Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Kaikeyi included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana’).
Story of Kaikeyī
General information.
One of the wives of Daśaratha, who had three wives, Kausalyā, Kaikeyī and Sumitrā. It is mentioned in Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Sarga 70, Stanza 28 that Kaikeyī was the sister of Yudhājit, the King of Kekaya. Kekaya was seven days' journey away from Ayodhyā.
Getting boons.
In days of old there was a battle between the devas and the asuras and Daśaratha went to the world of Devas, with Kaikeyī, in a chariot to help Indra against the Asuras. The devas were in a sorry plight due to the illusive and sorcerous mode of fighting of Śambara the Asura and his men. Daśaratha faced the Asuras in ten directions at the same time and fought with them. In this fight his chariot had to be turned to every direction and up and down so swiftly that the bolt of the wheel slipped out and the wheel was about to come off when Kaikeyī inserted her thumb in the hole of the bolt and kept the chariot safe and steady. The King was not aware of this bravery on the part of his wife. At last when he came to know of this he promised to give her two boons. The queen said that she would ask for those two boons later as she didn't want anything then. After this the King and the queen returned to their country. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sarga 9; Kamba Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa).
Request for the boons and the forest life of Śrī Rāma.
As the celebration of anointing Śrī Rāma as the Heir apparent in Ayodhyā was going on, the humpy Mantharā approached Kaikeyī and advised her on the ways of making her son Bharata King and sending Śrī Rāma to forest. At first Kaikeyī refused to agree to this, but at last she succumbed to the repeated advice of Mantharā. Daśaratha came to see Kaikeyī who was lying in grief. Making use of this opportunity Kaikeyī requested for the granting of the two boons promised earlier. One boon was that Bharata should be anointed as heir apparent making use of the preparations made for Śrī Rāma and the other boon was that Śrī Rāma should live in forest, wearing bark of trees and matted hair for fourteen years. When Daśaratha heard these requests he became unconscious. But he granted her wishes.