Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 53: Rāma Requests Lakṣmaṇa to Return to Ayodhyā
Text 2.53.7
सा हि देवी महाराजं कैकेयी राज्यकारणात्।
अपि न च्यावयेत्प्राणान्दृष्ट्वा भरतमागतम्॥
sā hi devī mahā-rājaṁ kaikeyī rājya-kāraṇāt
api na cyāvayet prāṇān dṛṣṭvā bharatam āgatam
sā hi = she; devī = Queen; mahā-rājam = Mahārāja’s; kaikeyī = Kaikeyī; rājya-kāraṇāt = to take over the kingdom; api na = won’t; cyāvayet = cause to depart from his body; prāṇān = the life airs; dṛṣṭvā = when sees; bharatam = Bharata; āgatam = arrived.
Won’t Queen Kaikeyī cause the Mahārāja’s life airs to depart from his body when she sees Bharata arrive to take over the kingdom?
One might wonder, “Rāma will speak the following [to Lakṣmaṇa when the latter criticizes Kaikeyī-devī]:
na te ’mbā madhyamā tāta garhitavyā kathañcana
tām evekṣvāku-nāthasya bharatasya kathāṁ kuru
‘Dear Lakṣmaṇa, don’t condemn Your middle mother [Kaikeyī]. Just tell me about Bharata, the master of the Ikṣvāku dynasty.’ (Rāmāyaṇa 3.16.37)
“And Rāma does not hanker for dharma, artha, kāma or mokṣa.
“So how are these statements of His to Lakṣmaṇa consisting primarily of a criticism of Kaikeyī and implying that He did not gain [the kingdom] consistent with Rāma?”
The answer is that Rāma will tell Lakṣmaṇa:
ayodhyām ita eva tvam kālye praviśa lakṣmaṇa
“Lakṣmaṇa, go to Ayodhyā from here tomorrow early morning itself.” (Rāmāyaṇa 2.53.16)
In order to convince Lakṣmaṇa to agree to this, Rāmacandra spoke [these words criticizing Kaikeyī].