Week 4 Reading Diary B: The Exile of Rama

Dasharatha chooses to make Rama king and starts to plan the coronation. Bharata is away at this time. Bharata's mother Kaikeyi is pleased for Rama until her servant, Manthara, talks to her about how Bharata should be king. Manthara tells her it would be better for them. Kaikeyi goes to Dasharatha and uses her two promises that he owes her. She uses one to make Bharata king and the other to exile Rama for 14 years.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana are prepared to leave, but must stop for the night. The elders of Ayodhya caused the river to rise up and blocked Rama from continuing his journey.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in the forest

Bharata's mother, Kaikeyi, previously had tried to get Dasharatha to teach her the language of the animals. Dasharatha is not allowed to share this information, and if he did, he would be killed. He decided that it was best not to share the information with Kaikeyi. This story is told by Guha.

By the urging of Bharadwaja (a sage), Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana start to live in Chitrakuta. Lakshmana builds them a house.

Dasharatha dies from the grief of his son, Rama, leaving. When Dasharatha was young, he accidentally killed a boy in the forest. He sees a connection between the death of this young boy and the loss of his son, Rama.