Dasaratha's Destiny: Interesting analyses

Dasaratha heartbroken - After allowing Rama to proceed for "Vanavaasa"


Twists and turns in the fortunes of individuals are narrated in itihaasas and puranaas for us humans to learn lessons and avoid mistakes of the same genre where possible.
But, in real life, given an opportunity, we commit and sometimes repeat the same mistakes. 
We forget that our actions are subject to 100 percent concurrent audit by our own conscience, followed by 100 percent post-audit by an external auditor.
On the day of reckoning, most of us, become "Dasarathaas" of the description in this episode.
M G Warrier


C V Subbaraman's comments:
Dasaratha  was destined to his fate. Did he commit any mistake or blunder? Apparently no. Was his haste to do coronation of Rama on the very next day a mistake? What drove him to do that? Was he suspicious of Bharatha and what is the reason for such suspicion? This is not explained. But humans do not remember certain thins at the nick of time. Bharatha and Shatrughna were away. Rama also departed along with Lakshmana. He ought to have known then that his end is near, because of the curse he had that his end would take place when none of his sons would be near him. If he had waited for Bharatha and Shatrughna to return from their grandparent's place, even if Rama had to depart as he did, then B and S would have been by his side and the end could not have taken place? But what one is destined to cannot be prevented.
C V Subbaraman, Mysuru



Vathsala jayaraman, Chennai comments:


This has reference to Shri Warrier's forward of'Faith'' column in the Hindu yesterday.

In this connection I am copying below a mail written by me to the group in 2012.

  Faulty Dasaratha and Flawless Kaikeyi
-------------------------------------------------------
Normally Kaikeyi is depicted as a heartless cruel lady.Is Kaikeyi a merciless person?
Kaikeyi loves Rama as much as she loves Bharata.
 In Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodya Kandam,107th Sarga Rama says thus to Bharata
"Before our father married your mother,he promised to your maternal Grandfather( Kekaya King) that he was conferring Kosala Kingdom as a 'Kanya-shulk"( Dowry for the bride)
Thereafter during a Deva-Asura conflict ,your mother received two boons from Dasaratha as a token of his joy and gratitude"
 The same fact is revealed in Kamba Ramayanam in Tamil.

It is evident that Kosala kingdom had been already gifted to Kaikeyi and Bharata had prime right over the kingdom.Since Dasaratha had no right over the kingdom he could only rule the state on behalf of Kaikeyi.  Evidently he could not transfer the right, which he himself didn't possess.If Kaikeyi had not got any child, the kingdom would automatically go to Kaikeyi's brother as per the prevailing Kanya-shulk regulations.

  Even after knowing all this, Dasaratha , on account of his extreme affection to Rama decided to go ahead with yuva raja pattabhishekam.

This was a well planned strategy..He sends Bharata purposely to his grandfather's house ,though hardly a few days had passed since Bharata's wedding.

 During the period Dasarata gives preliminary training to Rama in State adminstration.

 Dasaratha purposely avoids sending invitation for the coronation to Kaikeyi's father and Bharata also.Since this should not be mistaken b Kaikeyi later, he avoids sending information to Janaka, father of Sita too.

Though Kausalya, Sumitra and Sita are jubilant over the news, Kaikeyi is purposely kept in dark and she comes to know of it only thro Manthara.

 Valmiki Ramayanam, Ayodhya kandam,4th Sargam slokas 24 to 26 reveal Dasarata's intention. He tells Rama that it is worthwhile to conduct the coronation ceremony while Bharata is away in his grandfather's house and that Rama has to be protected from the possible impediments.

It appears that Dasaratha feels guilty of what he is doing, yet his affection for Rama makes him blind to the justice. He feels that once the ceremony is over, people can be convinced and the action would get ratified.

 Kaikeyi initially welcomes the news , later on made to realise the reality.
 She requests Dasaratha to comply with 2 boons by which Bharata should become the king and Rama had to spend 14 years in the forest.
Had Kaikeyi wanted she would have told everybody about the Kanya Shulk and Bharata's right over the Kosala Kingdom.
Had she done so, Dasarata would be blamed for swerving from his Pratigna of Kanya Shulk made to Kekaya king and Dasarata would  be deemed guilty of trying to transfer the kingdom on which he had no hold or he might be blamed for his ignorance of Law.
She wanted to establish that her husband would never swerve away from truth. Just to protect her beloved husband from blasphemy Kaikeyi  decides to take the entire blame on herself. Let the entire world call her as heartless, cruel and what not, her husband should not incur the sin.
 One may feel that Kaikeyi would have better asked for a single boon of making Bharata ,the ruler & not insisted on Rama's exile.

 But Kaikeyi knew Dasarata very well. It is the love for Rama that made him proceed towards wrong path. So she decided to separate Rama from Dasaratha for a few years so that Dasarata may slowly become balanced out of his separation from Rama. Even if Rama  is asked to live in some other kingdom,Dasarata's love for Rama would drag him nearer. Kaikeyi knew pretty well that she would be blamed for yugas, yet her maiden thought was not Bharata's coronation, not Rama' s exile but her beloved husband should be relieved from sins that may accrue to him on deserting his pratigna.

  In Ramayana, the revelation about Kanya - Shulk first comes from Rama' s mouth as he speaks to Bharata. If Rama had known about it earlier he would not have consented for yuva raja pattabhishekam at all. Rama should have got the inf only after the function was stopped. Neither Dasarata  or Kausalya would  have informed Rama.Perhaps he would have learnt it from the minister Sumanthra., it can be guessed.
 Of all the people only Rama could understand the spirit of Kaikeyi and he had high regard for her.
Kaikeyi was prepared to face the accusations and abuses and animosity  from the entire world for yugas  and generations, just to save her husband from the clutches of sin.
 Though these discussions are not familiar to many of us, they had been in existence for centuries and a drama ' Pratima Natakam' in Sanskrit by the famous Basa reveals the blemishless character of Kaikeyi and the same is evident in many of the ancient Tamil works also.Yet Kaikeyi lives amongst us with a tarnished image.

*** *** ***

It is questionable whether Dasaratha's heart was broken because of separation from Rama or his own guilty feeling  that his intention of coronating Rama itself was wrong.As an intelligent king Dasaratha knows the facts very well.Extreme love and affection towards Rama persuaded him to take a wrong decision  of arranging for Yuva raja pattabhishekam of Rama in the absence of Bharatha.It is more a sense of guilt rather than being separated from Rama.He would have noted that Kaikeyi never referred to Kanyasuk but only requested Dasaratha to fulfill the two boons.
All these put together made Dasaratha heart broken.
Yes. We commit certain mistakes knowingly and try to justify them.We need not wait till the judgement Day.Conscience will start pricking from the very next day, though the Ego may not allow us to accept our mistakes.

Vathsala Jayaraman, Chennai


C V Subbaraman adds:


I agree with the analysis done by Vathsala Madam.  Kaikeyi is blamed for the exile of Rama. But there are several reasons for the development apart from what Kaikeyi thought as saving her illustrious husband from blasphemy and swerving from the path of promise and truth. The purpose of Rama Avatara has to be fulfilled. Secondly, puraanaas abound in stories telling that the separation of Rama and Sita for long years is attributed to curses on Vishnu by Sati Savitri in one version and curses on Vishnu by Narada in another. Whether these were built later on to offer an explanation is beside the point. The principal avatara kaarana had to be seen and events happened towards that end in view.
That Rama did not have any animosity towards Kaikeyi is shown by the fact that upon return from exile, he first calls on Kaikeyi and not his mother Kausalya. He thanks her for being the main force behind the events leading to the killing of Ravana - the purpose of his life on Earth. His love for Bharatha is also described effectively by his praise for Hanuman and describing Hanuman being as dear to Him as Bharatha is to Him. Tumu Mama priya Bharatha hi sama.....in Hanuman Chalisa.

C V Subbaraman

 



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