Kaikeyi in Valmiki's Ramayana
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Bijoy Misra
Apr 23, 2015, 10:51:18 AM4/23/15
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Dear scholar friends,
In order to explore the literary creativity in Ramayana I try to writeSchaolrs who are familiar with Valmiki may appreciate my point of view.
I would be grateful to receive any articles on Valmiki's charactersSumitra in the earlier months. I will try Manthara next month.
Best regards,
Nagaraj Paturi
Apr 24, 2015, 2:41:41 AM4/24/15
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One way of looking at Ramayana-centred plays is to see them as playwright's understanding of Valmiki's work.
Seen that way, we can see Bhasa's analysis of Kaikeyi's character in PratimaanaaTakam.
He provides an opportunity to Kaikeyi to defend herself in front of Bharata.
She almost says that she was under the spell of the curse of S'ravaNakumAra's father. It is the power of the curse which made her speak the way she did.
She begins her defence by saying, त्वं न आणासि महाराअस्स सावं (त्वं न जानासि महाराजस्य शापं)
Makes Sumantra narrate the story of s'Apa.
Finally succeeds in making Bharata say "अस्ति पांडित्यं सम्यग् विचारयितुम्"
Bharata even apologises to her.
This may or may not be Bhasa's defence of Kaikeyi. Prabably, he tried to present Kaikeyi's way of looking at the whole situation or a presentation of the method of likes of Kaikeyi in handling the situations like this.
--
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)
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Bijoy Misra
Apr 24, 2015, 6:27:53 AM4/24/15
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Dear Dr Putari,
Interesting. I will check with other Ramayana(s) as my language proficiency
would allow. But Bhasa's story would be a different Kaikeyi than Valmiki's.
I am glad that Bhasa let her speak up. I have heard that she has been rendered
more kindly in other versions of the retelling of the story.
I am glad that Bhasa let her speak up. I have heard that she has been rendered
more kindly in other versions of the retelling of the story.
In Valmiki, the way it appears to me is that Bharata in general was unhappy
with Kaikeyi's haughtiness in dealing with people. Their relationship lacked the
love and respect between a mother and a son. Kaikeyi might have noticed it
but did not make effort to correct herself. She might have agreed to Manthara's
plot such that Bharata could be appeased. She ignores Manthara's counsel
with Kaikeyi's haughtiness in dealing with people. Their relationship lacked the
love and respect between a mother and a son. Kaikeyi might have noticed it
but did not make effort to correct herself. She might have agreed to Manthara's
plot such that Bharata could be appeased. She ignores Manthara's counsel
in the beginning but falls in when Manthara says that Bharata could be
eliminated by Rama for maintaining order in the land. She does not reject the
conjecture. It is possible that she was aware of such rivalries in royal families
that happen in the pursuit of power. But she seems totally unprepared for the
negative reaction from Bharata. So I thought she failed to read her son right,
which might have its own interpretation of mother-son contact and relationship.
conjecture. It is possible that she was aware of such rivalries in royal families
that happen in the pursuit of power. But she seems totally unprepared for the
negative reaction from Bharata. So I thought she failed to read her son right,
which might have its own interpretation of mother-son contact and relationship.
The heightened drama of Rama's exile and Dasaratha's death is a part of
storytelling that could be Valmiki's art. A version of the story could have been
a variant where Dasaratha accepts Bharata, but Bharata goes out to fetch Rama.
Bharata is a strong character in Valimiki. But my thinking is that Valmiki did not
want him to outshine Rama. An author has a final say on how the story might
want him to outshine Rama. An author has a final say on how the story might
turn! Personally I was not prepared for Dasaratha's immediate death. Once
Kaikeyi is blinded with her ambition, she has hard time recovering from it.
Currently in Boston they are trying a young man who got engaged by his
brother to explode bombs in public places. It is quite possible that the bombing
was not the young man's idea but he was an accomplice to his brother. I am told
that he has not recanted his action so far. His mother and relatives do not see
the bombing as a bad act. In Manthara, I see Kaikeyi's ancestral values in a
similar way.
Best regards,
Bijoy Misra
sunil bhattacharjya
Apr 25, 2015, 12:04:33 PM4/25/15
to BHARATIYA VIDVAT
Dear friends,
I wonder why Tara and Mandodari, the two great ladies of Ramayana, whom the pious Hindus remember as belonging to the group of the five great ladies called "Pancha-kanya", have not received the attention they deserved. It was probably Tara's curse, which made mother Sita leave Lord Ram at the end. It was also probably Mandodari, who could have saved Ravana at any stage till his end, had the latter cared to listen to her advice.
I wonder why Tara and Mandodari, the two great ladies of Ramayana, whom the pious Hindus remember as belonging to the group of the five great ladies called "Pancha-kanya", have not received the attention they deserved. It was probably Tara's curse, which made mother Sita leave Lord Ram at the end. It was also probably Mandodari, who could have saved Ravana at any stage till his end, had the latter cared to listen to her advice.
Regards,
Sunil KB
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