55. A vain attempt by Sumantra.

           Sumantra, the charioteer, minister and a confidant of the king Dasharatha, could not bear the sight of the king, who was then shaking his head and sighing again and again, rubbing his hands, grinding his teeth, turning here and there with his eyes red with anger, shedding the normal complexion of his skin, overwhelmed with wrath, suddenly getting the uncontrollable evil grief.  Carefully reading Dasharatha's actions, Sumantra, eager to relieve the agony of the king, decided to do something in the matter.  He conceived some arguments which, he thought would shake Kaikeyi's heart as with sharp arrows, and the actual words, he was sure would be a thunderbolt piercing all her vitals.  Looking at Kaikeyi, he bravely started shooting  "There is nothing on earth which is more disgraceful for you by whom your husband, the king Dasharatha, the supporter of the entire creation, both the unmoving and the moving, is betrayed.  King Dasharatha is unconquerable as the great Indra, unshakable as a mountain and imperturbable as a great ocean.  By tormenting him with your nasty actions, you are considered by me as a murderess of your husband and ultimately the exterminator of your race too.  Do not despise Dasharatha, the supporter, the bestower of boons and your husband.  For women, will of the husband is superior to millions of sons.  After the death of a king, kingdoms are conferred as per the age of the princes.  But, you want to deviate from this norm in the case of Rama.  Let your son Bharata become the king and rule the earth.  Wherever Rama goes, we (on our part) shall also go there with him.  Now no brahmana can indeed dwell in your kingdom as now you want to do such a mean and disgraceful act, transgressing the the bounds of decency.   Certainly, all of us will proceed in the path followed by Rama.  Oh, queen Kaikeyi! What pleasure will be derived through the attainment of sovereignty, when your relatives, all brahmanas and pious souls desert you forever?  Now, you want to do such an act of impropriety.  I am greatly surprised  why the earth has not yet rent asunder, while you conduct yourself with such a base act.  It is also surprising why the fiery and fearful rods of reproaching words uttered by the great brahmana sages are not killing you, who is bent on sending Rama to exile.  Who will nurture a neem tree, cutting down a mango tree with an axe?  And, a neem tree will not turn sweet for him who nourishes it with milk.  I think, by birth your nature is as exactly as that of your mother.   A proverb is quoted in the world saying that honey does not ooze from a neem tree.  We all know your mother's conduct of evil satisfaction.  Someone capable of giving boons, granted a great boon to your father.  By that boon he could identify the languages of all moving beings lower to man.  The talk of those beings belonging to sub human species was well understood by him.  One night, on hearing the  sound made by an ant called Jrimbha near his bed he uncontrollably laughed over it repeatedly, because the meaning of that sound was deciphered by your exceedingly brilliant father.  Your mother asked the reason for his mirthful laughter.  The king replied  'Oh, royal lady!  If I tell you the reason of my laughter, my death will immediately follow thereafter.  There is no doubt about it.'  But your mother insisted that your father tell her the reason for his laughter and she did not care if he dies in revealing the same.  Hearing such an audacious demand, the said king of the Kekayas on his part correctly reported the matter to the sage who granted the boon to him.  Then the sage told the king 'Oh, lord of the earth!  Let her die or ruin.  Do not reveal the reason to her.'  The king took the advice and exiled your mother and lived happily like Kubera, the Lord of riches.  Oh, Kaikeyi,  You, too, thus following the path trodden by wicked men and women, are making this bad resolution by ignorance.  The popular saying that males are born conforming to their fathers and females to their mothers, appears to be true.  Do not conform to the traits of your mother.  Understand that which is said by the king.  Following the desire of your husband, be a protector to these people here.   Incited by the evil minded, do not put before the public an improper course of conduct of your husband whose splendour is equal to that of  Devendra, the protector of this world.  Oh, Kaikeyi!  Dasharatha, the faultless man, the majesty, the lotus-eyed man and the king cannot indeed belie the promise given to you. Hence, you alone have to revoke your demand.  Let Rama the eldest(of the sons) who is generous, strong, skilled and capable of protecting the world of living beings, be installed on the throne of Ayodhya.  A great accusation will surely roam about you in the world, if Rama leaving his royal father goes to the forest.  Let you be free from distress.  There is none other than Rama living in your excellent city who is more competent to rule this Ayodhya.  In the event of Rama being installed in the office of the prince Regent, King Dasharatha  will surely have recourse to the forest, cherishingly recollecting the conduct of his forebears."
          The valiant effort of Sumantra did not evoke any reaction from kaikayi, whose face continued to be as stony as before.
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