12. MANTHARA'S EVIL COUNSEL :

THE King embraced Rama, seated him

beside him on the throne and said: "I am

old. I have enjoyed my life as a man and a

king. I have discharged all my duties to

my ancestors. There is nothing left for me

to do. My only desire is to install you on

the throne of our fathers. Last night I had

bad dreams. Those who read, the future

advise me that a great sorrow, even death,

may overtake me very soon. Hence I wish

to have the coronation performed

tomorrow. Tomorrow, the readers of the

stars say, is auspicious. Something within

me says, 'Do this at once.' You and Sita

should prepare for tomorrow's anointment

by fasting tonight. Lie down on a bed of

darbha grass and have trusty and vigilant

friends to look after your safety. It seems

to me that the present time when Bharata

is away is particularly opportune for your

installation. Not that I do not know that

Bharata is the soul of righteousness in

thought and conduct alike, and that he is

devoted to you, but the minds of men are

changeful and open to unexpected

influences."

And so the King decided that the

coronation should be performed on the

very next day and told Vasishtha of his

decision. Bad dreams added to the reasons

for fixing the day for the coronation at

once.

Taking leave of his father, Rama went

to Kausalya's apartment to give her the

news and seek her blessing. But the

Queen had heard the news already.

Sumitra, Sita and Lakshmana were all

there with Kausalya, who, clad in

ceremonial white, sat offering prayers for

her son.

Rama reported to his mother the King's

latest command. She answered: "This I

have heard. May you live long. Be a good

ruler. Conquer your foes and protect your

subjects and kinsfolk. You have pleased

your father and you have made me

happy."

Then bidding farewell to his mother

and step-mother, Rama went to his own

apartment. As directed by the King,

Vasishtha came to Rama's place. He was

welcomed by him at the entrance,

Vasishtha initiated Rama with due

mantras in his pre-coronation fast.

As Vasishtha returned to the King, he

saw groups of people on the royal road,

cheerfully discussing the great festival of

the morrow. Houses were being decorated

with flowers, festoons and flags. It was

with difficulty that Vasishtha could make

his way through the crowds to the King's

palace. The King was pleased to hear that

the fast had begun duly and all was being

got ready for the ceremony.

But in his heart of hearts there was a

fear that some mishap might come

between him and his one wish.

The city was in a joyous commotion of

expectancy. In every house, in every

street, men, women and children looked

on the coronation as a great and

auspicious occasion in their own lives and

awaited it with enthusiasm.

Rama and Sita in their dwelling

meditated long on Narayana, fed with

ghee the sacrificial fire, and reverently

sipped what remained of the ghee, and

slept on grass spread on the floor. Early

the following morning, they were roused

from slumber by music and held

themselves in readiness to proceed to the

palace and in expectation of the

auspicious call.

But the summons that came was of an

entirely opposite nature.

In accordance with the practice in royal

households, Queen Kaikeyi had a woman

companion and confidential servant. She

was a hunchback named Manthara. Being

a distant relation of the Queen, she

claimed great intimacy with her.

Manthara is one of the best known

characters in the Ramayana. Every man,

woman and child in our land knows and

detests her, as the cause of Rama's exile,

Dasaratha's death and all the sorrows

which befell the royal family.

On the day on which Dasaratha

summoned the Assembly and decided to

anoint Rama as Yuvaraja, Manthara

happened to climb up to the terrace of the

women's apartments and stood surveying

the town below. She saw the streets were

sprinkled with water and gaily decorated.

Flags flew from the house-tops. Wearing

new clothes and bright jewels, smeared

with sandal paste and decked in flowers,

people moved about in crowds, engrossed

in happy talk.

Musical instruments played in the

temples. Manthara could not understand

the reason for all this, for she did not

know what the King had decided. Some

celebration was on, she guessed. Manthara

turned to a servant and asked her: "Why

are you wearing this silk dress? What is

on in the City? Kausalya seems to be

distributing gifts to Brahmanas. She is a

thrifty lady and would not be doing this

for nothing. There are festive sights and

sounds everywhere. Do you know what all

this is about?"

The little servant girl answered,

dancing with joy: "Why, do you not know

that our Ramachandra is going to be

anointed Yuvaraja tomorrow morning?"

This was news! Manthara was

overpowered with sudden anger. Quickly

she hobbled downstairs. Straight she

entered Kaikeyi's room. Kaikeyi was

resting on her bed.

"Rise, rise, foolish woman! A flood of

misfortune is rising to drown and swallow

you! You are betrayed and ruined. Your

star is setting. Foolish girl, is this the time

to sleep?"

Kaikeyi, fearing that some calamity

had overtaken Manthara, asked her gently:

"What is troubling you? Why are you thus

upset?"

And the clever Manthara began:

"Destruction has come upon both you and

me, my girl. Dasaratha has decided to

make Rama Yuvaraja, the real ruler of this

land. What greater cause for sorrow need I

have? When grief comes to you, how can

I remain unconcerned? I have come

running to you. You were born and bred

in a royal family. You were married into a

royal family. Now, alas, all is over. Like

the simple woman you are, you have been

deceived. Your husband has cheated you

with sweet words. It is a deep plot, as any

one can see. He put Bharata out of the

way by sending him to the distant place of

his uncle, and is taking advantage of his

absence by hurriedly crowning Rama. By

tomorrow it will all be over. And you

watch all this, lying in bed and doing

nothing, while you and all who depend on

you are being destroyed."

And so, Manthara went on talking.

Kaikeyi's ears heard the words without

quite heeding their drift. Like the rest of

the royal household her mind was

overwhelmed now with the joyous

expectation of Rama's coronation, for she

loved and esteemed Rama like everybody

else.

"Manthara, you have brought me good

news," she said. "Is my son Rama to be

crowned tomorrow? What greater joy can

come to me? Here, take this. Ask me for

anything else." So saying, Kaikeyi took

the necklace off her neck and gave it to

Manthara. It was a royal custom at once to

reward with a rich gift the bringer of any

important good news.

Kaikeyi thought Manthara, like any

other officious personal attendant, was

ingratiatingly jealous in her mistress's

interests. How could this woman

understand the goodness of Rama, or

affairs of State? And so she thought her

foolish fears would be banished if she saw

that her mistress was happy at the event.

Kaikeyi's mind was still uncorrupted. She

had the culture of her noble lineage and

was not easily amenable to low thoughts.

This but increased Manthara's grief.

She flung away the necklace and said:

"Woe to you, stupid woman. All is lost

and stupidly you laugh with joy. How can

you be blind to the misfortune that is

coming to you? Am I to laugh or cry at

this folly? Your rival, Rama's mother, has

conspired to making him King. And you

jump with joy. Insane woman! What

would be Bharata's state when Rama

reigns? Would not Rama fear and ever

look upon Bharata as a dangerous enemy?

Rama knows human nature. He knows

that Bharata alive would be a constant

threat to his power and therefore must be

killed. Does not one kill a cobra out of

fear? Hereafter there is no security for

Bharata's life. Tomorrow morning

Kausalya will be a happy woman and you

will bend before her as a well-dressed

slave. You will stand before her, hands

clasped in obedience. From tomorrow

your son too will be a subject and a slave.

In these apartments there will be no more

honor or joy."

And she stopped, unable for grief to

continue. Kaikeyi heard all this and

wondered "Why should Manthara have

such fears? Does she not know Rama? Is

he not dharma embodied in human form?"

She said: "Manthara, have you not

known and rejoiced in Rama's truthfulness,

right conduct and humility?

He is the elder prince and he gets the

kingdom. Bharata will get it one day after

him. What is wrong with all this? Why,

dear friend, do you feel such grief? After

Rama, Bharata will reign for a hundred

years. Do not cry. You know how

affectionate Rama is to me. Indeed he

cares for me more than for his own

mother. Does not Rama hold his brothers

as dear as life? It is not right that you

should fear any harm from Rama."

"Alas, Alas!" said Manthara. "Why are

you so foolish? Once Rama is crowned

king, what chance has Bharata? Do you

not know the rule of succession? When

Rama ascends the throne all prospects of

royalty for Bharata and his line are at an

end. After Rama, Rama's son will be king,

and after him that son's son will be king,

and so the succession will go on. Eldest

son succeeds eldest son. There is no

chance for a younger brother, no matter

how good or manly he is. My dear, you

know not even this. What is one to do?"

"Once Rama is crowned," she

continued, "he will not leave Bharata

alone. There will be danger to Bharata's

life. If you want Bharata to live, advise

him to remain away, an exile from home;

for if he returns he will be coming to his

death. It would be safest for him to leave

even his uncle's house, and hide his head

in obscurity in some more distant land.

And Kausalya is no friend of yours. She

bears you a grudge because you are the

King's favorite and have often slighted

her. And now she is sure to wreak

vengeance on you. You know the wrath of

a rival wife is a raging fire when it finds

its chance. You may take it that, if Rama

is king, Bharata is as good as dead.

Therefore, think hard. Be firm. Decide

something and stick to it. Somehow

Bharata must be crowned. Rama must be

banished from the kingdom."

Fear now entered the heart of the

Queen. Manthara won. Kaikeyi's face was

flushed; her breath became hot. Helpless

she clung to Manthara for comfort and

safety.

Because his first two wives had borne

no children, Dasaratha, following the

royal custom, married Kaikeyi. At that

time Kaikeyi's father secured from

Dasaratha the promise that the child of her

womb should become king after him. In

such a promise given by a childless king

there was nothing surprising and nothing

wrong. At that time, his then queens had

long been childless. The King took a third

wife for the sake of progeny. Even then

his wish for a son to be born was not

fulfilled. Many years passed.

After the great sacrifice was

performed, all three wives bore children.

The son of the Queen Eminent, Rama,

was the eldest among four sons. He was

also great in virtue, fully equal to the

burden of Kingship, acceptable to

ministers, citizens and vassal princes.

How could Dasaratha violate the royal

custom and ignoring Rama's claim anoint

Bharata?

Moreover, neither Bharata nor Kaikeyi

had ever thought of or wished for the

fulfilment of this old and forgotten

promise. During all the intervening years,

no word had been spoken on this subject.

Hence the King thought there could be no

difficulty in installing Rama as Yuvaraja

in accordance with the custom of the

dynasty and public expectation. And there

was no cloud in Kaikeyi's mind. This is

clear from Kaikeyi's behavior. And

Bharata was too noble to raise this

question.

And, yet, as Dasaratha told Rama, even

the purest of minds is mutable. When fate

conspires with bad counsel, any one of us

might be corrupted. And this happened to

Kaikeyi. The gods in Heaven had received

an assurance, and the sages had performed

tapas or the destruction of Ravana. What

we call destiny, therefore, ordained that

Kaikeyi's pure heart should be changed by

Manthara's evil counsel. So says Kamban

in the Tamil Ramayana in his own

inimitable style.

Fearing that delay might bring some

unpredictable obstacles, Dasaratha had

ordered the coronation to be done without

waiting for Bharata's return to the capital.

This same fear and hurry were used by

Manthara to persuade Kaikeyi to take the

wrong path. "Think, my Queen. Why this

haste? Why does your husband rush

through the ceremony when your son is

absent? Is it not to cheat him of his right?

Is not the motive plain? The King

pretends to be enamored of you. But this

is only his hypocritical shrewdness."

Thus tempted, Kaikeyi thought over

Manthara's advice. Kaikeyi was weak like

any other woman. She had good feeling

and good culture, besides a keen intellect.

But she had little knowledge of the world.

She was also terribly obstinate. Easily

deceived, she did not have the power to

foresee the full consequences of her

action. Thus began the charter of grief in

the Ramayana