International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) ISSN 2249-6912 Vol. 3, Issue 4, Oct 2013, 123-128 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd. IMAGES OF MOTHER IN RAMAYANA AND SUNDIATA. A COMPARATIVE CRITIQUE ROSHAN BENJAMIN KHAN Professor and Head, A. B. V. Govt. Arts and Commerce College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India ABSTRACT Women in Ramayana (India) and Sundiata (Mali) manage to stand out because of how they portray themselves as important, towards their children. In critical analysis of the images of motherhood in both these epics Ramayana and Sundiata, the mothers come across as the power, “SHAKTI” image which changes the destiny of their respective heroes, Rama in Ramayana and Sundiata in Sundiata. In Ramayana the mother of Rama, Kaushalya and his step mother Kaikeyi and in Sundiata the mother of Sundiata, Sologon as mothers Djata and his step mother Sassouma Berete play a unique role in the formation of great dynasties through these hero’s. They are clearly influential and their strength of character is defined in the relationship between son and mother. In Sundiata , the king of Mali Magan Kon Fatta marries a hunch back Sologon Djata because he is foretold by soothsayers that she is destined to bear a very special son,and he tries to make Sundiata his heir even though Dankaran Touman, his older son by his first wife , is able to muster more support because of his mothers royal blood. That the first wife Sassouma Berete , uses her connections to make Dankaran Touman the heir to the throne despite dead kings wishes to make Sundiata as king. Hence Sundiata along with his mothers, sister, and cousin are send to exile. Sologon’s strength of character keeps the remainder of the family together in exile and gives Sundiata the resolve to return back home to rid the country of the usurper. In Ramayana too we find that Kaushalya the eldest queen of Dashrath and mother of Rama fails miserably to secure rights as an heir for her son Rama even though Dashrath is in favour of Rama to be on the throne. Whereas the youngest queen Kaiketyi is successful in sending Rama to exile and produce throne for her own son Bharata. When we read these epics we find that there are a lot of similarities in the portrayal of the image of mothers. In this paper we have tried to thrown light on the role of mothers in two different cultures and religion and how they come very close to each other when a comparative study is done on the image of mothers be it s Hindu society as seen in Ramayana or Muslim society as seen in Sundiata. KEYWORDS: Mother, influential, strength of character, exile, rid the country of the usurper, Hindu and Muslim society INTRODUCTION “In a society governed by wisdom and heritage, family strives. There is peace and harmony which is interpreted as the power of destiny.” The two great epics, Ramayana of India and Sundiata of Mali are bristle with irony. The ostensible root of the misfortunes visited upon the protagonist is the bedrock on which these epics are founded. Would the world have the song celestial if, Rama or Sundiata was devoid of fourteen years of exile? The great epic Ramayana and Sundiata, each representing two different cultures, Ramayana forms the background of Hinduism and Sundiata Muslim culture of Mali, teaches lessons to the whole of humanity of family harmony and interpersonal relations where everyone lives for the other unlike the case of individual self centered humans. In both the societies women are often considered unimportant. But the women in both the epics manage to stand out because they 124 Roshan Benjamin Khan portray themselves as important as a mother would portray herself towards her child. They use their power of women hood in their culture to remain important. The mother assumes the role of a teacher, imparting all good aspects of learning, in turn achieves obedience and respects of their children. Grooming them in a way, where they anticipate their mother’s desires and needs, to their full satisfaction. Their mothers prepare them for great sacrifices in the interest of family and humanity. Implicit obedience to the parent’s words is the main feature of the family relationship according to ancient- wisdom. Rama and Sundiata heroes of the epics sacrificed the throne in spite of being prophesied to be the heir to their father’s kingdom, thereby fulfilling the wishes of their parents for the betterment of society and humanities.“It is difficult for the children to repay the debt of what the mother and the father have done to bring them up.”1 -Valmiki Ramayan 2.111.9. Ramayana is an Indian epic, which delineates with extreme clarity and the precision, the righteous conduct of human relationships of all types. Sundiata has no end, to the variety of relations between man and man, man and woman and it may be surprising that the ideal behavior of almost every human relationship, has been depicted in these epics. For every human situation, for every intricate relation, ideal answer worthy of emulation by all people, at all times is in Ramayana and Sundiata. Ramayana, an Indian epic and Sundiata, the epic of Mali, is the critical analysis of the images of motherhood where the mothers come across as the power and jealousy which changes the destiny of the respective heirs, Rama in Ramayana and Sundiata in Sundiata. In Ramayana the mother of Rama, Kaushalya and his step mother Kaikeyi, and Sundiata’s mother Sologon Djata and his stepmother, Sassouma Berete plays a unique role in the formation of great dynasties through these hero’s. They are clearly influential and their strength of character is defined in the relationship between son and mother. In Sundiata, the king, Maghan Kon Fatta, marries Sogolon Djata because he is foretold by soothsayers that she is destined to bear a very special son, “Mysteries of mysteries , this is the woman you must marry, sire, for she will be the mother of him who will make the name of Mali immortal forever. The child will be the seventh star, the seventh conqueror of earth. He will be more mighty than Alexander,”2 and he tries to make Sundiata his heir even though Dankaran Touman, his older son by his first wife, is able to muster more support because of his mother's royal blood. That first wife, Sassouma Berete, uses her connections to make Dankaran Touman the heir to the throne despite dead king's wishes to make Sundiata as King. “Nare Maghan determined to solemnize his wedding with all the customary formalities so that nobody could dispute the rights of the son to be born to him.”3 Hence Sundiata along with his mother, sisters and cousin are sent to exile. Sogolon's strength of character keeps the remainder of the family together in exile and gives Sundiata the resolve to return home to rid the country of the usurper. In Ramayana too we find that Kaushalaya , one of the queen of the king Dasharath and the mother of Rama, miserably fails to secure kingdom for her son Rama, even though Dhasrath is in favour of Rama to be on the throne. “True to Law and true to Duty while I rule this kingdom fair,Wherefore would you see my Rama seated as the Regent Heir?"4 Whereas the youngest queen Kaikeyi is successful in sending Rama to exile and procure throne for her own son Bharata.“ By these rites ordained for Rama,-such the news my menials bring,--Let my Bharat, and not Rama, be anointed Regent King,Wearing skins and matted tresses, in the cave or hermit's cell, Fourteen years in Dandak's forests let the elder Rama dwell,These are Queen Kaikeyi's wishes, these are boons for which I pray,I would see my son anointed, Rama banished on this day!"5 “The son of another is always the son of another” 6 Kaikeyi, the queen of king Dasharatha, was the real mother of Bharata and step mother of Rama. Sassouma Berte, the queen of King Nare Maghan Kon Fatta was the real mother of Dankaran Touman and step mother of Sundiata. The Images of Mother in Ramayana and Sundiata. A Comparative Critique 125 very name of these stepmothers, Kaikeyi and Sassouma Berte sprouts from the administration, belonging to royal blood. They were manipulators and knew the art of the war. The secret of these young women was exceptional. Their characters were a high and abstract ambition. They could have borne to live an undistinguished life but not be forgotten in history. Their yearning desire had transformed to hope and this hope, long cherished in them, was to beam on their pathway to spring as a ruler mother, through their son. In the epic Ramayana, the daughter of the mighty king Ashwapati, was Kaikeyi. She married king Dasaratha with a vow to her father that her borne son, would succeed as the future king of Ayodhya. The term Kaikeyī in Sanskrit means "belonging to the Kaikeyas"7 referring the ruling family of the Kekaya clan, to whom Kaikeyī belonged. King, Maghan Kon Fatta’s first wife was called , “Sossuma Berete, daughter of a great divine…” 8 Sossuma Berete and Kaikeyi’s personality, is worth presenting and provides a strong clue to motivations to be women in power. Only sister to seven brothers, Kaikeyi grew up without a maternal influence and was raised by a vet nurse, Manthara, who accompanied Kaikeyi to Ayodhya as a trusted maid upon her marriage to Dasaratha. In Sundiata, Sassouma Berte harbored a deep distrust of men in general and husbands in particular, and to considering his love as “fickle” and “passing” in nature.