Kaikeyi: Manipulator or Manipulated?

Be aware of the Mantharas in your lives

Ramayana – one of the largest ancient epics – teaches humanity the principle values of life through the life of Lord Rama. Today, we are going to take a look at the story of Kaikeyi, the third wife of King Dasharatha and mother of Bharat and how she was manipulated.

The story begins with a battle with Samhasura. In that battle, the wheel of Dasharatha’s chariot broke. Dasharatha was injured by Samhasura’s arrow, which was stuck in his chest. The courageous Kaikeyi quickly repaired the broken wheel and drove the chariot to the camp. Dasharath awarded her 2 boons for her bravery. Kaikeyi decided to use these boons later.

Many years passed.

Ram was set to ascend the throne of Ayodhya. Everything was jovial until Kaikeyi’s maid, Manthara, pitted her against everyone. Manthara acted in this manner as she wanted to be the dearest maid of the king’s most favoured queen. So, she wanted Bharat to ascend to the throne and Kaikeyi to become the Queen Mother. Initially, Kaikeyi resisted Manthara’s manipulation and warned her. However, Manthara eventually succeeded in planting seeds of doubt in the mind of Kaikeyi.

Manthara manipulated Kaikeyi by saying that - once Ram was crowned heir, Kaushalya (Ram’s mother) would make Kaikeyi a mere maid. Ram would then arrest or even murder Bharat. Kaikeyi fell prey to Manthara’s snare due to her strong maternal instincts and her own insecurities. She did not realise Manthara’s schemes and believed her without any questions.

Kaikeyi lost all sense of right from wrong. Manthara reminded her of Dasharatha’s boons that she hadn’t made used yet. She suggested that Kaikeyi should - ask Dasharatha to send Ram for 14 years exile and ask Dashratha to coronate Bharat as his successor. Kaikeyi did as she was instructed and Dasharath granted the boons to keep his promise.

Although what Kaikeyi did was indefensible, the reality is that she was skillfully manipulated by a maestro. Kaikeyi’s mistakes were very trivial. She was very gullible and believed what she was told without thinking. She did not speak about her reservations and insecurities to any other close person. By the time she realized her mistake, it was too late. Bharat criticized her actions and rushed after Ram to convince him to return to Ayodhya.

In our everyday lives, we are also vulnerable to lies and disinformation. A modern-day Manthara may try to manipulate us so cleverly that, like Kaikeyi, we may become gullible and behave in an unimaginable manner. It is like a friend poisoning a friend’s mind. To protect ourselves from troublemakers, we should take lessons from Kaikeyi’s story and be aware of the people we surround ourselves with. We should acknowledge the fact that people don’t always have the best intentions. They may have their own personal agendas which may not align with ours. Discussion of important matter with people that are close to us is very important as sometimes, they help us realise if we are going about something in the wrong manner and help us separate right from wrong.