Manthara's Scheme to Poison Kaikeyi's Mind (contd)
Ayodhyakanda - Sarga 8
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Ayodhyakanda - Sarga 8
Manthara manipulates Kaikeyi, sowing doubt about Rama's coronation. Kaikeyi defends Rama's virtues, but Manthara persists, warning of dire consequences for Bharata's future.
Manthara (Kaikeyi's hunchbacked maid), filled with rage and sorrow, discarded the ornament Kaikeyi had given her and said:
"O foolish woman, why do you display this misplaced happiness?
You don't realize that you're in the midst of an ocean of sorrow.
I laugh at you in my mind, for you rejoice when you should be sad about this great misfortune."
Manthara continued her manipulation:
"I pity your false notion. Would any wise woman rejoice at the prosperity of her co-wife's son, who is like an enemy? This is like courting death.
Bharata and Rama have equal claim to the kingdom, so Bharata is a source of fear for Rama. I'm dejected thinking about this, for danger springs from one who is afraid.
Lakshmana (Rama's brother), skilled with the bow, has taken refuge in Rama with all his heart. Similarly, Shatrughna (Bharata's brother) has aligned himself with Bharata.
By order of birth, Bharata's right to the throne is just after Rama's, while the chances for the younger two are remote.
I tremble with fear when I think about your son, considering Rama's knowledge of royal duties and his competence to act at the right time."
Kaikeyi, however, praised Rama's virtues:
"Rama knows righteousness and has been taught self-restraint by elders.
He is grateful, truthful, and pure.
As the eldest son of the king, he deserves to be the heir-apparent.
Blessed with a long life, Rama will protect his brothers and servants like a father.
O hunchback, why are you aggrieved hearing about Rama's coronation?
After a hundred years of Rama's rule, Bharata, the best of men, will inherit the ancestral kingdom. We have enjoyed prosperity in the past, we enjoy it now, and we will enjoy it in the future. Then why are you aggrieved?
For me, Bharata is worthy of consideration, but Rama even more so. He serves me even more scrupulously than he does Kausalya (Rama's mother). If the kingdom is Rama's, it is also Bharata's, since Rama regards his brothers as his own self."
Hearing Kaikeyi's words, Manthara became extremely unhappy. She intensified her manipulation:
"You're sinking in a sea of sorrow widened with tears and troubles, yet you're too foolish to perceive your own well-being.
Rama will become king, and after him, his son. Bharata will be debarred from royal succession altogether.
Not all sons of a king inherit the kingdom. If all were installed as kings, there would be great disorder.
That's why kings bestow governance either on the eldest or on other virtuous sons.
Your son will become totally forlorn and brokenhearted, cut off from royal succession and its comforts.
I'm here to serve your interest, yet you don't understand me. You wish to confer gifts on me on the occasion of your co-wife's prosperity. It's certain that once Rama obtains the kingdom free from enemies, he'll either banish Bharata or send him to the other world.
You sent Bharata to his maternal uncle's house as a child. Proximity creates friendship even among inanimate objects. Shatrughna, obedient to Bharata, has followed him, just as Lakshmana has taken refuge in Rama.
Rama will do no harm to Lakshmana, but he will doubtless harm Bharata. Therefore, let your son go to the forest straight from his uncle's palace. That alone will please me and benefit you. If Bharata secures the ancestral kingdom righteously, it will bring welfare to you and your relations.
Your son, accustomed to comforts, is a born enemy of Rama. How will he, deprived of all wealth, live under Rama's control? You should save Bharata, who will be oppressed by Rama like a leader of an elephant herd attacked by a lion in the forest.
You slighted your co-wife earlier with pride, being the favorite wife. How will Rama's mother not retaliate? When Rama becomes the lord of this earth with its oceans, mountains, and cities, you will become miserable and fall into disgrace along with Bharata.
When Rama obtains this earth, Bharata will certainly be ruined. Therefore, right now, think of securing the kingdom for your son and the means of banishing your enemy, Rama."
This concludes the eighth chapter (sarga) of Ayodhyakanda, the second book of the Ramayana, the great epic composed by the sage Valmiki.