Kaikeyi

Kaikeyi asks Manthara to return to the market, wondering if she can reveal herself to the people of Ayodhya. When Dasharath summons Kaikeyi to his rooms, he tells her that he is leaving to battle the warlord Sambarasura, which Kaikeyi knows, expecting Dasharath to request that she accompany him. When he doesn’t, she begs him to bring her with him. Dasharath looks surprised, as Kaushayla and Sumitra do not like the war camps. Kaikeyi flatters him, and he agrees to bring her after they are physically intimate. Sumitra visits Kaikeyi to wish her well, and though Kaikeyi is at first offended by the suggestion that the war camps are beneath the other two wives but not her, she responds kindly. 

After a week, Dasharath, Kaikeyi, and the soldiers reach the land in the north where they plan to set up camp. Kaikeyi is accompanied by Asha, one of Kaushalya’s handmaidens. Kaikeyi worries Asha will hate her as she believes Kaushayla does, but instead Asha is kind and styles Kaikeyi’s hair beautifully. Kaikeyi spends her nights with Dasharath but in the evenings, she sneaks away to meet the master of the horses, Ashwasen. She forges a connection between them by complimenting his care of the horses. He lets her ride some of the horses and drive a chariot. Dasharath comes to the stables and sees Kaikeyi driving the chariot. At first, he seems upset, but once Ashwasen explains Kaikeyi’s talent, he calms down. Kaikeyi also realizes she can see the bond between Dasharath and Ashwasen, which is thick, and wonders if she can see and manipulate the bonds between other people. Ashwasen reminds Dasharath that he wants to replace his charioteer and suggests Kaikeyi. Dasharath does not want to pressure Kaikeyi into battle, but she eagerly agrees. In the following days, Ashwasen runs her through training exercises. Asha prays for Kaikeyi’s safety and offers to make her a more feminine battle outfit if she survives.

Kaikeyi struggles during the battle as she drives Dasharath’s chariot. She tries to keep calm and remember her practice and drills, but the chaos and carnage around her scrambles her mind. She watches as Dasharath strikes down some men with his sword, but her erratic movements with the chariot cause him to miss as he throws his spear at an enemy soldier. She pauses and takes a moment to recalibrate herself. To grounds herself, she uses the Binding Plane to visualize all the soldiers on the battlefield. She drives the chariot through the field, letting Dasharath slay the enemy soldiers around them. They find Sambarasura, who attempts to destroy the chariot, knocking one of the wheels off. While Dasharath takes his eyes off Sambarasura, the warlord throws a spear that pierces Dasharath’s chest. Kaikeyi manages to slay Sambarasura before pushing the wheel back into place, praying to Indra, the god of charioteers, for help, even though in the end she must use her own physical strength to drive the chariot back to camp as Kosala’s armies part for her. The minister of war Virendra asks her what happened. She tells him that Dasharath was the one to slay Sambarasura before he was injured and that she put the wheel back on the chariot with the help of Indra, hoping invoking the god’s name will prevent further questions.

For the first two days after his injury, Dasharath lingers on the border between life and death. The healers tell Kaikeyi that they are doing all they can for him, but she remains worried. On the third day, he wakes every few hours confused, and Kaikeyi tells him the story of what happened that she told Virendra. When he is well enough to speak, Dasharath’s advisors kick Kaikeyi out of his chambers so they can discuss matters of state. She goes to see Ashwasen and the horses, and he lets her stay with the horses. She weeps, feeling grief for the potential loss of Dasharath. She also feels horrified by the carnage and bloodshed she saw on the battlefield, now understanding that war is not the glorious thing she thought it was when she was young. Asha finds her and sits with her, telling her that the other radnyis Kaushayla and Sumitra have sought her out and wonder why she doesn't spend time with them. Kaikeyi thought they viewed her as an invader, taking more of their house and their husband. Asha tells her that they do not feel that way and want to get to know her, sending missives that she never opened during her months of melancholy in bed. Virendra finds them and tells Kaikeyi that Dasharath wishes to see her. 

Dasharath questions Kaikeyi’s story about Sambarasura’s death, as he remembers grabbing his sword, not his spear, before he was injured. He prods Kaikeyi until she admits that she was the one to kill Sambarasura. Instead of being upset with her, Dasharath is grateful she saved his life and offers her two boons in exchange for her bravery, which she can ask of him at any time. He asks Kaikeyi about their marriage, and she tells him that he is a kind and fair husband. He asks if that’s what she wants, and she admits she wants a husband who also listens to and trusts her. She asks him for a seat on his council of advisors, the Mantri Parishad. Dasharath asks if she’s asking to use her boon, and she says no, she’s asking as his wife. He agrees to take her as an advisor if she also tries to befriend Kaushalya and Sumitra and perform more conventional radnyi duties.

Kaikeyi, Dasharath, and their retinue return to Ayodhya a week later when Dasharath is well enough to travel. After a feast to celebrate their return and some rest, Kaikeyi seeks out Sumitra, inviting her to her rooms during the afternoon. They eat snacks together and gossip, and Kaikeyi shares her poor attempts at embroidery with Sumitra. They laugh together, and Kaikeyi watches as their bond in the Binding Plane thickens. Sumitra tells her that they have some rites they must perform in a ceremony celebrating Lakshmi. Kaikeyi is surprised, as in Kekaya only the sages are permitted to participate in religious rites. 

The next day, Kaikeyi serves her first day on the Mantri Parishad. The male advisors do not seem shocked by her presence, and she realizes Dasharath has warned them. Some still glare at her, though Virendra seems to respect her, as does the minister of finance. She explores her connections in the Binding Plane during the meeting. When she returns to her rooms afterward, she finds Kaushalya waiting for her. They have a tense conversation, with Kaushalya questioning Kaikeyi for befriending Sumitra and accusing her of trying to poach Asha. Kaikeyi assures Kaushalya that her new attempts to befriend Sumitra and be more present in court are Dasharath’s requests. She tells Kaushalya that she should have been more welcoming to her and sought to help her adjust to her new life. Kaushalya does not apologize but seems to soften after Kaikeyi’s display of anger. She invites Kaikeyi to walk with her and Sumitra in the mornings. Later, Asha comes to her room, saying that she is a gift from Kaushalya to Kaikeyi and will now be her handmaiden as “sisters” share everything (146). This thrills and warms Kaikeyi.

The next day, Kaikeyi looks for Kaushalya and Sumitra to walk with them. She struggles to find them, but when she does, she realizes she is overdressed in her formal sari, as they are wearing casual walking clothes. Kaushalya tells Sumitra about Kaikeyi saving Dasharath’s life and Sumitra embraces Kaikeyi. They talk as they walk, and in the end, Kaushalya tells Kaikeyi where to meet them in the mornings.

Kaikeyi settles into the pattern of courtly life. She walks with Kaushalya and Sumitra, practices her forms and exercises, attends meetings of the Mantri Parishad, and studies the history and the workings of Kosala. Manthara also occasionally sneaks her out of the palace to see the rest of Ayodhya. One day, she takes Kaikeyi to see her friend, Riddhi, who works in the kitchens. Riddhi is shocked to see Kaikeyi and seems reluctant to share her problems. Kaikeyi prods her, promising she can trust her, and Riddhi shares that she is an illegitimate daughter of a noble man, and illegitimate daughters are never legally allowed to marry. In the kitchens, people have been gossiping about her status, and she worries the head cook will dismiss her. Kaikeyi promises to handle it. When she returns to the palace, she speaks with the head cook, telling her that anyone who has an issue with Riddhi can bring it to her, demonstrating her favor for Riddhi. The head cook seems happy that Kaikeyi is standing up for Riddhi, and her bond to Kaikeyi strengthens. Riddhi is grateful for her help. 

Later, as Kaikeyi walks through the gardens, she runs into a man and is knocked down. When he helps her up, Kaikeyi can see that there is something magic about his eyes and deduces that he has Rakshasa blood. He introduces himself as Ravana, the raja of Lanka. He apologizes for knocking her over and shares that he is also often lost in thought, especially thinking about the flight of birds and if it is possible to learn flight from them. Kaikeyi says that birds can sometimes speak, but when Ravana asks how she knows, she lies and says she read it in a scroll, not wishing to reveal her father’s boon. He presses her further, and she tries to use the Binding Plane to make him stop, but he understands her use of the plane and recoils from it. He asks her about the magic he senses in her, swearing on Lord Shiva not to judge her or cause any harm to her. She tells him everything. He then asks her to come to his rooms so they can talk further and so that he can show her some of his magic scrolls. He has been researching magic to try to find a way to give human beings flight, to expand mankind’s use of magic, and to challenge the absolute authority the gods possess.

When Kaikeyi reads the scrolls, she finds the words that allow her to see all the connections between others in the Binding Plane, not just her own connections. She asks Ravana if she can try something with him and the Binding Plane, and he agrees and reveals he is half-rakshasa, which is why he can sense her use of magic. She uses her knowledge from the new scroll to fully enter the Binding Plane for the first time, the world around her turning gray as she sees colorful threads emanating out of Ravana. She gently touches a thick one, a connection to his wife, and makes him think fondly of her. She asks if she can touch a smaller thread, and when she does, he thinks of a stranger he met only once. When she touches it again, he thinks fondly of the stranger, but when she snaps the thread, it makes him hate the stranger. Ravana offers her the scrolls to keep and reveals his desire to challenge the gods. She accepts in exchange for a favor in the future. She leaves, thinking she may never see him again.

Kaikeyi’s new understanding of the Binding Plane allows her to solve many issues, but not her continued struggle to become pregnant. She, Kaushalya, and Sumitra still have not conceived. One evening, Dasharath summons all three of them to his room to admit that the problem with conceiving a child lies not in them, but in himself. He has not tended to the gods as he should. He will organize a Yagna to offer sacrifices to the gods in hopes of solving the problem. He tells the radnyis that they must fast for two weeks and complete several purification rituals. Kaikeyi worries the ritual will not work, as she believes the gods are ignoring her. She goes along with it, and after the two weeks of fasting and purification from the sage Rishyasringa, all three radnyis feel hungry and exhausted. They are giddy as they prepare to finally finish the ritual and feast. 

As the Yagna begins, Kaikeyi watches as the sages and Dasharath repeat many sacred words before the sacred fire. The three radnyis circle the sacred fire thrice to repent for their sins, and afterward Kaikeyi almost does not notice as the sacred fire turns into a pillar of flame behind her. The fire god Agni appears, and while everyone else drops to bow, Kaikeyi does not. She stands defiant, not fully knowing why, as Agni questions her. He tells her that the gods have been watching her and ignoring her intentionally, not for what she has done but for what she will do. She is gods-touched and forsaken.

Agni then turns to Dasharath and gives him a kheer—a sweet drink Kaikeyi hates—that he says the radnyis must drink. The kheer churns in Kaikeyi’s stomach as she thinks about Agni’s words to her.

Kaikeyi tells Manthara what happened with Agni, worrying that she is wicked or will do something wicked. Manthara reassures her that being gods-touched is a good thing, and that she is meant to make change in the world. She tells her a soothing story, and Kaikeyi goes to sleep.

The Yagna works. Soon, Kaikeyi, Kaushalya, and Sumitra are all pregnant. Kaikeyi believes that she will have a daughter, as Dasharath promised to make her son his heir. She thinks the gods will spite her by giving her a girl, and she worries about bringing a daughter into a world so clearly built on patriarchal values. She decides she must help, slowly and carefully, make Kosala a better place for women through her place in the Mantri Parishad and with her work in the Binding Plane. After two missed menstrual cycles, she knows she’s pregnant, and she writes to her father and to Yudhajit to share her news. She keeps her letter to Yudhajit free of emotions, imagining he will not write back, so she’s shocked to receive a letter from him in which he expresses remorse for the way he treated her ahead of her marriage to Dasharath. He’s had his own betrothal fall through, and their father quickly found him a new engagement without giving him a choice in the matter. He can finally empathize with how Kaikeyi felt. Kaikeyi feels happy about Yudhajit’s apology, and when she enters the Binding Plane, she finds their thread again, though it’s thinner than it once was. She imagines it twining across the continent of Bharat until it finds Yudhajit’s heart.

To her shock, Kaikeyi gives birth to a boy. She names him Bharata, after the continent. The day before, Kaushalya gives birth to a boy whom she names Rama. A week later, Sumitra gives birth to twin sons, Lakshmana and Shatrugna. Within two weeks, Dasharath goes from being childless to having four heirs. Still, Kaikeyi believes that one day Bharata will rule, fulfilling the promise Dasharath made to her. 

The three radnyis tend to their children separately for the first few months, but eventually Kaushalya brings a sobbing Rama to Kaikeyi’s room, as she cannot calm him. Kaikeyi takes easily to motherhood, as she spent much of her youth raising her young brothers. She calms Rama and sings to him. After that, the women share motherhood of their children together. Kaikeyi sees Rama, Lakshmana, and Shatrugna as her own children, just as she hopes Kaushalya and Sumitra see Bharata as their own. After Bharata’s birth, Kaikeyi’s position in court is solidified. At the Mantri Parishad, advisors begin to ask her questions and seek her opinion. Six months after Bharata is born, Kaikeyi seeks to modify the law that prohibits women from selling in the marketplace, hoping to allow women to sell their wares twice per week. Some of the more conservative members of the council push against it, but it falls to Dasharath to make the decision. He sides with Kaikeyi. Manav, a conservative member of the Mantri Parishad, urges her to reconsider, but she refuses. 

In the evenings, the three radnyis often sit together with their servants, sharing stories they’ve heard around the palace. One night, two servant girls visit to ask the radnyis for advice, as they have heard that war will be declared upon their home village. Kaikeyi assures them that it is not a war, but rather a delegation coming to their village. After the girls leave, Asha tells the radnyis that the whole palace calls them the Women’s Circle. At dinner the next night, Kaikeyi and Kaushalya discuss the Women’s Circle—Kaikeyi pushes Kaushalya to consider the needs of the common women who live among them, and they agree to host open audiences. They also decide to officially call themselves the Women’s Council. 

The first open audiences of the Women’s Council are sparsely attended but, as time goes on, more and more women come to seek help from the radnyis. They help women escape abusive marriages, find jobs for homeless women, find food for children on the streets, and bless the marriages of couples whose families disagree with their match. Sumitra loves helping the young couples who seek to be married, but Kaikeyi does not, as she does not feel the pull of romance with Dasharath or with anyone. During one audience, Dhanteri arrives to tell Kaikeyi that her mother is alive and living in Janasthana. Dhanteri admits she has not found work, so Kaikeyi recommends her to Kaushalya, who agrees to hire her as a handmaiden. When Kaikeyi returns to her rooms, Manthara reminds her that her mother did not choose to leave her, as she did not have the power to stay with her. She cautions Kaikeyi to remember the risks of being a woman.

Kaikeyi’s days are filled with the Mantri Parishad, the Women’s Council, and using the Binding Plane to solve the kingdom’s problems. She also spends time watching Bharata and her other sons grow older. Bharata and Shatrugna are the troublemakers, often causing mischief. Lakshmana is well-behaved and earnest. Kaikeyi finds Rama the most difficult to manage. As a toddler, he throws a fit because he can’t play with the moon in the sky. Kaikeyi gives him a mirror to look at the moon to calm him. When the boys are seven or eight, Kaikeyi teaches them the hide-and-go-seek game she played with Yudhajit when they were children. She plays with her children, and later so does Dasharath. She sees the way he loves their sons, the way their sons love each other, and the way they all love her. She finally has a family.

When Kaikeyi is 29 and the boys are all 10, Asha brings a troubling observation about Rama to her attention: Rama asked where his mothers were, and when she told him about the Women’s Council, he told her that they should stop, as it was immodest and improper, against the will of the sages and the gods. When Asha asked him where he heard such things, he told her not to question him and tried to send her away. Asha told him that she serves his mother and not him, which made him angry. Kaikeyi laughs at the image of Asha being stern with Rama, but she worries about his misogynistic ideas. She agrees to talk to him, but before she can, she runs into Ravana again, who shares that he has almost finished his flying machine. Kaikeyi tells him about her sons, and Ravana tells her that he and his wife lost a daughter. Kaikeyi grieves with him and spends the dinner celebration speaking with him. 

When she confronts Rama about what he said to Asha, he does not deny it, instead doubling down and insisting the Woman’s Council is improper. When Kaikeyi pushes back, he calls women who look for attention outside of their husbands “whores” (217). Angered, Kaikeyi slaps him. He speaks with a voice deeper than his own, his eyes flashing an unnatural blue, as he questions how she dares to lay hands on him. It reminds Kaikeyi of seeing Agni the night of the Yagna. Rama quickly apologizes, crying, and Kaikeyi holds him, explaining that he’s wrong; the Women’s Council is not improper. She feels unsettled and wonders what was in the kheer they drank that night. 

Kaikeyi tells Kaushalya and Sumitra about what happened with Rama, and they agree with her decision to reprimand him for his unkind words. Kaushalya hints that Rama will one day be raja, which is against Dasharath’s promise to Kaikeyi. When Kaikeyi tells Dasharath about Rama, he says he will speak to the boys about their views, though he refuses to dismiss the sage Vamadeva as their mentor. He reassures Kaikeyi that Bharata is yuvraja and offers to tell Kaushalya and Sumitra. He has not told them yet because he did not want to sow discord among his wives. Not wanting conflict, Kaikeyi tells him not to speak to them.

At a meeting of the Women’s Council, Dasharath arrives with his procession. He brings forward an issue to the council: He seeks to reward a certain member of his Mantri Parishad who is his most trusted counselor. After a series of questions about what this member could need, Kaushalya suggests that he make this person his saciva, an old title that refers to the raja’s most important advisor. When Dasharath names Kaikeyi his saciva, she is shocked but pleased. He tells her that she’s already long been his chief advisor and that he wants to show their sons that women are valued, important, and capable of leadership.

That night, they hold a feast in Kaikeyi’s honor. The radnyis drink sweet wine, and Kaushalya gives Kaikeyi a beautiful necklace as a gift. After the feast, at the next meeting of the Mantri Parishad, Dasharath holds Kaikeyi back and tells her he means to send her as an emissary to Kekaya. She considers whether he only named her saciva to send her to Kekaya without the Kekayans viewing a woman emissary as a snub. Dasharath tells her that he’s been planning to make her saciva for a long time, but Rama’s comments about women and the issues with Kekaya pushed his timeline up. Kekaya has been treating Kosala’s traders unfairly, refusing their previous trade agreements. Kaikeyi agrees to go and to bring Bharata and Rama with her. She demands to ride on horseback to show that she has not forgotten her western roots.

The ride is long, and Bharata and Rama tire easily on horseback. Bharata comes to rest with Kaikeyi and tells her that he wishes he had a younger brother so he could be first at something. She reassures him that he is smart and a faster reader than his brothers, but he says that Rama told him it is most important to be a fierce warrior. Kaikeyi denies this, explaining that Dasharath is a great raja even though he has not personally fought in a war in 12 years. Bharata feels better.

The group reaches the Sarasvati River. Manthara wades into the water reverently while Kaikeyi explains the water’s significance to Bharata and Rama. Rama says that Vishnu is the god of water, demonstrating irreverence for Sarasvati. Kaikeyi chides him, but Rama continues to argue with her until the river rises up angrily, and Kaikeyi begs Sarasvati to forgive Rama, as he is a child. The water rushes over Kaikeyi, soaking her, but Rama is perfectly dry and crowned with a halo of white, glowing light. He tells her he is not afraid and doesn’t need to be. When Kaikeyi enters the Binding Plane, she cannot see Rama, but when she exits, she sees his glowing body and knows that he is a god.

Kaikeyi thinks that Rama must be Agni incarnate on earth, as Agni was the god that gave them the kheer at the Yagna and, as a fire god, he would be able to repel the water of Sarasvati. When the group arrives in Kekaya, Kaikeyi and Yudhajit embrace tightly. She tries to apologize for the past, but he stops her, telling her instead that he loves her. She introduces him to Bharata and Rama, and Yudhajit is thrilled to meet them, excitedly giving them a tour of the castle. As they walk through the palace, Ashvin, who is now the head healer and taller and healthier than when Kaikeyi left, embraces her. She also reunites with Mohan and Rahul, her younger brothers. Yudhajit tells her that the tales of her fighting alongside Dasharath against Sambarasura are a source of pride for Kekaya, and now other girls and women also train in combat. This touches Kaikeyi, who shows off her prowess with a spear to the delight of Yudhajit, Bharata, and even Rama. 

When Yudhajit tells Kaikeyi that their father is ill, Kaikeyi is conflicted; she has no great love for her father but she feels grief all the same. Yudhajit also confesses that he messed with the trade relationship with Kosala in hopes Dasharath would send Kaikeyi to resolve it, as he’s heard of the Women’s Council and Kaikeyi’s presence on the Mantri Parishad. Kaikeyi scolds him for making risky decisions instead of just asking to see her. She also uses the Binding Plane to help him repair his relationship with his own Mantri Parishad. 

After two months, Kaikeyi and her sons prepare to return to Ayodhya. Yudhajit and Bharata have become close, while Rama has spent his time training with the Kekayan warriors. As they pass the Sarasvati River, Kaikeyi again apologizes for Rama’s behavior. The goddess Sarasvati appears to her and tells her that Rama has been sent to earth to cleanse the world of evil and that he is stronger than Kaikeyi.

When they return home, Kaikeyi tells Dasharath about what happened at the river and her suspicion that Rama is a god. Dasharath believes he is gods-touched and that his power is a gift, but Kaikeyi remains unsure. 

The boys run into Kaikeyi in the hallway, and all four of them are excited for their lesson from Sage Vamadeva. Rama tells all his brothers that it will be a great lesson and insists Kaikeyi join them. Vamadeva welcomes Kaikeyi and introduces three men to speak to the class about the roles of men and women in the family: a common man, a wealthy man, and a sage. The common man goes first, and after Vamadeva prods him, he argues that men and women have separate roles on purpose, and women do not need to work. This offends Kaikeyi, who leaves. Later, she speaks to Vamadeva, who acts disrespectfully, implying she is immoral. She goes to Dasharath, who dismisses Vamadeva. Rama is distraught, as Vamadeva was going to help him embrace his godhood. Kaikeyi is surprised that Rama knows he is a god, but she promises another sage can help, a sage that has a more modern understanding of the world. She gives him sweets and holds him. Even though he is a god, he is still just a boy.