||Sri Ram Jeyram Jay Jay Ram ||

Chapter – 28– Ayodhya Kandam

Bharatha’s meeting with Devi Kaikeyi

The moment Bharatha entered in the city of Ayodhya, he could witness various bad omens before his eyes, crows were cawing in the inauspicious directions, the donkeys were crying out loudly and foxes were barking and yelping, listening to all these inauspicious welcome tore his heart apart. The ponds, rivers, pleasure gardens, mangroves were lost its charm, the entire city had a dreadful look, the animals and creatures such as horses, elephants, were shrunken in the deep grief of separation from Rama. The male and females of the city have had the appearance of lost their wealth and depressed. The people of Ayodhya silently watched Bharatha arriving into the city, they bowed before him but did not utter a single word, and even Bharatha was not in a state to enquire their welfare. The streets, markets of the Ayodhya were looked as if they have witnessed a massive tremor or fire. Devi Kaikeyi was extremely happy to know that her son has arrived in the city of Ayodhya, she prepared Harathi to welcome him and waited at the entry point of the palace, and led him to her fortress.

Bharatha could see all the relatives were extremely distressed, like the lotus flower covered in ice, and Devi Kaikeyi has the appearance of Kiratha who burned down the city of Ayodhya, it heaved him to surprise. Kaikeyi saw Bharatha was extremely disappointed and anxious, she spoke “Hows everyone in my maternal palace? Hope everyone is fine,” Bharatha answered all her queries, he anxiously asked “Oh! Mother, where is my father? Where is my mother Devi Kausalya and Devi Sumithra? Where are my lovely brothers Rama, Lakshmana, and Devi Sita?” Kaikeyi shed tears and began to speak “Oh! Dear son, I have made everything in favor of you, and poor Mandhara was most promising to me, but before concluding everything the way I have desired, God has some other plans for all. Your father is in the abode of Lord Indra.” Bharatha could not bear the shocking news, he fell at the floor and wept bitterly calling for his beloved father “Oh! Father, I did not see before you leave, you did not put me under the supervision of Rama before you leave, Oh! Mother, tell me the reason for my father’s death.” Kaikeyi narrated all that happened in the palace in his absence, and she elaborately described her victorious and cunning acts against the King, etc. Bharatha forgot the pain of the death of his father after listening to Rama left the Kingdom of Ayodhya, he understood everything inauspicious was happened due to him, he kept silent and released a deep sigh of grief.

Kaikeyi became worried watching the unusual silence of Bharatha, she spoke “ Oh! Son, your father does not deserve any grief, he has earned fame, wealth, possessions, and took great pleasure in his life, he has attained all those Saphalya while he was alive, and finally, he returned to the abode of Lord Indra. Therefore leave your worries, and rule the kingdom wisely with the members of the family.” The cruel words of Kaikeyi were like pricking on the fresh wound, it was like pouring burning charcoal on the freshly created wound, he controlled anger and spoke leaving a sigh of distress,  “Oh! Sinner, you have brought complete destruction to the clan of Raghu, you are truly wicked, why you did not kill me immediately after I was born? You have cut down the tree and pouring water on the leaves? You have emptied the pond to save the fish. How did you become my mother? I claim myself as Suryavamshaja, son of the eminent King Dhasharatha, and young brother of Rama and Lakshmana, Oh! Evil minded one, why your heart did not break while you were plotting against them all? How did you ask for the two selfish boons from my father? How did you utter those most heinous words to my father? How did my father trust you? Definitely, God must have stolen his good sense from him before his death; even God cannot measure the collection of deceitfulness, sin, and immoralities of a woman. My father was virtuous, innocent, and righteous, how did he know about the mind of a woman? There is no one on this Earth is unpromising to Raghunatha, how did you treat him as your enemy? Still, I cannot understand what kind of woman are you? Whoever you are, you have put shame on me, you have blemished me, kindly do not come before my eyes, I do not want to see you again, leave from my eyesight. I have born as your son I am a grave sinner, born from the heart that has hatred to Rama, therefore I need not blame you.”

Shathrughna’s body was burning in extreme pain after listening to the wicked deeds of Kaikeyi, at that moment Kubari arrived attired in magnificent clothes and ornaments, it was like ghee poured on the fire to Shathrughna, he rushed to Kubari and gave a hard kick on her hunch-back, she fell down on the floor and withered in extreme pain, her hunch-back broken, severely injured, cried out of pain “Oh! God I have committed a severe sin that’s why I have got the punishment.” Shathrughna took hold of her hair and stretched her out of the palace; the compassionate Bharatha rushed to him and saved Kubari from his hands. They both went to meet mother Kausalya who was attired in dull clothes, her body was fragile and her face withered in extreme grief, like the creeper covered in the ice.