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An unexpected turn

CHENNAI: : Of all the negative pulls of human nature, revenge is perhaps the most powerful and potentially the most destructive. A perceived wrong or injustice is what drives a person into a vengeful mode. When one is possessed of this urge, he or she will go to any length and use every possible weapon to achieve the objective. The way Manthara went about brainwashing her mistress Kaikeyi to secure the exile of Rama, whom she (Kaikeyi) regarded as her own son, is a classic example of how a vengeful mind worked. As portrayed in Kamba Ramayana, the hunch backed Manthara was once a victim of the Ayodhya crownprince's childhood prank.

Kamban, who was well versed in the tradition of the Azhwars and had been inspired by their devotional poetry, has drawn from the Azhwars' hymns in this context, said Dr. Sudha Seshaian in a lecture. The Bhagavata Purana describes in detail the childhood pranks and exploits of Lord Krishna, while the Valmiki Ramayana does not mention much of Rama's childhood pranks. In the Bhakti tradition of the Azhwars, the manner in which each of them visualised and experienced Krishna's childhood reflects the extent of their devotion to the Lord in this form. The Azhwars found the essence of the Supreme Being in the form of Lord Krishna as a child full of love. In this form, He, Whose true nature is to be discovered from the scriptures, and Who is difficult to comprehend, became easily accessible to the Azhwars. Through sheer devotion they were able to experience God's love. In their hymns some of the mischievous pranks are described as occurring in Rama's childhood.

Manthara's physical deformity becomes symbolic of her crooked mind. Since she nursed a grouse against Rama because of the childhood prank, she was unhappy about the news of His coronation. She entered Kaikeyi's abode with the determination to stop the coronation. Knowing too well Kaikeyi's excessive love for Rama, and her joy at the forthcoming coronation, Manthara had to use all her wits and persuasive powers to poison Kaikeyi's mind.

Like a serpent's venom that slowly enters the bloodstream, Manthara's vicious scheme successfully brought about an incredible transformation in Kaikeyi that was the cause for the total turnaround in the situation.

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