Posted:
I am not seeing Arshics post today. Don't know why. But yesterday epi had some other major aspects about being a king I thought of creating another post today because yesterday epi warranted a much detail discussion on the same.
It is said that with great power come great responsibilities. Whenever you are in a position of power, when people trust you, respect you your actions has to be responsible. It has to be for the betterment of the society. And yes if you have to drive change you need power. Without power and wealth change cannot be driven. If you use your knowledge the right way wealth and power will come behind you. You need not have to go behind them. And once you have that, many people don't use it to drive positive change. Instead they use it to control others. Here Raja Janak is showing how a good king should be. If the king doesn't send the daughters to the pathsala, how can praja send their daughters. But when king himself send the daughters, then the praja will be encouraged to follow suit. To educate their daughters. And when Sita asks Gargi to be her teacher it is altogether another dimension. Because a woman who has seen outside world will have lot to offer which her mother or other ladies in palace cannot offer. There was a time public spaces were made only for men. It is now only slowly it is opening up for ladies. Earlier products were made for men. Today they are made for women also. Reason more woman are coming out in the public space. They are demanding their space different from what men want. From cars to gadgets today woman's sense is also taken into account. But this change was made possible only by people like Janak then, and people like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and many other eminent personalities who worked tirelessly for the upliftment of their other half in the universe. Janak shows a model where power needs to be used correctly. It is not only for girls education, it can be for n number of things. Like Amitabh Bachan became the face of polio eradication campaign. It is said that his face helped the health workers reach every corner of India because of the adulation people had for him. That face helped them battle lot of superstitions regarding vaccination and indirectly he played a major role in the eradication of polio from our country.
Just look at the contrast. While one king wanted to open up his praja to send their daughters to pathsala, another king send the daughters of his kingdom including his own to get sons. One wanted to change the existing system, other wanted to continue the existing system.
Now coming to Kaikeyi. She was hurt. But she has decided to make her son competent to hold the mantle of the king. So before asking King Dasrath to make her son king, the mother has decided her son has to be equipped in all ways to become one. And he will not till he is in the shadow of his elder brother. So she decides to send him away for the grooming. If you look Kaikeyi doesn't have anything against Ram. She still does not want to hear anything against Ram. Ram is still her model son. But now her anger is at her husband who has hurt her like anything. To give him the pain. I would say her second boon of asking vanvass for Ram for 14 years maybe akin to Bharat's separation from her for 14 years. To make Dasrath feel the pain of a mother when that mother is separated from the child. The pain Kausalya didn't give him because of her preserving nature, but Kaikeyi decides to give him. To make him feel, how it feels for a mother when the child is supposed to walk the hard path. Because he will understand only when it affects Ram. It would have torn her heart also to send her favourite son like that. But the fire inside her heart wanted that ice to calm down. Maybe I understand Kaikeyi better now. For her son's identity as an able administrator and to make Dasrath understand how his actions have affected others she did certain things. She is no vamp. But she is a human with her own flaws.
And last part. Power does not come cheap. It extracts heavy price always. And Kaikeyi also paid the price. Yes her son ruled Ayodhya for 14 years though in Ram's name it was his rule. But she suffered widowhood. She was hated by all, even by her son. And power never gave her any real happiness. That is what happens when you snatch power. One way or the other it destroys you. Power is given, not taken for it to work constructively. So whoever snatches kingdom, they will always pay heavy price. Both Ramayana and Mahabharata reiterate this principle. Shakuni thought of snatching the kingdom. Entire kuru clan paid including himself paid the price.
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
