#9 - KOUSALYA

Kousalya

Kousalya the eldest of King Dasaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhya. She was the daughter of the King of Kosala kingdom .Her son is LORD RAMA. In Ramayanam her part appears only in Balakandam and Ayodhyakandam. Kousalya's greatness with Dasaratha, Rama, Bharatha,and Guha are discussed in this.  

with  DASARATHA

King Dasaratha performed Putrakameshti yaga , the sacrifice of progeny, a divine being purusha emerged from the holy fire and offered milk payasam. Dasaratha distributed this to his three wives kousalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi according to their status. He gives a half to his queen eminent patta mahishi Kousalya , the he gives a half of remaining pudding to Sumitra and parts with half of what remains to Kaikeyi. Still there is something that left in the bowl. ,he thinks for a while and bestows it on his second queen Sumitra. Kousalya thus gave birth to the oldest son  Rama. Scholars have established the date of birth of Rama to be 4439 BC, Chaitra, Shukla, Navami.The parayanam of the sloka in Balakandam   Kousalya Ajanayath Ramam Sarva Lakshana Samyutham / Vishnuh arthatham Mahabagaagam Puthram Yeshvaku Varthanam with offering of payasam and feeding the same to poor children is sure to be blessed with a child. After Rama, Bharata was born to Kaikeyi and twins Lakshmana and Satrugna were born  to Sumitrai.Valmiki oberves that a half of Vishnu ,corresponding to the share of a half of the pudding has taken birth as the son of Kousalya.

 Kousalya's unique privelege of being a mother to the supreme being is always a subject extolled by many Azhwars, Acharyas, Sages and Ramayana karthas.Suprabatham to Sriman Narayana starts with the lines of 'Kousalya Supraja Rama 'only because of this glorious mother Kousalya who is mother of Vishnu's incarnation as Rama. This may be to praise kousalya as being more evolved than Dasaratha.  Visvamithra has said 'Aham Vedmi mahathmanam ramam sthya parakramam' as  he knew the real identity of Rama. But  Dasaratha was not conviinced and said 'Duhkhenoth padhithaschayam na Ramam nethum arhasi,' that Rama was born after great penance and Visvamihtra cannot take him away. In that context,  Kousalya did not say a word, which presumably Valmiki would have recorded, if she has expressed her concern. Such experience is seen even when Rama went on exile . Dasaratha could not bear the separation but Kousalya endured it with much self control.

with  RAMA

Rama went to Kousalya's chamber to receive mother's blessings before leaving the city. Kousalya told Rama that she could not stay in Ayodhya, once he left that place and so she prefered to join them in the forest. It is well known that  the firt duty of wife is to serve only to her husband , that too in his old age, and also, when he is in trouble of seperation from his beloved son. But he was in full confused mind with much grief over the exile of Rama ,to leave him for 14 years .She was then  very much upset, all in her action, words and mind. But Rama later consoled her slowly. Then, Kousalya too gave Rama her benediction in sweet words and blessed Rama to return in glory after carrying out Dasaratha's orders. Rama thus  made her to smile by saying as after all 14 years will pass on easily .

Kousalya used to put her child Rama in cradle to sleep and then start worshipping the family deity in her pooja room. All delicious sweets prepared by her along with fruits wre offered during her prayer. One day Kousalya saw in surprise that her son Rama was taking them in full happiness. But when she went to the cradle, she saw another Rama in deep sleep. Just like Krishna appeared with various gopigais in Krishna Avatara , Kousalya saw two Ramas at a time. Baffled by her vision, she went  to her pooja room, and prayed Deity in closed eyes in deep devotion. Kousalya thus found her son Rama as lord of creation, and protection of this universe. She overwhelmed by love then and prayed him to come to her as her son. 

Kousalya asked Rama to see that Dasaratha would never swerve from his words. As he has promised the kingdom to Rama , she wants his words should be kept true. But when Rama told about banishment to him, Kousalya fell on the floor like a chopped tree in the forest. Kousalya felt that she will be loosing all respects as Rama is not to be crowned. She felt more cruel , for snatching Rama after blessing her with a son is more cruel. The loss of bearen woman is only childlessness, but getting a son but ill treated then is a greater sorrow Eko eva hivan Dhyaayaa hSoko bhavathi maanasah . But Rama adviced his mother Dharma as a wife to Dasaratha is to live with husband only as long as he is alive. When Rama told as fate only is playing the role, Lakshmana said as cowards only fear fate and not the valiant. He was even about to go on war to bring back crown to Rama.Rama then told Kousalya as he dont want to swerve from the path of dharma .

with  BHARATHA

Rama left the palace and the kingdom , and came to the forest after the instructions  from both Kaikeyi and Dasaratha.Though  Bharatha was given with the kingdom, with the efforts of his mother Kaikeyi , he has refused to accept the same. He has avoided the palace, the pleasures and also dressed like Rama and proceeded to the forest to get back Rama. But Rama, respecting his father’s words ,decided to stay in forest for 14 full years ,and then only to return to Ayodhya. As per Bharatha's request Rama,  most mercifully gave away His
most divine Dhivya Paadhukas to him, but at the same time fulfilled the pithru vaakhya
paripaalanam. This greatest Bharatha’s such grandest character, sacrifice, detachment to pleasures, vairagyam, is exemplary in all respects and so  Azhwar calls him as “padi il gunatthu Bharatha nambhikku- Even thousand Ramas can not equal one Bharatha- said Kousalya. The greatness of Paadhukas thus became greater only due to this Bharatha’s such grandest deed. Ayodhyaa people wanted  Bharatha to be the king. But Bharatha  made the Paadhukas of Rama as its king. It seems the same thousand was taken into consideration by Sri  Vedanta Desikar . Paduka  Sahasram, one thousand verses on the sandals, in praise of the sacred sandals of Lord Sri Renganatha's lotus feet at Srirangam, was composed by him in a night, on request of the learned scholars of Srirangam realising that there was no strong Shloka on Sri RenaganathaSwamy at Srirangam. 

with  GUHA

Kausalya plays in the epic is rather short and her qualities come into the fore when Rama breaks the news of Bharata assuming the throne, followed by that of his going to the jungle. In Nandhigrama where Bharata is waiting for the arrival of Rama and decides to fall in fire when his arrival gets delayed,Kousalya behaved as a brave, practical and affectionate mother .Then Guha fell at her feet and Kausalya was introduced  after making enquiries about him. Kausalya consoles Guha who is in tears in seeing her in such a condition. She is not at all worried about what has happened. She sounds more like a mother who comforts her child, though her mind is set in agony at the death of her beloved husband and having to go through the pains of separation from her son. Though  there is a ray of hope in the action of Bharata to bring Rama back and her mind is also brimming with the hope that Rama may relent, she was restless throughout.  Kousalya thus told happily that they were in a position to meet the valiant Guha and Guha becoming fifth brother and  All the five of them may join together in unison  to protect this world.

Kousalya admired her daughter in law as Sita is an extraordinary woman to follow her husband sharing his misery and privation. Dasaratha narrated Kousalya, about Sarayu river incident in which he shoot one boy thinking him as an elephant drinking water. But later he found that he is a young boy of old parents. Later he was cursed by them to have a similar loss in my life. Dasaratha felt Rama's separation in this way. But, Kousalya later felt that a barren woman have only one grief. But when she is blessed with a noble son, she was not able to live him is a cruel . So she had more grief.  In our next topic of Woman in epics , in Ramayana the main character of Sita will be discussed with particular reference to her mother in law kousalya .