Ramayana
Chapter 23
Forebodings of the Future
A wizened old brahmin was seen by Kaikeyi on that morning, as she stood on the balcony overlooking the garden-path. He was stopped at the gate to her mansion by the sentry, but the old man was apparently undaunted by the obstruction in his way to the mansion. He appeared to be arguing with perseverance but the sentry did not seem to pay heed to his arguments. Kaikeyi was struck by something that carried significance to her. She sent an attendant to the gate with the royal insignia and had the man brought into her presence.
When the man appeared in her presence she realized that he was not really as old as he appeared to be from a distance and he was not a destitute either. When he took off the shawl which covered his head she saw that his bare shoulders were quite strong and there was a spark in his eyes which he deliberately concealed by keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. When he looked up and as their eyes met, she realized that he had come there with some grave purpose.
“I may not need an introduction,” he said as he flourished a parchment from under his arm and handed it to her. Kaikeyi cast a glance at it and returned it to him.
“Have you understood who has sent me here?” He asked.
Kaikeyi said, “You have come from Indra, the Lord of Gods.”
She tried to hide her astonishment and said, “I should take you to the presence of the King then.”
The man hastened to say, “No need for that Honorable Lady. I have been instructed to hold conference exclusively with you.”
Kaikeyi was deeply engrossed in silence. He studied her for a moment and then said, “Listen carefully. Remember that you are a part of a royal dynasty which has been chosen by destiny to determine the course of history in a decisive way and moreover you have been assigned a role in it. The Gods who rule over this continent are locked in a battle with the Asuras who are wreaking havoc in this part of the earth and unless they are vanquished the Gods themselves are under threat. There is only one person who can take the challenge and it is going to be a long drawn-out battle”
Having said that, the man stopped to let her respond. Kaikeyi responded with guarded silence. She was not unaware of the situation. Her brother Yudhajit had, in fact, come all the way from the kingdom of Kaikeyas and stayed here long after his arrival from Mithila with the wedding party. His secret agents had been busy gathering information on the political scenario and Yudhajit had kept her informed of the politically fragile condition of Ayodhya during this time.
But she did not speak anything of what she knew. The man sent by Indra was a shrewd manipulator. He knew that Kaikeyi would not easily fall into the trap. He said, “I know that your secret agents have apprised you of the imminent danger. The king has to come to a point of decision; but as everyone knows, he will not. He cannot deal with the problem which is going to assume a massive proportion in the future. Rama is the person who must look into this and he will not be able to do it sitting here in the luxury of the palace. We know that you are aware of the problem and also of its solution. We know that you have apprised Rama of the situation that prevails now.”
Kaikeyi looked at him in surprise as she heard this from him; especially his mention of her secret conference with Rama, which was rather unexpected for her.
He said, “My words should not cause a surprise. We among the Devas know everything."
Kaikeyi’s thoughts were swimming in a deep vortex. She realized what it was leading to.
He said, “You among all the members of the royal family are the one who can guide the path of destiny in the chosen direction. I leave it to you to find a way to do this. But you have to do this. The time has come close at hand.”
He paused for a while and said, “Can I extract a promise from you?”
There was a grim silence.
The man said, “You will have to act and you will. There is no alternative.”
Before she could form a reply the man had got up from his seat and left her to ponder over the answer in the doom of her solitude.
