June 3 - Sargas 11 and 12 of Ayodhya Kanda.
If you want to witness the extreme swing of a person's mood from happiness and desire to a sense of utter grief and calamity, nothing can come close to these two sargas.
To the king who was besotted with desire for the pleasures of her company, Kaikeyi began her reply.
No she had not been insulted or hurt by anyone or in anyway. However she did want something which desire the king alone could fulfill. Would he promise to do so?
Dasharatha mollycuddles his darling Kaikeyi, assuring her that he would do anything she asked.
तेनाज्जयेन मुख्येन राघवेण महात्मना ।
शपे ते जीवनार्हेण ब्रूहि यन्मनसेप्सितम् ॥
"Oh Kaikeyi, I swear on Sri Rama, most precious to me, unconquered by anyone, high-souled, in fact my very life, that I shall fulfill your desire. Please state what you want".
There are a few more shlokas escalating this sentiment, that Dasharatha swears on Rama, other than whom nothing is important to him, to satisfy Kaikeyi's demand.
Kaikeyi is emboldened by the king. She is ready to strike. She says,
यथा क्रमेण शपसे वरं भम ददासि च ।
तच्छ्रुण्वन्तु त्रयस्त्रिंशद् देवाः सेन्द्रपुरोगमाः ॥
"My lord,l, to witness this grave promise and swearing of yours, I call upon all the thirtythree crore gods led by Indra. I call on all the other gods, presiding deities, the five elements, day and night, and whatever else we know, to witness your promise. Oh gods, hear hear! "
Then she presents her wish.
स्मर राजन् पुरा वृत्तं तस्मिन् देवासुरे रणे।
तत्र त्वां च्यावयच्छत्रुस्तव जीवितमन्तरा ॥
तत्र चापि मया देव यत् त्वं समभिरक्षितः ।
जाग्रत्या दत्तौ च वरौ देव निक्षेपौ मृगयाम्यहम् ॥
" Oh king, please recall that war of long ago between gods and demons. You were severely wounded by the enemy and barely came out alive. I protected you well and kept awake right through and brought you to safety. Highly pleased with my service, you gave me two boons I could encash any time in future. That is what I wish to ask now. "
तौ तावदहमद्यैव वक्ष्यामि श्रुणु मे वचः।
अभिषेकसमारम्भो राघवस्योपकल्पितः ॥
अनेनाभिषेकेण भरतो मेऽभिषिच्यताम् ।
यो द्वितीयो वरो देव दत्तः प्रीतेन मे त्वया ॥
नव पञ्च च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः।
चीराजिनधरो धीरो रामो भवतु तापसः ॥
" Oh king, those two boons you gave me then, I am now spelling out what I want.
" With all the preparations made already for the coronation of Rama, let my son Bharata be crowned instead.
"And for the second boon you had given me so kindly, I ask that Rama should go and live in Dandakaranya forest (the densest forest in the subcontinent) wearing barks of trees. Let the brave warrior Rama survive there for fourteen years doing penance."
"By carrying out your promise to fulfill the two boons you gave me as per my wishes, you as the great king Dasharatha shall be earning merit according to enlightened sages who say upholding truth is paramount for any man. It will protect the dynasty and character of your lineage and make your life as a king worthwhile. "
***
Dasharatha rolls on the ground in grief and disbelief. Is this some nightmare? Has he taken ill? Is he hearing right?
He thinks Kaikeyi has been possessed by some evil spirit. He speaks rapidly in a distraught voice.
जीवलोको यदा सर्वो रामस्याह गुणस्तवम् ।
अपराधं कमुद्दिश्य त्यक्ष्यामीष्टमहं सुतम् ॥
ननु ते राघवस्तुल्यो भरतेन महात्मना ।
कथं रोचयसे वासमरण्ये भृशदारुणे ॥
"The whole world sings constant praise of Sri Rama. For what wrong-doing of my son Rama should I banish him to the forest?
" How often have you said that Rama ia far superior to Bharata in every way! And now how do you suddenly wish to cast him to live in the terrible conditions that he will face in the forest? "
Dasharatha swings from desperate plea catching her feet, to saying she is possessed by the devil and he hardly has understood in all these years what an evil woman she is.
He says the family will be ruined and he will surely die of grief if Rama goes out of his life. What will be left of Ayodhya after this?
He lists the many many virtues of Rama and what makes him his ideal successor. He offers Kaikeyi the riches of his entire kingdom and everything else on earth, but let Kaikeyi please please relent.
Kaikeyi flashes her eyes in extreme rage at a Dasharatha wallowing on the ground at her feet. Bah! So this was the sanctity of his promise? How will he face the royal sages after breaking his word of honour? What will the whole world say of him, one so untruthful? What would be the reputation of Ikshwakus after his failure to uphold his promise?
Enough said. Dasharatha is a messy mass of tragedy and grief and regret. He has nowhere to turn. He says what will become of Kausalya, Sumitra, and what about Vaidehi Sita?
***
मया च रामेण सलक्ष्मणेन प्रशास्तु हीनो भरतस्त्वया सह।
पुरं च राष्ट्रं च निहत्य बान्धवान् ममाहितानं च भवाभिहर्षिणी ॥
"Oh Kaikeyi, after losing me (to death by this grief) and Rama and Lakshmana in their banishment, let Bharata rule this kingdom with you alone, having destroyed Ayodhya, the kingdom, all our wellwishers and relatives - an outcome of your doing alone. That will surely give the greatest joy to our enemies! "
***
The sargas 11 and 12 have altogether 131 shlokas. I have been hard put to choose a few. But you should read the original to understand the ocean of grief and dismay that Dasharatha has been plunged into by Kaikeyi.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
