Kaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, kaikeyī), in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was the youngest of King Dasaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhya. She was the mother of Bharata. The word Kaikeyi in Sanskrit means "belonging to Kaikey" or "of Kaikeya" and it is argued by some that this Kaikeya refers to the place which we now call Chechnya. The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... Dasaratha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST DaÅ›aratha) in Hindu history is the king of Ayodhya and a descendant of Raghuvamsa. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ayodhya   (Hindi: अयोध्या, Urdu: ایودھیا IAST Ayodhyā) is an ancient city of India, the old capital of Awadh, in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. ... For other uses, see Mother (disambiguation). ... In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata (Sanskrit: भरत, IAST Bharata) was the second brother of the main protagonist Lord Rama, and the son of Emperor Dasaratha and Kaikeyi of the Solar Dynasty. ...

Once, during a war, Dasaratha's chariot's wheel broke. At this time of distress, Kaikeyi, who happened to be with him at that time, came to his rescue and fixed the chariot. Touched by this timely service, Dasaratha offered her two boons. However, Kaikeyi chose to ask those boons later.

Perhaps as a result of being the youngest of three, she was somewhat insecure in her heart, in that she feared that the king did not love her as much as he loved his other queens. Kaikeyi's maid Manthara wished to advance her own status at court by having Bharata crowned, which would make Kaikeyi Queen Mother. Manthara would therefore have powerful support for whatever plans caught her attention. To that end, she convinced Kaikeyi to order the crown-prince Rama banished.""

Keeping this intention in mind, Kaikeyi asked Dasaratha the two boons. One,to have Rama exiled to a forest for 14 years, and two, to have her own son Bharata made the crown-prince.

Kaikeyi came to regret her actions when Dasaratha died of a broken heart. She came to blame herself for this death. Bharata, too, blamed her; he is said never to have called her "mother" again. Manthara was eventually forgiven by Rama although could have been killed by Shatrughna in his bout of anger. The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

However,there exists a very common misconception on Kaikeyi's villanious prtrayal in Ramayana. If one studies the actual Ramayana written by valmiki ji,there exosts a legend which shows that Kaikeyi was indeed a great lady.

Once Lord Rama approached his mother Kaikeyi for a discussion.He confronted to her that he was infact the avataar of Lord Vishnu in tretayug on the earth and the right time had come for him to leave ayodhya and leave for Lanka to fight the emperor of the Asuras,the great mahapandit Ravana. Kaikeyi was astonished at hearing this.Lord Rama then told her the motive behind him telling her all this.He told her that he needed some action to take place so that he alongwith brother Lakshman and wife Sita, be forced to leave Ayodhya for 14 years by means of Vanvaasa ( forest abode ). He, thus, asked mother Kaikeyi for biggest of all sacrifices which meant to take this responsibility of being the cause behind Lord Rama's leaving of Ayodhya. He even warned mother Kaikeyi in advance that her name would absolutely and undoubtedly become a symbol of shame and disgrace for the generations ahead to follow and even the historians would write down her name in the history books as an evil spirit who had no love for her step-son. Kaikeyi was a bold,strong and very wise woman. Seeing that the Almighty Lord Narayan himself was asking her for a favour during the process of his Avataar on the earth, she couldn't feel more happy and bestowed with best wishes of the Lord himself. That sacrifice, of being written off as a wicked and evil woman and an idol of shameful motherhood, seemed too small a sacrifice to her when Lord himself was asking her for a favour. Lord would not only grant her mosha but eventually give her a place in baikuntha,which is the Lord's abode itself. She understood that for the welfare of society and the masses,she had to sacrifice her identity because one doesn't get such opportunities in every life to become the Lord's most favourite and loved one. Thus, kaikeyi did all that she could to make sure Lord Rama left Ayodhya for 14 years and though her decision was a boon for the society as it gave us the epic named RAMAYANA, yet she was left unsung by the historians.

See also

• Kausalya
• Sumitra

Kausalya (Sanskrit: कौशल्या, kouÅ›alyā), in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was the eldest of King Dasarathas three wives and a queen of Ayodhya. ... Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaike are the three wives of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, in the 24,000-verse Sanskrit epic called the Ramayana, and the mothers of the heroes Rama, Bharatha, and Lakshmana. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... Valmiki composes the Ramayana Maharishi Valmiki (Sanskrit: वाल्मिकी, vālmikÄ«) is the author of the Hindu epic Ramayana. ... Dasaratha in Hindu mythology is the king of Ayodhya and a descendant of Raghuvamsa. ... Kausalya (Sanskrit: कौशल्या, kouÅ›alyā), in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was the eldest of King Dasarathas three wives and a queen of Ayodhya. ... Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaike are the three wives of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, in the 24,000-verse Sanskrit epic called the Ramayana, and the mothers of the heroes Rama, Bharatha, and Lakshmana. ... In ancient India, Janaka (Sanskrit: जनक, janaka) or Raja Janaka (राजा जनक, rājā janaka) was the king of Mithila Kingdom. ... Manthara, in the Hindu epic Ramayana, is a servant who convinced Kaikeyi that the Ayodhya throne belonged to her son Bharata and that Rama should be exiled from the kingdom. ... Rama ( in IAST, in DevanāgarÄ«) or Ramachandra is a legendary or historical king of ancient India. ... In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata (Sanskrit: भरत, IAST Bharata) was the second brother of the main protagonist Lord Rama, and the son of Emperor Dasaratha and Kaikeyi of the Solar Dynasty. ... Lakshaman (far left) with Rama (centre), Sita (far right) and Hanuman (kneeling) - Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple, Watford, England Lakshmana (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण; IAST Laká¹£maṇa) was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana. Within Hindu tradition Lakshmana is considered to be... Shatrughna (Sanskrit: शत्रुघ्न, á¹£atrughna), in Hindu epic Ramayana was the youngest brother of Lord Rama. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ... In Hindu epic Ramayana, Urmila was the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and the younger sister of Sita. ... In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Mandavi was the daughter of Kushadvaja, a brother of King Janaka of Mithila and hence a cousin of Sita. ... In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Shrutakirti was the daughter of Kushadvaja, a brother of King Janaka of Mithila and hence a cousin of Sita. ... Brahmarshi Vishvamitra (Sanskrit all-friend) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of since ancient times in India. ... Ahalya (Sanskrit: अहल्या, ahalyā) was the wife of Rishi Gautama. ... Ravana cuts Jatayus wings, by Ravi Varma In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Jatayu (Sanskrit: जटायू, jatāyÅ«) is the son of Aruna and nephew of Garuda. ... In Hindu mythology, Sampati was one of the two sons of Aruna the brother of Garuda. ... Hanuman (Sanskrit: ; nominative singular ), known also as Anjaneya, is one of the most important personalities in the Indian epic, the Ramayana. ... In Hinduism, Sugriva was the younger brother of Vali. ... In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Vali was the monkey-King of Kishkindha, a son of Indra and the elder brother of Sugriva. ... In Hinduism, Angada is a Vanara who helped Rama find Sita in the Hindu epic Ramayana. ... Jambavantha (also known as Jambavan or Jamvanta) (Sanskrit: (जाम्‍बवान) is a bear in Hinduism and believe to lived from Treta Yuga to Dvapara Yuga. ... Vibhishana (Sanskrit: विभीषण, ) is a character in the epic Ramayana. ... For the municipality in the Philippines, see Taraka, Lanao del Sur. ... Surpanakha is Ravanas sister in the epic Ramayana Surpanakha is Ravanas sister in the epic Ramayana. ... In Hindu mythology, Maricha was a demon who played a very important part in twisting the tale of Ramayana. ... Subahu, in Hindu mythology was a demon who tried to interrupt Viswamitras yaga. ... Khara, in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was a man-eating Rakshasa. ... A depiction of Ravana, Hindu rakshasa King of Lanka In Hinduism, Ravana; sometimes transliterated as Raavana or Ravan or Revana) is the principal antagonist of Rama in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. ... Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, kumbhakarNa), in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was a Rakshasa and brother of Ravana. ... Mandodari (Sanskrit: मंदोदरी) was the daughter of the King of Danavas, Mayasura and celestial dancer, Hema. ... In Hindu mythology, Maya, or Mayasura was a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya and Rakshasa races upon earth. ... Sumali is the grandfather of Ravana the principal antagonist of the Hindu epic, Ramayana . ... Victory of Meghanada. ... In the Hindu epic the Ramayana, Prahasta was a powerful rakshasa warrior and chief commander of Ravanas army of Lanka. ... Akshayakumara was one of the sons of Ravana. ... Atikaya was the son of Lord of Lanka, Ravana and Queen Dhanyamalini, who was the second wife of Ravana. ... Lava and his twin brother Kusha are the children of the Hindu God Rama and his wife Sita Devi, whose story is told in the Ramayana. ... Kusha (Sanskrit: कुश), in Hindu mythology, was one of the twin sons of Lord Rama and Sita (the other being Lava). ... Ayodhya   (Hindi: अयोध्या, Urdu: ایودھیا IAST Ayodhyā) is an ancient city of India, the old capital of Awadh, in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. ... Mithila (Sanskrit: मिथिला, mithilā) was a kingdom in ancient India. ... Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the evil king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. ... The Sarayu (also Sarju; Dev. ... The Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas, or ages of man, in the religion of Hinduism, following the Satya Yuga of perfect morality and preceding the Dvapara Yuga. ... // Introduction Raghuvamsa, in Hindu mythology is believed to be a lineage/race of warrior kings tracing its ancestry to Surya. ... Lakshman Rekha (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण रेखा), in Hindu mythology, is a line drawn by Lakshmana around their abode, to protect Sita, while he is away searching for Rama. ... The Aditya Hridayam, is a hymn associated with the Sun or Surya and was recited by the great sage Agastya to Rama on the battlefield before fighting with Ravana. ... Oshadhiparvata, that is the mountain of medicinal herbs, was a mythical mountain described in the Ramayana. ... Sundara Kanda is a book of almost unbelievable spiritual quality which is reputed by its readers to be virtually death defying. ... In Hindu mythology, Vedavati is speculated to have been the spirit of Sita Devi, the wife of Rama in the epic Ramayana. ... Vanara is a Sanskrit word literally meaning monkey or inhabitants of forests=like the primitive tribes (probably vaanar as pronounced in hindi). ...

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