“What should I do?” Kaikeyi asked Manthara who stated, “Do you remember the two boons king Dasharatha had promised he would grant to you? Ask him to make Bharata his successor and send Rama into exile in the forest for fourteen years! Go to the sulking chamber and throw a tantrum!” Kaikeyi followed her advice. “I will never let the king’s conspiracy succeed,” Kaikeyi said and went to the sulking chamber.
The king was in a joyous mood. He came looking for Kaikeyi, thinking he would tell her the news of the coronation of their beloved Rama himself. He was surprised to find her finally in the sulking chamber. Puzzled by her protest and her discarded jewels, he kept asking her what the cause of her sorrow was. But Kaikeyi kept crying silently. She stretched herself on the floor, shedding crocodile tears. King Dasharatha tried his level best to know the reason for her grief.
