Uttara Kaanda by Bhyrappa S.L

Author:Bhyrappa, S.L. [Bhyrappa, S.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

But I could barely sleep. Our home was a humble thatched cottage in the forest. But it was my duty to cater to the needs of the two elderly queens, who had braved a treacherous journey only to see us. When the priests and counsellors had already woken and begun the morning rites, it would not be right for me to sleep late. I sat up, tremulous with a faint sense of guilt. The servants who had accompanied the elders were already at work, as were Rama and Lakshmana. By the time the sun rose over the mountain, everyone had gathered for a meeting.

Purohit Vashishtha began: ‘Rama, while we were discussing this issue back in Ayodhya, Bharata raised a valid point. Dharma, I need not tell you, is grounded in reason. Queen Kaikeyi asked the late king to have you exiled solely to see her son ascend the throne. But now, since her son has himself renounced his claims to the Kosala throne, the very objective that resulted in your exile stands defeated, would you not say? Your banishment is voided, is it not?’

‘Well said, well said,’ agreed the other priests and prelates.

Rama was silent. After a while, Guru Vashishtha asked him, ‘Can we take your silence as consent?’

‘The circumstances may have changed, yes. But does that revoke the promise I made to my father? The pledge was between him and me.’

‘But your father has passed on. And the circumstances have changed to warrant a new perspective. Don’t you think you have to take these facts into consideration?’

‘If the person who took the pledge had been alive, he could have revoked it, thereby freeing me from its obligation. But he is no more, which seals the pact for good. If I return to Ayodhya and take the reins of the kingdom, as you suggest, it would amount to a breach in the promise he made to Maata Kaikeyi.’

‘But since her son has rejected the kingdom, if Queen Kaikeyi herself withdraws her demand in the interest of the kingdom, will you not give in?’

‘The demand had taken seed in Maata Kaikeyi’s mind. Even if she were to withdraw it, we must understand that she would do so only because she would be a victim of circumstances. It doesn’t mean that her desire is dead. Please remember that her family had made the demand even before my father married her. The king swore to it, and the altered circumstances can have no bearing on that oath he made many years ago. Bharata must commit to his mother’s wish the way I am truthfully following my father’s command.’

‘But Bharata himself has admitted that he is not capable of governing the kingdom. What does one do when the man who you say has the rightful claim to the crown is not keen on accepting it?’

‘The wise men and counsellors should support him and give him strength.’

The debate lasted the whole day. Truth is the ultimate value, argued Rama. No circumstances can alter it. A value that changes with changing situations is not an ideal; it is not truth.

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