These are two situations that gave a perspective of one telling another person ‘what they did’ (and ‘what they did’ was not a pleasant action to do), without holding back anything. We call this ‘telling the truth’. Read on for knowing the situations and my perspectives.

A few days after Rama left for the forest, Dasaratha recalls an act that he did as a young unmarried prince, which he narrates to Kousalya. The result of that action he feels, is the cause for him to face separation from Rama.

As Dasaratha went hunting in the banks of River Sarayu one evening, he thinks he hears the sound of an elephant drinking water from the river. Aiming at the sound, he shoots an arrow. Instead of hearing the sound of the injured elephant, he hears the sound of an injured human. He then heard the voice of a saint wondering in anguish as to why he was injured by an arrow, of what harm he would have done to someone else to face this and of how his parents will now suffer as they rely on him for everything.

Hearing this, Dasaratha without being conscious of it, drops his bow and arrow and rushes in the direction of the voice. When he reaches there, he sees the fallen and bleeding young saint and a half turned pot of water. The young saint once again anguishes about the plight of his parents after he passes away. He also wonders about why he should face this when he has done only good to others, and lived a life of meditation. He advises Dasaratha to approach his father, state what he did and seek pardon. He also says that if he does that, his father’s anger will be reduced, else Dasaratha will be ruined by his father’s curse (that was the strength of his father’s curse). The young saint also requests Dasaratha to remove the arrow from his body so that he could breathe his last. Dasaratha removes the arrow with a heavy heart.

Dasaratha then goes to the ashram where the young saint’s parents lived. Hearing the footsteps, the aged parents think it is their son and express their worry of him coming later than he was expected; they also mention being worried for his safety. Dasaratha answers them and tells them how his arrow injured and killed their son. He also tells them that he will do whatever they want him to do. The age old father tells Dasaratha that he is not angry with him, since he (Dasaratha) told him the truth but i indeed pained at what happened. In his anguish , the aged father curses Dasaratha to go thrugh the pain that he is going through – of being separated from his son and dying from the agony of being separated. As Dasaratha recalls this incident, he realises that he is facing the curse now.

It takes a lot of courage to admit one’s wrong doing to the person who is the affected party – the affected party being a stranger or a known one. This is the second incident involving Dasaratha that I have blogged on (the first one being the dialogue between him and Kaikeyi). While I was awestruck at the the way he kept his commitment to Kaikeyi, of granting her the 2 desires over his desire for the coronation of Rama; second, this move of his to see the person he had injured and to convey to the injured saint’s parents on what he did, made me look at the values Dasaratha holds, in a different light. Even when we have caused immense hurt to someone, it is not easy for many of us to approach them and help them recover from it, let alone telling others about it..

 – When we make a mistake, how comfortable are we owning up to it?

 – If we are uncomfortable owning our mistake, what causes the discomfort – Is it facing the reality of making a mistake or is it facing the impact of the consequences?

 – Does our ego come in the way of us owning our mistake?

 – What is it that makes us NOT own up to our mistakes at all?

 – What is it that makes us to own up to a mistake that we did, knowing fully well the consequence that we may face, especially if the mistake is a grave one?

 – What is it that we need to do to own up to our mistake, proactively and comfortably?

Dasaratha dies after sharing with Kousalya on the curse that he is now facing. As Rama and Lakshmana will not return from the forest even to perform Dasaratha’s last rites, Bharatha and Shatrugna are sent for.  Information about Dasaratha’s demise is NOT told to them. On reaching Ayodhya, Bharatha wonders why the kingdom is bereft of vibrations of any joy. He then reaches the rooms of Kaikeyi. She greets him and asks him about his trip to his grandfather’s kingdom. After sharing about his trip, he enquires about his father (this gives an indication that he is ignorant of whatever happened in Ayodhya, in his absence). Kaikeyi says that just like every living being’s life comes to an end, Dasaratha’s too has. She also makes a cryptic statement that the ones who see Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returning to Ayodhya are the blessed ones. This statement indicates to Bharatha that there is more to come. She tells him that all the three of them have donned simple robes and have gone on an exile to the forest. When Bharatha says that they would have done no wrong to go on an exile, Kaikeyi concurs with him. She says that SHE HAD asked for the two desires that Dasaratha had committed to – of Rama being sent to the forest for 14 years and Bharatha being crowned the prince of Ayodhya. She also expresses that she did all this for Bharatha to be crowned as the prince; she also asks him to complete the final rites of his father and be coronated.

Is Kaikeyi naive? or as some people would ask, “Is she plain stupid?” or “Is she mad to be truthful to Bharatha about what she did?” Is she aware of the consequences of owning up to what she did? I am consciously using the words ‘owning up to what she did’ and NOT ‘owning up to her mistake’ because, she DOES NOT think that what she did was a mistake.

 – So when we DON’T think that what we did was a mistake and we think we did what we did was for a purpose,  there is nothing called owning up?

 – We then just say what we did and there is nothing more to it? There is hence no sense of resentment or a sense of remorse?

 – We think that we did what we did, because we have the right to receive or get something ? In which case we MAY NOT look at what we did as a mistake, isn’t it?

 – We may hence admit to what we did, with all innocence and naivete and with minimum awareness of the consequence we may face? or with a confidence that we can face or fight any consequence that is given to us? 

There are different perspectives to many a thing, and perspectives on why someone tells the truth seems to be no exception. Interesting indeed!!