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Kaikeyi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, kaikeyī), in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was the youngest of King Dasaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhya. She was the mother of Bharata.
Once, during a war, Dasaratha's chariot's wheel broke. At this time of distress, Kaikeyi, who happened to be with him at that time, came to his rescue and fixed the chariot. Touched by this timely service, Dasaratha offered her two boons. However, Kaikeyi chose to ask those boons later.
Perhaps as a result of being the youngest of three, she was somewhat insecure in her heart, in that she feared that the king did not love her as much as he loved his other queens. Kaikeyi's maid Manthara wished to advance her own status at court by having Bharata crowned, which would make Kaikeyi Queen Mother. Manthara would therefore have powerful support for whatever plans caught her attention. To that end, she convinced Kaikeyi to order the crown-prince Rama banished.""
Keeping this intention in mind, Kaikeyi asked Dasaratha the two boons. One,to have Rama exiled to a forest for 14 years, and two, to have her own son Bharata made the crown-prince.
Kaikeyi came to regret her actions when Dasaratha died of a broken heart. She came to blame herself for this death. Bharata, too, blamed her; he is said never to have called her "mother" again. Manthara was eventually forgiven by Rama although could have been killed by Shatrughna in his bout of anger.
| The Rāmāyaņa by Valmiki |
|---|
| Characters |
| Dasaratha | Kausalya | Sumitra | Kaikeyi | Janaka | Manthara | Rama | Bharata | Lakshmana | Shatrughna | Sita | Urmila | Mandavi | Shrutakirti | Viswamitra | Ahalya | Jatayu | Sampati | Hanuman | Sugriva | Vali | Angada | Jambavantha | Vibhishana | Tataka | Surpanakha | Maricha | Subahu | Khara | Ravana | Kumbhakarna | Mandodari | Mayasura | Indrajit | Prahasta | Akshayakumara | Atikaya | Lava | Kusha |
| Other |
| Ayodhya | Mithila | Lanka | Sarayu | Treta Yuga | Raghuvamsa | Lakshman Rekha | Aditya Hridayam | Oshadhiparvata | Sundara Kanda | Pushpaka Vimana | Vedavati | Vanara |
| Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Indian epic poetry |  |
|---|---|
| Female Deities: Devi | Saraswati | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Gayatri | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Radha | Mahavidya | more... | |
| Male Deities: Deva |Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Murugan | Hanuman | Indra | Surya | more... | |
| Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata | Rigveda | |
 |
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