of Kekaya is concerned. He has omitted the portion. Nothing is mentioned in the entire epic about the promise at all. Probably Kamban thought that the boons-in-reserve that Kaikeyi had with her were sufficient to send Rama on exile and keep the drama moving. He probably thought of presenting Dasaratha in a better perspective, of honouring his words.
As we were discussing, Kaikeyi did not make any differentiation between Rama and Bharata. Rama was a loving son too. For him there was absolutely no difference between Kausalya and Kaikeyi. Poets are always fond of giving a foretaste to the reader of what is to come. Sometimes it may be a negative indication leading to a negative end. Sometimes it may be a positive outpouring that leads to an irony. Kamban builds up the drama right at the time of Rama's wedding. As soon as Rama completed the wedding rites, he walked over to Kaikeyi and fell at her feet first, seeking her blessings.
'kekayan maa magal kez kiLar paadham thaayinum anbodu thaazndhu vanangi..' He fell at the lustrous feet of Kaikeyi (the daughter of Kekaya) with a love that was immensely more than what he had for his own mother. He prostrated before Kausalya after being blessed by Kaikeyi.
As for Kaikeyi, she was so much attached to this child. As Sri VVS Aiyar observes, "Kaikeyi was not always cruel. In fact, she loved Rama very ostentatiously, if not deeply. She was the wife to whom Dasaratha was most attached. She, therefore, naturally and as a matter of habit, tended and nursed the child on whom was set the whole soul of her lord. The beauty and noble qualities of Rama must have made Kaikeyi take pride in loving, which was the only way of owning such a child."
 Manthara woke her up from her nap to announce the proposed crowning ceremony. She intended to arouse the jealousy of Kaikeyi and said: 'Wake up! Wake up! You are not aware of the disaster that is going to befall on you and you are sleeping so peacefully. Wake up O wake up!'
But Kaikeyi reacted in the most unexpected manner - at least as far as Manthara was concerned.
'viraavu arum puvikku ellam 'vedhame ana iraamanai payandha erkku idar undo' Can any disaster ever approach me O Manthara, who begot a child like Rama, who is like the very Holy Book for the entire world where varied life forms reside!
That was the depth of love that she had for Rama. Kaikeyi deserves to be studied separately. She plays the key part in the epic, adamantly instrumental in sending Rama in exile. We will see the details when we study Kaikeyi. For now we will have to stop with the minimum of information needed for the study of Bharata's character. Though Kaikeyi hastens the important turn in the epic, the part played by Manthara cannot be denied in any way. There is a saying in Tamil. A 'kooni' (hunch-backed) for Ramayana and a Sakuni (pronounced Sa'kooni' for a rhyme) for Mahabaratha.
It was a divine design but. None could be blamed.
More follows…
Hari Krishnan
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