Narayan Ravi - Mumbai

Ayyappa

Ploy to send Manikantha to the forest & the end of Mahishi.

When Rajasekhara brought baby Manikantha to the Panthalam family home, everyone except the Diwan (minister) was overjoyed. The Diwan considered Manikantha a threat to his own aspirations of ruling the kingdom after Rajasekhara. So he devised all possible evil plots to get rid of Manikantha. As a last resort, he approached the queen & said that it was improper for Manikantha to be declared the crown prince when her own son Rajarajan (born after Manikantha was adopted) was alive. He said that even the scriptures justified the telling of a lie in the interest of the welfare of society.

So he asked her to pretend to be ill with a severe headache. He also asked the royal physician to prescribe the milk of a lactating tigress as the only cure for the headache. When no one came forward to take up this task, Manikantha volunteered to go to the forest, much against the wishes of His foster father Rajasekhara. The reluctant king finally agreed, but insisted that Manikantha carry a small bag on His head, containing foodstuffs & 3-eyed coconuts as a symbol of Lord Shiva. This was exactly what the Diwan wanted. He thought Manikantha would be killed by the wild animals of the forest & he could easily usurp the kingdom once Manikantha was out of the way.

Rajasekhara watched his beloved son make His way to the dense forest with a heavy heart. Little did he know what was going to be revealed...

May Veeradhiveera - the bravest of the brave, bless one and all

Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa