Kaikeyi - Blog Posts

Rama and Sita never overhear the dhobi before her pregnancy comes to term

1. Most of Kaikeyi’s power died with Dasharatha and his love with her, but still she has enough influence to overhear the rumors that spread through the city–and, more importantly, to ensure that the wells and taverns that Rama visits in disguise do not mention them. 

Let him confront those ugly truths once his wife delivers Ayodhya its heirs and if he should object, then let him consider: she has done him so many offenses already; what is one more?

2. The child – no, children, and fine sons, too!–are born, and Kaikeyi lets it be known that to challenge their legitimacy would be to deprive Rama of the heirs he loves so well. For a time, it works: Ayodhya loves Rama enough to allow him his happiness.

But all too well she knows it will not last. Did she love him, too, and still prove the cause of fourteen years’ unhappiness? So too will they turn on him, and his blameless queen; unless Kaikeyi can seek to do otherwise. 

3. Crowds always need a scapegoat, and too well Kaikeyi knows one that will suffice. Public opinion has forgiven only because of Rama’s request; and so it is all to easy to sow a word here, a suggestion there, that all the rage and mistrust they feel towards Sita ought to be directed towards the real instigator of mischief, who lives in the palace still, having escaped any punishment for her crimes. 

It works; of course it does. Kaikeyi has lived in Ayodhya for almost forty years, and knows it like the palm of her hand; and just as in the palm of her hand, she can read the signs of her downfall in the crowds’ angry faces. 

4. Before Rama must answer that he allows the criminal responsible for his father’s death to live simply because she is his stepmother, Kaikeyi volunteers herself to return to Kekaya. Too long she has lived apart from her mountains, she says wistfully; and her brother longs for her company. 

She will listen to no protests, not from Rama, nor her fellow wives–and Ayodhya, pleased with itself, forgets its complaints against its queen entirely. 

5. The night before she is to leave, Bharat comes to her for the first time in fifteen years. He knows, of course; any son of hers must. She managed to teach him at least that much. 

“If you expect me to forgive you, simply for what you did for bhabhi-”

“I did nothing but act according to my own nature,” Kaikeyi interrupts coldly. As much as she longs for Bharat’s return, she does not want it to be under such terms. “Manipulation is my only skill; surely I must use it to relieve my own boredom.”

“You’ll never change,” he declares, and still his voice is thick with anger. But he touches her feet before he goes, and in the morning, stands on the stairs and watches Kaikeyi’s departing palanquin until it fades out of view. 

I can't decide what to read. Opinions?

𝒟𝒜ℛ𝒦 𝒮ℐ𝒟ℰ 𝒪ℱ 𝒟ℰ𝒱𝒜 𝒩𝒜𝒦𝒮ℋ𝒜𝒯ℛ𝒜𝒮?

Hey y’all(whoever may care to see this🙈)! I don’t typically do post like this but sometimes I like to jot down my thoughts related to spiritual themes! Anyway this post is sort of kinda going to relate to astrology, specifically Vedic, and is just a theory of mine that I’ve sort of observed—both within my life and others within texts—historical, religious, fictional, and so on. I’m not a professional AT ALL so please don’t come for me🫶🏼…but without further discussion imma get to it~

So the two figures above that are on the right hand side of the spirituality/religiously prominent figures (Rama and Christ) are Kaikeyi (image 1) and Judas Iscariot (image 2).

Kaikeyi was a princess of Kekaya (her home-kingdom) and radnyi or queen of Kosala (due to her being married off to the ruler of that kingdom, Dasharath, becoming his third wife) mentioned in the Ramayana. This place was also where Rama (the blue person in image 1) was born who also happened to be the deity Vishnu’s seventh incarnation in human flesh. Kaikeyi also happened to be the cause for Rama’s ten year exile which was of great spiritual significance for various reasons.

Moreover, Judas, who was a disciple of Christ, eventually betrayed him and that led to the event of the Cruxifixction and so on. This event, for known reasons, was too a very spiritual event that in a way needed to happen.

In all, these two figures, who have by the way been “demonized” in many instances in today’s world, were also catalyst and played key roles in major spiritual tasks executed in this world according to scriptures. *DISCLAMER* Although I saw some similarities with the point I’m trying to make within Judas’s story as well, I must say I don’t view them as strong as I would like them to be. Therefore, I will make a separate post with those points aside from this one. Thank uuu*

Getting to my point, this goes back to deva nakshatras for reasons I’m about to get into~

1 - 𝒦𝒶𝒾𝓀𝑒𝓎𝒾

Okay, so I’ve been familiar with both the scripture of the Ramayana and happened to recently read the thoughts or story of an author who gave a retelling of it from the perspective of Kaikeyi, the apparently “jealous/evil queen” who exiled Rama.

Not to say that the retelling in the book I read (by Vaishnavi Patel, btw) is of more importance than the actual mythological account because that is not what I’m getting at. I’m entertaining such things as a matter of theory—not dogma. The author herself even shared, “This book does not strive to be an exact retelling of any version of the Ramayana—it is Kaikeyi’s story, and thus it is its own story.”

Though, I must say, it is true that texts of old do tend to be messed with or altered for various reasons by certain people 👀 (if yk yk)—but of course, there is a lesson to be learned in all that is shared because it is certainly there for a reason.

Anyway, in the book by the author mentioned above, she starts from Kaikeyi’s POV stating, “I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me” (Vaishnavi 3).

After some calculations and contemplating based on Vedic astrology, the nakshatras therein, specifically those considered auspicious, and theoretically around the time that Kaikeyi was supposedly born, I came to the conclusion that it would make sense for Kaikeyi to have been born under the Pushya nakshatra.

Especially considering it is considered the “King of Nakshatras” due to how highly auspicious it is and its correlation to Jupiter (or Brihaspati) being the Guru (teacher) of the gods (or Devas) and themes of royalty and dharma.

Such things apparently stuck out to me in relation to Kaikeyi and her life situation. Not to mention, this nakshatra resides in the sign of Cancer, and Kaikeyi is the older twin of her brother Yudhajit 🤭.

Anyway, based on what I was working with, I also figured it fitting that she’d be born under Shravana as her moon nakshatra. Mainly due to the fact that Shravana resides in Capricorn (which has karmic themes—something that could have played a role in Kaikeyi’s main duty of being a catalyst for Rama’s exile) and the fact that Vishnu is the ruling deity of it. Vishnu happened to be what Rama, who Kaikeyi in a way was a mother figure to, was the incarnation of.

To me, it all just sort of “made sense,” but hear me out. In the book, and even in history, Kaikeyi was considered “god-forsaken” (mainly due to her nature and actions) or, as the author Patel put it, “gods-touched.” In essence, all her life, her relationship with divinity has, in a way, been strained because (as Kaikeyi in the book eventually finds out) due to her purpose and nature, they cannot interact with or affect her as they can other mortals.

With all such things considered, hypothetically, she was born under DEVA nakshatras (Deva, as in relating to the divine or gods as its nature).

So, considering the above and Kaikeyi’s persona, (hypothetically) being of deva nakshatras and “gods-touched/forsaken,” I must say, being of deva nakshatras (Ashvini being my moon sign, Punarvasu my Ketu, and a few others that are prominent), I totally understand what she means with how she describes her situation in relation to the divine.

Now, I won’t say that my position with the public is as hers was (since she was demonized) or is destined to be (considering my Venus is domicile in Taurus in the 10th house, without malefic influence), yet, in an inner and spiritual sense, my relationship with the divine has been ever-present and complicated.

The feelings of betrayal, bitterness, disgust at times, and so on that Kaikeyi describes when speaking in relation to the gods that are involved heavily in the lives of those around her are honestly things I can heavily relate to.

But at the same time, I convince myself it’s not at all that bad 🙂🙊—like, it’s REALLY something I’m sure I came here to figure out.

My situation is not necessarily terrible (as I would feel Kaikeyi’s to have been), but it is interesting, due to a variety of factors I’m sure (but that could just be my Chiron in Pisces at 0 degrees opposite my ascendant and square my Sun—🙈).

I’m not 100% sure, of course, it’s just an observation or something like that—nothing I’ve said is law 🌚… but let me know, of course, if anyone else sort of gets what I’m saying! Thank you for reading to the end!!!

side note: i got inspiration from @hoodreader ‘s posts for the font I used. I looovee her aesthetic and I’m crediting her as my muse (to clarify that i’m not copying🙈🙈🙈)