You must be aware that
Dashrath was a great king. Being a king, he was never far from various
pleasures of life. Taking things to the next level, Dashrath was married to
three wives and was thus trying to keep the practice of polygamy live and
kicking. Handling and maintaining even a single wife can be an uphill task for
mere mortals like us. But it was not the case for the undisputed king of
Ayodhya. However, things remain in your favour till you are young. Once the old
age begins to take over your life, everything can go out of control.
King Dashrath was getting
old. His eldest son was also the son of the first queen of Dashrath. Hence, the
eldest son Ram was logical choice to take over the reins from Dashrath.
Dashrath was also thinking about the succession plan and had discussed the
matter with his ministers to make it a smooth transfer of power to the next
generation. But when power is at stake, then many claimants to the throne can
crop up as surprise packs. While Dashrath was busy in chalking out the plans
for transfer of power to his eldest son, a message from the royal palace was
conveyed to Dashrath. The message was about the blue mood of his favourite
queen Kaikeyi.
Kaikeyi wanted the
kingdom for her son Bharat so that she could enjoy the majority stake in power.
Dashrath had to finally give in to strong arm tactics of Kaikeyi. But he was
not sure how to get Ram to agree to the changed equations of power. Ram had
already been doing some groundwork for his eventual ascension to the throne. He
was keenly pursuing all the activities to raise his TRP among the public.
Dashrath was aware about Ram’s growing rank in the popularity charts.
After many rounds of
conferences with his trusted ministers, Dashrath decided to use his veto power
to remove Ram from the power equation. It was decided to send Ram into exile
for a long period so that Ram’s name could be erased from public memory.
Ram was promptly called
to the royal court so that Dashrath could tell him in plain and harsh words
about the new succession plan. When Ram got the message about King’s desire to
meet him, Ram was unable to control his emotions. He was almost sure that he
would be getting the baton in his hands to continue the rich legacy of the
Raghukul. So, Ram dressed in his finest dress. It was made from the finest silk
from the famous Silk bazaar of Varanasi. Ram also used copious amount of floral
perfume to make a lasting impression in the royal court.
When Ram entered the
royal court, he did not get the rousing reception as he had expected. Nevertheless,
Ram tried to maintain his composure and sat on a seat which was designated for
the eldest prince. Dashrath spoke in his choked voice, “Ram, there is good news
and a bad news. The good news is that we have finalized the succession plan. But
the bad news is you are not going to be the next king of Ayodhya. You may
recall that I was bound to a promise which I had given to Kaikeyi during an
epic battle. To keep my words, I could not refuse Kaikeyi’s demand. So, I have
decided to hand over the reins of this kingdom to your beloved brother Bharat. You
will agree that no king in this world wants to have a constant threat of a
parallel centre of power. So, the whole council of ministers has decided that
you will have to live in exile for fourteen years. You will have to immediately
leave the boundaries of this great kingdom. You will have to live in jungle for
fourteen years. After that, if situations would permit you may try your luck at
making a shot for the king’s throne.”
After that short speech,
everyone in the royal court was stunned. There was pin drop silence in the
royal court. But Ram appeared as confident as ever. Without batting an eyelid,
he said, “I have all the respect for you because you are my father and you are
the king of Ayodhya. But I beg to differ from you on this issue. You will agree
that in every era a time comes when the older generation has to make way for the
newer generation. Our sacred texts have also mentioned the concept of four Ashramas.
The time has come for you to take sanyas or detachment from worldly matters. I
am the most eligible choice to be the next king of Ayodhya. Moreover, I have been
doing so many works of public welfare for no reason. I had been doing
everything so that the common people of this great empire will not have problem
in accepting me as their new king. Even during my days in the gurukul, I was
given the award of the best student. Bharat was way behind me in the rankings. I
am sure you will not become a fan of your eldest son if he ends up meekly
surrendering to any challenge. So, I have decided that I will be the next king
of this kingdom and will not allow anybody else to take my position. I think,
this will benefit the kingdom in the long run. This will also be good for your
reputation as a great king. I am confident that the council of ministers will
give a majority vote in my favour.”
After that, Ram arranged
for a show of strength in the royal court. To Dashrath’s great surprise,
majority of the members in the court said yes in Ram’s favour. It was a bolt
from the blue for Dashrath. Dashrath could not withstand that sudden onslaught
on his authority. He started sweating profusely. His heart was beating at
double the normal rate of seventy two beats per minute. Within no time, he fell
on his seat and became unconscious.
Dashrath’s lifeless body
was promptly removed from the scene and was carried to the palace so that the
royal doctors could attend to him. Meanwhile, Ram lost no time in sitting on
the royal throne. After that, Ram announced his first major ordinance, “It is
for the benefit of the great kingdom of Ayodhya. Bharat and his mother Kaikeyi
will be sent to exile with immediate effect. I don’t want any parallel centre
of power in this kingdom. If anybody has a problem with this ordinance, he is
free to go along with Bharat and his mother. Times have changed and you should
be well aware of the real boss.”
