Hearing the persuasive words spoken, King Dasharatha, his heart gladdened, sent your mother away and then enjoyed himself like Kubera, the lord of wealth. In the same manner, you too, following the path of the misguided, are seized by delusion and clinging to this false resolve, O you who see only faults. This brings to mind the common saying: ‘Men follow after their fathers, women after their mothers.’ Do not act in this way; accept the words of the lord of the earth. Attend to your husband’s wishes and become the refuge of these people. Do not, pushed by sinful influences, force your husband—who is as noble as the king of the gods and sustains the world—to take up unrighteousness. For your sinless husband, the illustrious King Dasharatha, lotus-eyed, will not break a promise made in truth, O queen. Let Rama, the eldest, generous, accomplished, and protector of his own duty and all living beings, be consecrated as king. Otherwise, O queen, a great reproach will spread about you in the world if Rama is sent to the forest, abandoning his royal father. Let Raghava protect the kingdom; be free from distress, for none but Raghava is fit to dwell in this noble city. Thus, Sumantra, with joined palms, spoke both gentle and harsh words, striving to stir Kaikeyi in the royal assembly. Yet the queen was unmoved; neither disturbed nor distressed, and no change appeared in the color of her face. Now, listen to the thirty-sixth chapter in the glorious Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda. Then, the Ikshvaku king, afflicted by his promise, spoke again to Sumantra, with tears and deep sighs: “O charioteer, let the army, adorned with jewels and all four divisions, be prepared at once to accompany Raghava. Let women famed for their beauty, eloquent speakers, and wealthy merchants adorn the well-arranged troops of the prince. Those who depend on him, and those with whom he delights in strength—after giving them many gifts, assign them here as well. Let the chief weapons, the townspeople, carts, and hunters skilled in the forest follow Kakutstha. “Killing deer and elephants, drinking wild honey, and seeing various rivers, he will not remember the kingdom. Whatever store of grain or treasury I possess, let both follow Rama as he dwells in the lonely forest. Performing sacrifices at holy places, giving abundant gifts, and meeting with sages, he will live happily in the forest. Mighty-armed Bharata will rule Ayodhya; let all desires be fulfilled for the illustrious Rama again.” As Kaikeyi spoke thus about Kakutstha, fear seized her; her face dried up and her voice was choked. Distressed and frightened, with her face parched, Kaikeyi turned to the king and said, “Bharata will not desire a kingdom deprived of wealth, empty and devoid of any enjoyment, like liquor with its spirit gone.” Having cast off shame, Kaikeyi uttered these harsh words, and King Dasharatha addressed her, his eyes wide as lotus petals: “Why do you strike me as I bear this heavy yoke, having set me to this task? Unworthy woman, why did you not restrain me before this deed was begun?” Hearing these words spoken in anger, noble Kaikeyi, doubly enraged, replied to the king: “In your own lineage, Sagara banished his eldest son, Asamanja; so too should this one depart.” Thus addressed with “Shame on you!” King Dasharatha replied; all the people felt ashamed, but Kaikeyi did not understand. Then an aged minister, Siddhartha, pure and highly esteemed by the king, spoke to Kaikeyi: “Asamanja, while playing on the road, would seize children and throw them into the waters of the Sarayu, finding pleasure in this wickedness. Seeing this, all the townspeople, angered, spoke to the king: ‘Choose either Asamanja or us, O increaser of the realm.’ The king asked them, ‘For what reason is this fear?’ When questioned, the citizens replied: ‘While playing, he throws our children, whose minds are still unsteady, into the Sarayu out of folly, and takes great delight in it.’ “Hearing the words of the citizens, the king abandoned his own son, who had done no harm, to please them. He swiftly placed him, with his wife and attendants, upon a chariot and exiled him for life, as his father commanded: ‘Let him live in banishment as long as he lives.’ Taking a spade and basket, Asamanja wandered through mountain fastnesses, roaming all directions, as if he were one who had committed a wicked deed. Thus did King Sagara, most righteous, not abandon him; what sin did Rama commit, that he is thus obstructed? “We do not see any fault in Raghava; for him, descent into hell is as unlikely as a stain on the moon. But, O Queen, if you see any fault in Raghava, speak it truly today; then Rama shall be exiled.