Same as Kaika. (Glossary for the Vahinis)
Kaikeyi was Kaika, the exquisitely charming daughter of the king of Kekaya in Kashmir. (RKRV Part I, p. 32)
Extract taken from (Ramayana: A Divine Drama, Actors in the Divine Play as scripted by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Vol.1)
Victim of conspiracy of Manthara
Though a queen, she was influenced by the words of her servant and became responsible for the exile of Rama. Afterwards she repented, realising it was a conspiracy of Manthara. In reality Kaikeyi loved Rama very much. It was Kaikeyi who taught many things to Rama. Rama also, loved Kaikeyi more than His mother Kausalya. (SSS Vol.40, p. 109)
Master falls into the hands of the servant and become the victim of all loss and grief:
The function of the mind is to act as controller of the senses. The role of the senses is to serve the mind, the right relationship is for the servants to obey the master and for the master to rule over the servants. But when the master falls into the hands of his servants, he becomes the victim of all varieties of loss his servants, he becomes the victim of all varieties of loss and grief.
(Kaikeyi is influenced by Manthara)
The Ramayana provides a fine illustration for this danger. Kaikeyi the queen, was the mistress; Manthara was her servant, he maid, but since the queen was subservient to her maid, a whole series of tragedies. Kaikeyi came from a Royal dynasty; she was the favourite consort of a famous emperor; she was the mother of a son, Bharata, famous for his dutifulness and righteousness; she loved her stepson Rama as dearly as her life – breath; yet, despite her own virtue, learning and authority, since she gave ear to her attendant, Manthara, she drew upon herself eternal infamy from everyone. She landed in a situation where her beloved son came to despise her. Even the name Kaikeyi and Manthara have become obnoxious.
The lesson is: we should not allow senses, who are only servants, to lord over us. If we do so we invite the fate of Kaikeyi. Wherever you are, however rich, learned or powerful, when you advise someone to do wrong, you invite on yourselves the fate of Manthara. Since men yield to the blandishments of the senses, they are becoming Kaikeyis and losing the Divine Nature, the quality of the Master. (SSS Vol. 15, pp. 253-254) & (SSS Vol.11, p. 266)
Selfish wiles of her mind:
The Queen (Kaikeyi) yields to the selfish wiles of her maid and as a consequence, her lord king Dasharatha lost his life. Rama who was as her very life-breath was exiled into the forest, her son disowned her and drew on herself the condemnation of the Kingdom of Ayodhya. The story is an allegory. Dasharatha is the human body with the five senses of perception and the five senses of action – the ten chariots or dasha-ratha. He wedded the queen, the Mind, and the mind yielded to the servant and caused downfall! (SSS Vol. 15, p. 308)
In Ramayana, Kaikeyi was the queen. She was a woman of character. She loved Rama more than her own son but Manthara told her erroneous things. Kaikeyi contradicted Manthara in the beginning. ‘Yours is a cheap mind. You desire to put my Rama to all difficulties. You have no place here. Get out. Go to Kashmir. You are bringing me a bad name.’ Had this negation continued, Kaikeyi would have been very lucky. But Manthara continued, ‘You are putting your own son into problems. If Rama becomes the king, your son will have to be a servant to Rama. Would any mother wish her son to be a slave?’ Kaikeyi continuously listened and Manthara’s words got deeply rooted in her. She said, ‘Manthara what a good teaching you have given!’
‘Vinash Kale vipreet Buddhi’ (At the time of perdition one will develop an abnormal mentality). Kaikeyi became a slave to Manthara and she was put to disrepute in the world. No one thinks of these two Women. No one keeps their names. The reason being their bad words. (M, p. 78)
Kaikeyi, an instrument in the divine play:
(Dasaratha promises to banish Rama per Kaikeyi s wishes)
Rama had long ago prepared the mind of Kaikeyi in this regard, for He had been very close to her. One day during the course of His conversation with Kaikeyi he said to her, ‘Mother, be prepared for my departure to the dense forests, I have to go there to bring about the destruction of the demons. You may earn an evil reputation due to this, but be strong in mind. Ask father the boon that Bharata should be coronated as King and that I should be sent to the forest.’ This was the intimacy and understanding which existed between Queen Kaikeyi and Rama. She was an embodiment of virtue. She loved Rama more than her son Bharata.’ (SSB 1996, pp. 37-38)
The Ramayana is full of noble characters. The four brothers and their wives hold out great ideals for mankind. The mothers, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi were also great women. They are embodiments of virtue and right conduct. People blame Kaikeyi saying that she was responsible for suffering of Rama and Sita. She was actually a divine instrument in the mission of Rama. She was not the kind of lady who would be swayed away by the words of Manthara. She was instrumental in sending Rama to the forest so that He could punish the wicked and protect the good. There are great subtleties and secrets in the Ramayana. (SSB 2002, p. 110)
Kaikeyi s homage to Lord Rama
Kaikeyi (the forlorn queen) what shall we say about her! She was standing there, her heart gnawed by grief. She was anxious to discover how she could explain her wrongs; she tried her best to seek out Rama while he was alone, so that she could beg his pardon, but, could not succeed. She was ashamed even to show her face to Rama. She wondered how she could ever subject Rama, whom she loved so dearly, to all the privations and travails she now witnessed. Rama was her very breath. Therefore, she felt that by herself she was never capable of inflicting harm on him; she guessed that it must be the influence of some power that had possessed her which brought about this sad series of events. But, she said to herself that the world would never pardon her, however strongly she asserted it was none of her doing. Torn by these doubts and misgivings, Kaikeyi was powerless to move forward towards Rama to speak to him, nor could she walk away from him for she was anxious to have the burden lifted from her heart. She stood there, weak and frail, fearful and faltering.
Rama noted her agitation and using an opportune moment, he moved towards her in order to fall at her feet and pay her his homage.
Kaikeyi was waiting for just this chance. She clasped Rama s feet, saying, ‘Child! You are much younger to me; you are my son. But yet you are the Master of the Whole World by means of your virtue and wisdom. I do not commit wrong when I hold your feet in my hands. Come. Rule over Ayodhya. Pardon my sin. That alone can redeem me from the disgrace which I have brought on myself. If that cannot be, keep Bharata in thy presence at thy feet; bestow on me that boon. That will give me peace of mind, so long as I live; I have no wish to live after the consummation of this wish of mine. I am myself shocked that I craved for the fulfilment of those two desires; which not even the most vicious ogress would have entertained. Did I ask for them while I was a daughter of the Ruler of Kekaya Kingdom? Or did I speak those words when I was possessed by some evil genius? Or, was I under the poisonous influence of some evil star? I do not know; I cannot tell.’ She wept aloud in anguish, holding the hands of Rama fast in her clasp.
Rama shed tears at her plight. He assured her by his soft and sweet words. He said ‘Mother! You have done no wrong, not even the least bit. The human crowd is a pack of crows; they caw loud and hoarse, without any rule or reason. Men do not try to know the truth; in their ignorance, they blabber as the whim dictates. Those boons were not asked by you of your own free will with full knowledge of the implications. All this happened thus, for I willed it to happen so. You have rendered much help for the fulfilment of the purpose for which I have incarnated and the task I have set before myself. You have committed no disservice. Mother! I am repenting very much for having made you plead so long instead of expressing at the very outset my gratitude for the help you have done for my plan of action. Do not grieve over what has happened; if you do so, it will cast a shadow on my task; it will make my days inauspicious. Bless me, Mother! Shower your affection on me. Mother! Bless me. Rama prayed and fell at the feet of Kaikeyi.
When Rama spoke thus, Kaikeyi recovered her mental peace a little. The other Queens, Kausalya and Sumitra heard the conversation and when they realised that Kaikeyi was but the innocent instrument of the Divine Will, they too consoled and comforted their sister, Kaikeyi. (RKRV Part I, pp. 455-458)
Kaikeyi s Prayer
Nevertheless, Kaikeyi stuck to her wish and held on to her prayer that Rama must accept the throne and be installed as Emperor with Sita as the empress of Ayodhya and that Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna must serve them and be their loyal companions in court. She said she would spend her life until death put an end to it, witnessing this glory and sharing in this ecstasy. She repeated these words often and pressed for the grant of her wish. (RKRV Part I, p. 458)
Sita, Rama and Lakshmana fell at the feet of Kaikeyi and told her that she had not an iota of responsibility for the exile of Rama into forest and that she was ever-deserving their reverence and worship. She had never intended any harm, they said, They assured that they would pray for her; they pleaded with her that she should not have the least worry over them in the forest. They gave her great deal of courage to bear her burden of repentance. ‘Bharata had spoken rashly and impertinently, in a fit of senseless fury, when he was suddenly confronted with the two calamities; the death of his father and exile of his brother. He flew into a passion, for his blood boiled at the person he imagined was responsible for these events. He did not even care for the fact that you were his mother! Rama, Sita and Lakshmana prayed that she should not blame Bharata for that incident. They begged her pardon Bharata for the indiscretion.
While Rama was speaking thus, Kaikeyi was downcast with shame at the memory of her iniquity. She could not look Rama in the face. She felt within herself, ‘Alas, that I should be the cause of inflicting so much misery and suffering on this son endowed with heart of compassion and a mind full of virtues, a son who is unalloyed gold, nothing less. Am I not the reason for him to spend his years in this terrifying jungle? O, what a devilish deed did I perpetrate? But, did I do it on my own? Or, was it Rama that willed the turn of events through any instrumentality? Whether the truth, I cannot escape; I have committed the gravest sin.’
Kaikeyi was overcome with sorrow over the irrevocable past; she held both hands of Sita in her grasp and petitioned for pardon. Soon, she added, ‘No. No. It is not just, that you pardon a sinner who brought about such unbearable travail on such a pure and tender woman.’ She continued to lament her misfortune for long. Everyone who had come from Ayodhya took leave of Sita, Rama and Lakshmana as and when they could get the chance. Afterwards, they ascended their chariots in due order. (RKRV Part I, pp. 475-476)
What other characters in Ramayana thought of Kaikeyi:
Guha:
Guha wails - The Kekaya Princess has proved herself to be the axe that would cut asunder the very roots of the Tree of Solar Dynasty. Her selfish greed has sunk the world in sorrow. (RKRV Part I, p. 348)
Valmiki
With utmost humility, Rama addressed the great sage thus: ‘Most venerable Sage! You are conversant with the past, the present and the future of all. So, the reason why I have entered this forest must be clear to you as the berry in one’s palm. Nevertheless, I feel it right that I should discharge my duty of informing you why I am here, with my wife and brother.’ Then Rama described how queen Kaikeyi sent him into exile in the forest, and how bother Bharata was to be crowned as ruler of the realm, according to the promise made by the father. The sage listened to the story, and communicated his joy with a face lit with smiles. He said, ‘Rama! As you fulfilled their desires then, you have satisfied my desire now. My austerities, vows and yearning have at last yielded fruit today. I must confer on Kaikeyi my heartfelt gratitude and a share of the bliss I am now enjoying.’ (RKRV Part I, pp. 370-371)
Sage Bharadwaja
The Sage Bharadwaja said, ‘Bharata! You need have no apprehensions. I am aware of all that happened. No one can control or direct the path of Destiny. Why pine over the boons that your mother demanded? No trace of wrong can be attributed to her for this. The Will of God induced her to ask such boons,, Kaikeyi, I know, loves Rama as her breath. So, the reason for the turn her mind took is to be sought, not in any human field of thought and reason, but only in the Divine plan. - As the world judges events, Kaikeyi has done wrong. As the Vedas lay down, the Goddess Saraswati who presides over the tongue has done wrong. Know that what has happened is in conformity with the Will of the Almighty.... The darshan of Sita, Rama and Lakshmana is verily the treasure all spiritual aspirants seek. I secured that fortune; for, I feasted my eyes on that darshan. I could speak with them. I was in their presence and I could touch them too. I had the privilege and pleasure of being their host. Perhaps, there was some balance of getting your darshan too. (RKRV Part I, pp. 430-432)
Bharata – Kaikeyi, the Embodiment of cruelty and hatred
Bharata said to Vashistha ‘Alas, this is the consequence of the sins I have committed, the consequence of this unfortunate being born from the womb of that embodiment of cruelty and hatred, Kaikeyi.’ (RKRV Part I, p. 410)
Ideal family
There was great unity and understanding not only among four brothers but also among their consorts. They are ideals for every family. Is there a family where daughters-in-law live in amity? Is there a family where brothers live in harmony without indulging in property disputes? Nowhere do we find such an ideal family. This age of Kali has become the age of Kalaha (conflict). In such a scenario, the Ramayana shines as the beacon-light to every family. How should the brothers and sisters conduct themselves? In the Ramayana, we find demonstration of such great ideals. Merely going through the sacred text of Ramayana is not enough; You have to emulate the ideals. The Ramayana transcends the barriers of time, space, caste, and religion. In all nations, at all times and under all circumstances, unity is very essential to find fulfilment in life. Even birds and animals have unity amongst themselves. They do not have theselfishness of hoarding things. Today we find wicked tendencies in man, which are not found even in birds and animals. There is not a single instance of internal dispute in the family of Dasharatha. You may question, ‘Was not Kaikeyi responsible for a family dispute which led to the exile of Rama?’ No. it was not a dispute at all. In fact, Kaikeyi had great affection for Rama. She loved him more dearly than her own son Bharata. But her mind was poisoned because of the bad company of Manthara. Hence it is said, Tell me the company, I will tell you what you are.’ (SSS Vol.36)
Kaikeyi’s relationship with Rama:
It was Kaikeyi who initiated Rama into archery, as she was an expert archer herself. She taught Him military skills with great love and rare affection. (SSB 1996, p. 21)
Kaikeyi’s Purpose In Ramayana:
On Rama s return to Ayodhya after finishing His 14 years of exile in the forests, Kaika, who felt penitent about this grievous wrong she had done to Rama, approached Him when He was alone and prayed, ‘My dear Rama, Even though I knew about your divine nature, I caused you a lot of unnecessary hardship, blinded by narrow feeling of ‘I and ‘mine’. Kindly give me some upadesh - spiritual instruction, so that I may be absolved of the heinous sin I have committed against such a noble person like yourself.’ In response to her request, Rama did not give her the upadesh directly, but gave her some hints indirectly. This is characteristic of all avatars from time immemorial avatars seldom give advice directly. Whatever they wish to communicate, they convey more often by way of indirect suggestions and only rarely by the direct method of instruction. The reason for this is there is divinity inherent in every human being, which he can manifest spontaneously, if favourable conditions are provided, just as a viable seed will germinate and grow into a tree because of its inherent nature, if only suitable facilities are provided for the manifestation of its potentiality. Man should be enabled to correct himself by his own efforts, by merely giving timely suggestions, rather than by stultifying his freedom and dignity through directives imposed from without. In short, the best maxim for helping people either in worldly matter or in the spiritual field is: ‘Help them to help themselves’ or ‘Self-help is the best help.’
Following the same strategy, therefore, Sri Rama, in the present instance told, Kaika, ‘Mother! Please take bath in the holy Sarayu River and come back for My upadesh. But while bathing in the Sarayu, please observe what is going along the riverside’. Kaika went along with her retinue to the river and returned to Rama after bath. Rama asked her, ‘Mother! Now tell Me what you noticed on the banks of Sarayu’. Kaika replied that she saw a number of sheep and goats gazing the green grass on the banks, bleating ‘Mae, Mae’, as usual, every now and then. Then Rama told her promptly that ‘Mae, Mae’ was His upadesh for her. He disclosed to her that the bleating of the sheep and goats meant, ‘Who am I? Who am I? He further remarked that when even sheep are concerned with the question of, Who am I?’ if a man does not concern himself with this question, he is worse than sheep.
Everyone should first seek to know the answer to the question’ ‘Who am I?’ Without knowing who you are, what is the use of trying to know everything about others? At birth you cried out ‘Koham? - Who am I?’ You should not die with the same question on your lips. When you die, you should be able to assert cheerfully - ‘Soham’ – ‘I am That or He.’ (SSB 1990, pp. 95-97)
A poem about the lotus feet of Rama, treading the stony, thorny jungle regions. But Kaikeyi had not realised this, when she asked that Rama should go into exile. She learnt about it and was horrified at what she had done only when she saw Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in the hermitage as she watched her son plead with Rama to return to His throne. Rama never felt the thorn or the stone for He had devised the jungle Himself, in order to infuse faith in the sages and nip their fears. (SSS Vol.4, p. 25)