The day came that King Dasharatha chose the heir to his kingdom, his eldest son Rama. Although Kaikeyi's son, Bharata, was not chosen to be the next king, the youngest queen celebrated just as much as the others for Rama had proven himself to be a great ruler.
Later that day Kaikeyi was bathing in the stream, as she normally does on hot afternoons, when she heard a faint voice calling her name. Thinking it was one of her maids from the palace, she rose from the stream naked to find who was searching for her.
"Hello!", she called out, "I'm down by the stream".
The voice replied softly, "Follow my voice. I want to show you something".
Kaikeyi didn't recognize this quiet whispering voice as one of her maids, but it did sound familiar, like that of an old acquaintance, so she did as she was told and followed the ominous voice through the trees. She began lightly treading in the direction of the voice when it continued to guide her, this time moving slowly away from her as it spoke:
"So what do you think of Rama being announced as the new ruler of Ayodha?'
Following the voice further into the forest, as if hypnotized to do so, Kaikeyi replied, "I think it's lovely. No one is more deserving nor fit to be king."
"You aren't the slightest bit disappointed that Bharata was not chosen? He is the only one who can secure your safety as well as your wealthy lifestyle."
She responded to this jest with laughter: "No, Rama will respect me as if I were his biological mother. No harm will come to me or my lifestyle because that is the responsibility of a good king."
"You are a foolish woman then. I have seen many good men rise to power only to become cruel kings. Rama will make you a slave and exile your son out of jealousy when he takes the throne. If you think you and your son are safe, then you are gravely mistaken."
Seeing that the mysterious voice isn't joking, Kaikeyi is just about to demand the identity of her unknown guide and the reasons for their treacherous accusations of Rama when, suddenly, the voice stops in front of her.
Kaikeyi comes into a clearing where she finally sees the source of the whispering voice, the slithering creature named Manthara lying in the shadows of the trees. She then notices that the serpent has led her into a section of the king's forbidden gardens.
"Oh you evil thing! Why have you led me here? I could be executed for such trespassing into these gardens", Kaikeyi cried.
"Look over there. Do you recognize that tree? I bet not. It is the wishing tree whose rare fruits grant any desire of the person who is lucky enough to eat it. Why do you think this tree is kept secret by the king? It is because he doesn't want anyone, but himself to have the power to be happy. This is true of your husband and it is true of Rama, but now you have the power to change that, the power to make your son a king and ensure your happiness for the rest of your life."
With that Manthara left the naked Kaikeyi at the wishing tree to decide her fate.
Author's Note: While reading the initial story of Manthara and Kaikeyi, I couldn't help but compare it with Eve and the snake. Here was Kaikeyi, happy and blessed, until along came Manthara, whispering deception in her ear. In the end Kaikeyi is banished from her home and everything that she loves the same way that Eve is. In my retelling of the story I simply plaid with that imagery and attempted to make the allusion more obvious.
Bibliography: Public Domain Ramayana, Web Source
Image: Free Stock Photo, Pixabay
I definitely see the connection between the story of Adam and Eve and the story of Kaikeyi. I think it's really interesting how you can find similarities between almost all religions, regardless of their origin or cultural differences. I like the last sentence especially, which allows Kaikeyi to choose her fate although a really important cornerstone in Hinduism is the concept of dharma, or obeying one's fate. By being allowed to deviate from her dharma, Kaikeyi is already doing wrong as far as her religious principles go.
ReplyDeleteYou did a wonderful job relating the two stories!! I realized about halfway through where you were going with it, and thought it was genius. I love how you used imagery in your story, I felt I could really see Kaikeyi walking through the forest following the voice of Manthara. I also like how you kinda just left the end open for the reader to decide what happens next- though if going by Eve's decision we know what happens next!!
ReplyDeleteManthra is the first villain of the Ramayana, and you gave a very good portrayal of her. She poisoned Kaikeyi against Rama, although Kaikeyi loved Rama and later, I would say, karma came back to her.
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