Kaikeyi

Dasharath is the Raja of Kosala and the husband of Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi, as well as the father of Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrugna. Patel describes him as having lighter hair and eyes, visibly younger than Kaikeyi’s father, which relieves her when she first meets him. Patel characterizes Dasharath and Kaikeyi’s marriage as built upon friendship, a bond that forms after she blatantly asks that her son be yuvraja above any other sons he may have—a bond that grows stronger when she saves his life during the battle against Sambarasura. Dasharath values Kaikeyi’s strength and honesty, which helps their friendship remain strong. Kaikeyi does not feel sexual desire, so their relationship is not romantic, though Kaikeyi continues to be physically intimate with him—something she feels is her duty as radnyi. Their relationship falters when Dasharath breaks his promise to make Bharata yuvraja and severs entirely when Kaikeyi exiles Rama—Rama’s influence chokes him and encourages misogynistic behavior toward Kaikeyi despite long encouraging the growth of her power and influence. He dies after Rama leaves for his exile.

Rama, the son of Kaushalya and Dasharath, is an embodiment of the god Vishnu. As a child, he recognizes something different about himself, describing it as “something else is inside of me” (258). He draws the attention of Sage Vamadeva Gautama, who turns his wife to stone after the god Indra tricks her into sexual intimacy. Vamadeva holds overtly misogynistic beliefs—values he instills in Rama as his childhood tutor and later during Rama’s time at the ashram. Rama grows up believing he is yuvraja, seeking to use his power to enforce the traditional and patriarchal structure of the world. He believes such a structure reflects the will of the gods and must be upheld, setting up the central conflict of the plot and underscoring the novel’s thematic interest in The Complexities of Power and Leadership. He stirs conflict between Kaikeyi and Shishir and Bhandasura to try to convince her that his agenda is righteous. After he threatens violence upon his wife Sita, Kaikeyi exiles him. Later, she hears that he has become a better man—the man she wants him to be—a man who has shed his misogyny during his exile—but the book ends before that can be confirmed. In the Epilogue, Patel depicts him ready to war against Ravana, whom he views as the embodiment of the evil he must destroy.

Initially, Patel positions Kaikeyi and Kaushalya, Dasharath’s first wife and the mother of Rama, at odds with each other, catalyzing an enemies to allies arc in their relationship. Kaushalya’s polygamous marriage to Dasharatha pits her and Kaikeyi as natural rivals—a traditional trope Patel subverts when Kaikeyi angrily communicates her feelings and Kaushalya immediately warms to her, forging a connection that symbolizes the trust and support of female friendship. They quickly become close friends, with Kaushalya even referring to them as “sisters” (147). Throughout Kaikeyi’s life, Kaushalya remains a source of comfort and support to Kaikeyi. They help each other through the difficult period after the births of their sons, they work together on the Women’s Council, and they raise all four boys alongside each other. Kaushalya refuses to blame Kaikeyi for exiling Rama—a decision that destroys several of Kaikeyi’s other relationships—trusting Kaikeyi’s instincts that Rama is not ready for the crown. After the death of Yudhajit, Kaushalya mourns alongside Kaikeyi and continues to support her. She also serves as regent during Bharata’s absence before he assumes the throne and continues to serve as an advisor during his reign.

Manthara is Kaikeyi’s maid during her childhood and her handmaiden when she marries and moves to Ayodhya. She counsels Kaikeyi through her greatest challenges, such as coming to terms with being gods-touched, the pain of exiling Rama, and putting the needs of the kingdom first. As a friend of Kaikeyi’s mother, Kekaya, Manthara takes on a maternal role in Kaikeyi’s life, giving her physical affection and emotional support throughout her decades in Ayodhya. Patel characterizes Manthara, like Kaikeyi, as a feminist, seeking to guide Kaikeyi to use her power to help women regardless of their class. In this way she subverts the traditional narrative that positions Manthara as manipulating Kaikeyi into traitorous deeds.

Bharata is the son of Kaikeyi and Dasharath. As a child, he is closest with Shatrugna, often causing mischief and mayhem. As he grows older, he feels the weight of living in Rama’s shadow, wishing for a younger brother so he “[can] be first at something” (231). Kaikeyi reminds him that he is intelligent, a good mathematician and fast reader, and that being a warrior is not the only valuable trait a man can have. Kaikeyi’s preference for Bharata—she admits that, though she loves all of her sons, she is proudest of Bharata—reflects the novel’s thematic interest in interrogating traditional masculinity. Bharata remains the unofficial yuvraja until Dasharath changes his mind, breaking the promise he made to Kaikeyi. Bharata, though he loves his uncle Yudhajit and does not want him hurt, refuses to become raja after Rama’s exile because of Rama’s lingering influence over him. After Yudhajit’s death, Bharata breaks free of Rama’s control and becomes raja, apologizing to Kaikeyi for the cruel way he treated her while in Rama’s thrall. Bharata rules as a wise and humble raja for the 10 years that Rama lives in exile and takes advice from the people around him, including Kaikeyi and Kaushalya, whom he holds in equal regard to his male advisors.

Yudhajit is Kaikeyi’s twin brother and the raja of Kekaya. As children, Yudhajit and Kaikeyi are inseparable, and Kaikeyi convinces Yudhajit to teach her how to fight, underscoring the novel’s thematic interest in Subverting the Prescribed Roles of Women in a Patriarchy. Patel positions Yudhajit as torn between a traditional, patriarchal ideology and a feminist one, vacillating between supporting and empowering Kaikeyi and disregarding her autonomy to reify his own power. He and Kaikeyi have a falling out after Yudhajit sides with their father, engaging Kaikeyi to Dasharath without the swayamvara they promised her. However, after the birth of Kaikeyi’s son Bharata, they rekindle their friendship and sibling bond, with Kaikeyi referring to Yudhajit as her “beloved twin” once more (183). Yudhajit remains a devoted brother to Kaikeyi and uncle to Bharata, but he is also the raja of his kingdom and bound by his duty, prompting him to declare war on Kosala after Bharata refuses to become raja. In his last moments after Shatrugna stabs him, he beckons Kaikeyi to him. In his last act, he kisses her cheek, demonstrating the depth of his love for her even as their kingdoms are at war, a war that claims his life.

Patel describes Ravana, the part-asura Raja of Lanka and the biological father of Sita, as a very tall man with skin that nearly glows and orange “inhuman” eyes, hinting at his asura identity (158). Ravana proves to be a friend to Kaikeyi, giving her the scroll that lets her access the full Binding Plane and helping her defeat the asura Bhandasura in Janasthana. However, from Rama’s perspective, Ravana is the antagonist, taking Sita (in order to protect her from Rama) and embodying the evil of the asuras that Rama seeks to destroy. In contrast, Kaikeyi struggles to even conceptualize him as evil and thinks of alternate explanations for Ravana’s kindness. Patel’s narrative ties Ravana’s destiny to Rama’s, as Rama will inevitably defeat him and retrieve Sita.

Lakshmana is the son of Dasharath and Sumitra and the twin brother of Shatrugna. As a child, Kaikeyi describes him as “Brahma incarnate” because of his well-behaved nature, though physically he resembles Dasharath with lighter hair and eyes (203). He accompanies Rama on his journey to the ashram and trains alongside him under Sage Vamadeva Gautama, a misogynistic religious figure. While Lakshmana initially falls under Rama’s divine influence with a blue thread around his neck, Kaikeyi manages to free him after their journey to Janasthana. His freedom allows to reveal to Kaikeyi the depth of Rama’s control over others and his raging insecurities about how others perceive him—a critical moment in the narrative. Lakshmana is the only brother who agrees with Kaikeyi’s decision to exile Rama to ensure he does not become raja. After Kaikeyi exiles Rama, Lakshmana agrees to go with him in order to protect Sita from Rama’s cruelty. The goddess of sleep Nidra lets Lakshmana stay awake for the 10 years of exile in exchange for his wife staying asleep for the entire 10 years.

Sita is the biological daughter of Ravana and his wife, and becomes the adopted daughter of Raja of Videha. As an infant, she is swallowed by the ground in Lanka and discovered buried in the dirt in a field in Videha. Like Kaikeyi, she is gods-touched, but after her marriage to Rama, the gods no longer ignore her. The goddesses speak to her directly in order to guide her toward helping Rama achieve his destiny. Sita also mirrors Kaikeyi’s desire to help the women of Kosala, as she takes Kaikeyi’s place on the Women’s Council during Kaikeyi’s journey to Janasthana. In this way, Patel positions Sita and Kaikeyi as foils for each other, as well as in their respective roles in Rama’s destiny—Kaikeyi remains destined to exile Rama, and Sita to marry him and join him on his journey to rid Bharat of evil.

Sumitra is Dasharath’s second wife and the mother of Lakshmana and Shatrugna. Kaikeyi describes her as “sweet and loving,” even as she turns on Kaikeyi after Rama’s exile, blaming her for the death of Dasharath (427). On the Women’s Council, Sumitra feels drawn to the couples who come before the radnyis to ask for blessings on their marriages when their parents do not approve, demonstrating her romantic nature. She is friendly and welcoming to Kaikeyi after Kaikeyi attempts to befriend her fellow radnyis and is more open and trusting than Kaushalya.