Rama, his voice calm yet firm, spoke to Lakshmana about the course of events that had befallen them. “If I do not fulfill this command, even for Kaikeyi’s sake, my mind will be troubled by the sense that truth has not been upheld, and her suffering would weigh heavily upon me. Therefore, Lakshmana, withdraw all the preparations for my consecration. I wish to leave for the forest at once. “Today, with my departure into exile, the king’s wife will have achieved her purpose. Let them then, free from worry, consecrate her son Bharata as king. When I have gone to the forest, clad in garments of bark and crowned with matted hair, Kaikeyi will find peace. The decision that has brought this about, and the mind so determined, ought not to be disturbed. I will depart into exile without delay. “O gentle one, in my banishment and in the reversal of the kingdom that was already granted to me, it is fate alone that must be seen. How could Kaikeyi’s resolve to harm me have arisen, unless her intention was ordained by destiny? You know well, Lakshmana, that I have never made any distinction among my mothers, nor have I ever shown special preference to her or her son. Therefore, seeing her harsh words, meant to prevent my consecration and send me into exile, I see no cause but fate behind her actions. “How could a princess of noble qualities speak like an ordinary woman, causing me pain before her husband? But destiny, which is beyond thought, spares no living being; clearly, misfortune has befallen both her and me. Who, O gentle Lakshmana, can contend with fate, when only what is destined comes to pass? Even seers of fierce austerity, impelled by fate, abandon their vows and fall under the sway of desire and anger. Whatever arises unexpectedly and interrupts what has been begun—surely, that is the work of fate. “With this understanding, restraining myself by my own mind, I feel no distress, though my consecration has been hindered. Therefore, do not grieve. You too, following me, should quickly withdraw the preparations for the consecration. With these very jars, Lakshmana, which were prepared for the royal anointing, I will perform the vow-bath of an ascetic. Or else, what need have I for this royal paraphernalia? The water I myself draw will suffice for the bath required by my vow. “Do not be troubled by this reversal of fortune, Lakshmana; whether it is the kingdom or the forest, the life of the forest is of great merit. Neither you nor my younger mother are to be suspected in this obstruction to my kingship; fate has intervened, not my father in any way. Indeed, you know well how powerful destiny is.” As Rama spoke thus, Lakshmana, his head bowed, entered the midst, his mind seized by both sorrow and anger. The best of men, furrowing his brow, breathed heavily like a great serpent enraged in its hole. In that moment, his face, fierce with a frown, was as hard to look upon as an angry lion’s. He shook his clenched fist like an elephant shaking its trunk, tilted his head to the side and upward, and let his neck fall. Casting a sidelong glance at his brother, Lakshmana spoke: “This great agitation of yours has arisen in vain. Because of your concern for a fault in righteousness and excessive regard for public opinion, how could someone like you, unshaken, speak in this way? How is it that you, a valiant Kshatriya, speak so feebly of fate, as if it were powerless and pitiable? How do you not suspect any wrongdoing in those two? There are people indeed who use righteousness as a pretense—O righteous one, do you not perceive this? “If their conduct were truly sincere, not driven by selfishness or deceit, then, Raghava, the boon would have been granted to them long ago, and it would have been a proper one. I cannot bear, O hero, the initiation of another’s consecration, which has begun in a way hated by the people—please forgive me for this. Even that righteousness, O wise one, which has led your mind into doubt, is hateful to me, since it causes you to be bewildered. “How can you, by your own action, obey your father’s unrighteous and blameworthy command, acting under Kaikeyi’s influence? Though this division has been caused by wickedness, you still do not recognize it; that brings me sorrow, and your attachment to righteousness is blameworthy here. This adherence to righteousness of yours is condemned by the world; how could you, even in thought, serve those two, who always act for their own gain and are enemies, though called father and mother? “Even if your resolve and their will are determined by fate, still, you ought to disregard it; yet, even that does not please me. He who is weak and lacking in valor follows fate, but heroes, who are self-respecting, do not submit to destiny. He who is able to overcome fate by human effort does not despair, even when afflicted by misfortune through destiny. “Today, people will see the power of fate and of human effort; today the distinction between destiny and human action will become clear. Today, people will see fate overcome by my effort—those who saw your consecration for the kingdom thwarted by destiny.” Thus, in the palace at Ayodhya, the two brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, stood at the crossroads of duty and destiny, each upholding his own vision of dharma, as the fate of the kingdom and their own lives hung in the balance.