Five Important Announcements That I Might Miss

“Those men who will again see Rama along with Sita, accompanied by the mighty-armed Lakshmana, returning home will be successful.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 72.38)

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सिद्धार्थास्ते नरा राममागतं सह सीतया
लक्ष्मणं च महाबाहुं द्रक्ष्यन्ति पुनरागतम्

siddhārthāste narā rāmamāgataṃ saha sītayā
lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahābāhuṃ drakṣyanti punarāgatam

1. From the radio

“Wait, what is going on? Why are the shelves empty? Is something disrupting the supply chain? I visit this supermarket frequently. This is not known to be the busy time of the day. Let me call home to see what is going on. Oh wow, there is a major snowstorm coming. I had no idea. I guess they have been announcing it on the radio the entire day. People are stockpiling provisions. That’s right, I said ‘provisions.’ Look it up.”

2. From the airport

“Sir, we are about to close the gate. Are you going to board the flight or not? Have you failed to notice that no one else is around you anymore? I am not sure why you are still sitting here. We have announced the departure several times. Everyone is waiting for you. Please hurry up.”

3. From the teacher

“Hold on, why is no one else taking out their textbook? You mean there is a test today. Without prior notice? She told everyone towards the end of the class yesterday? I had to step out for a minute, do you not remember? Someone should have told me. I did not study at all. I will not know any of the answers. Not cool.”

4. From the friend

“Hey, what are you doing here? You are surprising us or something? Hold on, you plan to stay for two weeks? Umm, we are not prepared. No, I never received any message from you. I had no idea. Don’t get me wrong, we are happy to see you. It’s just that we would have otherwise planned in advance. Anyway, come on in.”

5. From the departed

There are different opinions on this topic. One side says that you enter this world alone, and so you should leave this world in the same way. No one is really your friend. There are no eternal well-wishers. No one will always be by your side, ready to help. Everything is up to the Almighty. Follow the advice of the Upanishads, which depict the two birds on the branch of the tree that represents the material creation.

“The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanishad, as well as the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird (Krishna) is simply watching His friend. Of these two birds—although they are the same in quality—one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. Krishna is the witnessing bird, and Arjuna is the eating bird.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.22 Purport)

Another side considers it a great tragedy to have someone die alone. There should at least be one person by their side. This is to provide comfort and care on the journey to the next destination. In addition, there could be some important words of advice passed along. In that helpless state, the person departing might share something they have never previously revealed. A deathbed confession. They may finally feel free to speak openly about important topics.

In the case of the pious, dedicated, and celebrated bow-warrior named Bharata, the opportunity was missed. He happened to be away from the kingdom of Ayodhya during the moment of departure for the father, who was the king. Dasharatha left this world in seemingly tragic circumstances, unable to bear the separation from his beloved eldest son, Shri Rama. Dasharatha was partly to blame for that separation.

The community understood that everything started with Kaikeyi. She was the youngest queen to Dasharatha. She was also the mother of Bharata. It was because of her two requests that Rama, the beloved of all and the son of Queen Kausalya, had to leave Ayodhya and not return until many years later.

In this regard, Kaikeyi is something like a controversial figure from history. Some will view her actions as a lesson on the psychology of the female and how they should never be trusted. The joke is that as soon as a man enters into the marriage arrangement, like the craftiest detective with their magnifying glass, the wife begins her search for the greatest vulnerability. Whatever she can find that is the most cherished by the husband, she will hold onto that as a kind of ransom. She will use it to get what she wants, when she wants it. This will be the way she can fight back in any future disagreement.

At the same time, without Kaikeyi the Ramayana history would be quite short. There would be no kind visits to various ashramas by Sita, Rama, and His younger brother Lakshmana. There would be no meeting with Hanuman and the Vanaras. There would also be no justification for tackling the issue of the dreaded Rakshasas from Lanka.

We can also praise Kaikeyi for passing along the most important information. As we see from the above review, it is easy to miss an important announcement. Not everyone is tuned into the appropriate channels of communication at all times. Neither is there a reliable mechanism for replaying such announcements. There is hope if others are around, if they hear the information and then pass it along to those who were not around. These messengers should be reliable and trustworthy to carry the intended effect.

Kaikeyi happened to pass along the final words of King Dasharatha. She gave the message to her son, upon his return to Ayodhya. As the end was drawing near, Dasharatha declared that anyone who would see Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana return to the kingdom would be successful in life. The Sanskrit word is siddhartha. They will reach completion in their desired interest. The artha will be siddha. There will be perfection in the desire.

We could say that this is one of the primary benefits of the annual Diwali celebration. It is reliving the experience of Rama and family returning home. On the authority of the pious king, the husband of Kaikeyi, we can be assured of perfection in life by maintaining that vision.

In Closing:

To the next world left,
Of his association bereft.

The son absent on that day,
Wondering what father had to say.

The most important message heard,
By Kaikeyi passing along the word.

That blessed those in journey of life,
Seeing Lakshmana, Rama and His wife.