Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 11

Meaning

To the Emperor, who had been pierced with the shafts of love and was a slave to the promptings of passion, Kaikeyī addressed the following cruel reply : (1)

Meaning

“I have neither been insulted nor treated with disrespect by anyone, O lord ! Of course, there is some cherished object of mine; I desire it to be accomplished by you. (2)

Meaning

“Make a solemn vow to that effect if you wish to accomplish it. I shall then duly tell you what is keenly sought by me.” (3)

Meaning

Putting in order with his hands her dishevelled hair, lying on the ground and placing her head on his lap, the loving Emperor spoke as follows to Kaikeyī, gently smiling : (4)

Meaning

“O proud lady, don’t you know that no man other than Rāma, a veritable tiger among men, is dearer to me than yourself? (5)

Meaning

“I swear to you by the said Rāma, a scion of Raghu, who is invincible and high-sould, the foremost among men and more valuable than my own life; speak out what is sought by your mind. (6)

Meaning

“By that Rāma, without seeing whom even for an hour or so, O Kaikeyī, I am surely not going to survive, I swear that your wishes shall be carried out. (7)

Meaning

“By that Rāma, the foremost among men, whom I would have even in exchange for my own self and my other sons, (Bharata, Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna), I swear that your bidding will be done. (8)

Meaning

“Realizing my mind as well to be such, O good lady, pray, save my life by opening your mind to me and allowing me to carry out your order. Considering this consistency of my mind and speech, O Kaikeyī, speak out what you deem fit. (9)

Meaning

“Perceiving the strength in the form of my love inhering in you, you ought not to harbour any misgiving about my bona fides. I swear even by my virtuous acts that I shall do what pleases you.” (10)

Meaning

Realizing that the oath which she expected to hear had come out of the lips of her husband, her mind being set on the object sought to be achieved by her, the queen uttered something which was hard to utter even for an enemy, prompted as she was by partiality for her own son, and joy born of the thought that her husband was entirely under her thumb. (11)

Meaning

Thrilled by that thrice repeated oath, she gave out as follows her intention, referred to above, which was most terrible—as terrible as Death standing at his door. (12)

Meaning

“Let the thirty-three (principal) gods, (viz., the twelve Ādityas, the eleven Rudras or gods presiding over destruction, the eight Vasus and the two Aświnīkumāras or twin-born physicians of gods) with Indra, the ruler of gods, as their leader, hear the way in which you swear in regular succession, first by your most beloved son, Rāma, and then by your virtuous acts and offer a boon to me. (13)

Meaning

“Nay, let the moon and the sun as well as the sky, the nine planets, day and night, the four quarters alongwith the Gandharvas and the Rākṣasas, the universe including this terrestrial globe, the spirits roaming about at night, the deities presiding over individual houses and residing in them and whatever other created beings there are (within hearing) know of your utterance (oath and boon). (14-15)

Meaning

“Here does the highly glorious and pious Emperor, who is true to his promise, knows what is right and is truthful of speech, confer a boon on me; let all gods listen !” (16)

Meaning

Having thus extolled and won over the monarch, who carried a mighty bow and was disposed to confer a boon on her, infatuated as he was through love, the queen (Kaikeyī) then spoke to him as follows : (17)

Meaning

“Recall, O king, what happened of old in that conflict between gods and demons—how the enemy brought you down in the course of that nocturnal encounter, sparing only your life. (18)

Meaning

“Since on that occasion, O lord, you were carefully protected by me on all sides, keeping awake as I did the whole night, you thereupon conferred a couple of boons on me even while I was striving to save you. (19)

Meaning

“I seek of you, O lord, the said two boons already offered by you, O Ruler of the globe, and kept in deposit with you alone till now, O scion of Raghu ! (20)

Meaning

“If, even after swearing by your virtue that you will grant them, you do not actually grant the boons in my favour, I shall this very day give up the ghost, feeling insulted by you.” (21)

Meaning

Brought under her thumb through mere words by Kaikeyī, the king forthwith slipped like a deer into the snare (set by her) for his own destruction. (22)

Meaning

Then she spoke as follows to the king, who was infatuated through love and was accordingly ready to grant the boons asked by her : “The boons offered by you then, O ruler of the earth, must be granted by you, O lord ! (23)

Meaning

“I shall just now specify them; listen to my request. Let my Bharata be installed as Prince Regent with the same preparations as have been made for the installation of Rāma, a scion of Raghu. The time has just come for granting the second boon that was offered by you in my favour during the conflict of gods and demons the other day, pleased as you were with me. Residing in the forest of Daṇḍaka and wearing the bark of trees and deer-skin, let the strong-minded Rāma lead the life of a hermit for fourteen years and let Bharata secure the office of Prince Regent without opposition this very day. (24—27)

Meaning

“This is my most cherished desire. I only ask of you a boon already granted by you. Nay, let me behold Rāma, a scion of Raghu, proceeding to the forest this very day. (28)

Meaning

“Noted as you are as the king of kings, be true to your promise and as such redeem your race and virtue as well as birth. Those rich in asceticism really speaking declare truthful speech as supremely conducive to the welfare of men in the other world.” (29)