Kaikeyi's Brideprice and the Throne of Ayodhya - Page 2

Hmmm.... like Lalitha said, this topic is an interesting one, and becomes more so the more one thinks about it.

[quote="Kal El"]Possible. I wish we had more information. It could also have been someone high up in the administration and close to Dasaratha and thus aware of such sensitive issues. Rama could have learned about this from such a person while he was still in the palace and digesting the news about the exile and abdication. [/quote]
In that case, wouldn't and shouldn't Sumantra and Vashistha have been aware of this pledge? I have a theory here that just as 'rajdharm' forced Rama to remove Sita as queen on the basis of widespread controversy, similarly, Vashistha and Sumantra knew about the pledge, but both determined (not opined) as per shastras that under rajdharm, which would trump anything as far as succession rules go, and so the normal rules of succession would trump any vow that the king made to anybody. Unless the kingdom itself would be threatened (like it would have been had Harishchandra not turned it over to Vishy meister), there was no question of the ruler giving up the throne just to satisfy his punya-kamna or any other spiritual goals.

Kal, don't take my questions personally. I have a Master's degree in English Literature and I was working as a professor of English before I switched to something totally different. So, I think I do know a thing or two about manuscripts, critical analysis and such. Most of the time I am just goffing off on this forum. This forum is a great stress buster for me.

So, I am not asking the questions to be mean to u or anything. [/SIZE] This is something that I've been stressing a lot lately. Since this is a religious work, the religious philosophy hidden in the actions has to be taken into account when understanding this great work. It is just like in English Literature where u cannot study John Milton's poems without the knowledge of his Christian religious philosophy that is embedded in his work.


It is the same thing here. If u want a full and an enjoyable understanding of the Ramayan the Vedanta philosophy that is embedded in the text cannot be ignored.


It is a package deal. Ramayan is a social, economic, political, and religious package. If we leave out even one aspect of it the full implication of this great work is lost.


Also, one of the first things u do in critical analysis is looking for the "Intent" of the author. Valmiki did write this as a religious text. So, this aspect has to be taken into account when doing the analysis.