From the ethical perspective, this incident illustrates our human vulnerability to disinformation - it shows how even good people can get misled into doing terrible things.
The Imaginary Bharata Versus the Real Bharata
- Kaikeyi even after seeing her king Dasharatha being crushed by anguish lost her sympathy and empathy for him and even for the rest of Ayodhya. Her transmogrification from wise, kind, and gentle to foolish, cruel, and harsh was unbelievable.
- In her imagination, she had fashioned a Bharata who lauded her actions. When the real Bharata condemned those very actions, she realized to her horror that the Bharata who lauded her was nothing more than her imagination. As that imaginary Bharata died a quick death, so did her rationalization.
- How did Kaikeyi become so misled? By a double blunder - she believed uncritically whatever Manthara told her, and she didn't seek any second opinion. She let herself be so persuaded by just one peron's view that she rejected everyone else's advice.
Don't Just Talk about Others; Talk with Others
- As Manthara was for Kaikeyi, we too may have some people who seem to be like our well-wishers, but who end up coming between us and our actual well-wishers.
- By drawing an imaginary line between unconnected events and planting unwarranted suspicions in our heart, such disinformers may paint a grim picture that we will soon be betrayed.
- A common blunder we make is that we often talk about people instead of talking with people.
- We can minimize these conflicts by seeking clarifications. Clarifications need to be sought in a way that we don't let them realize or feel that we are indicating that they have done something wrong. If others don't have any hint of where we are coming from, then our voicing the suspicion itself may hurt them greivously.
- So instead of making a value judgment of any kind, we can just present facts and seek explanations.
Spiritual Empowerment
- For protecting ourselves from disinformation, we need to strengthen our intellectual and ethical muscles.
- With stronger intellects, we can penetrate to the actual beyond the apparent, thereby showing good judgment and disapproving the disinformation.
- The process of Bhakti-Yoga helps us strengthen both these muscles. Devotional study of scripture sharpens our discerning power and hones our intellectual muscles.
- Devotional remembrance of the Lord provides a higher inner fulfilment that empowers us to say no to lower temptaions.
- If we compare Ayodhya to our heart, then Manthara is like the mind. The mind comes up with the deadly duo of doubt and desire - doubt paralyzes our devotion and desire aggravates our worldly infatuation. Being misled by the mind, we become like Kaikeyi and exile the Lord from our heart.