Queen Kaikeyi was one of the three queen-wives of Dasharatha. She runs a guest advice column with Shreemati News from time to time. We are honored to have her contribute to our website and appreciate any wisdom she imparts. Readers are welcome to send in questions for the queen at [email protected]
Dear Queen Kaikeyi: Thank you so much for choosing to answer my question. It really should be quick. I just had a question about a situation at work that has arisen. I was in line to get one of the company’s biggest and most prestigious promotions. Everyone knew that I was a shoe-in for it. However, we hired on a new employee who happens to be the boss’s niece and it looks like she is going to take my position! I am so upset about this! I have worked hard for this reward and I do not think I am going to get it. A friend has been advising me to essentially take revenge on this new employee by sabotaging her work in any possible way. I just do not know if this is a good idea. Should I take revenge? Also, if I should, can you give me some pointers?
Anonymous Coworker
Dear Anonymous Coworker:
Do not take revenge. I repeat, DO NOT TAKE REVENGE. Even though you might think that you can get away with ruining any of this other employee’s hard work, somehow you will be found out or it will come back and haunt you. Karma has a way of doing that.
Let me explain how revenge is a bad decision with an example from my own life. When I was one of Dasharatha’s queen-wives, I had the pleasure of helping to raise Rama. He was such a good boy and it was obvious that he was Dasharatha’s favorite son. Even though he was not my son, I was proud of him and the fact he was probably going to become king. However, I was influenced by someone who shall remain unnamed. They convinced me that losing my title as “Queen Mother” was going to mean the end of the world. I am ashamed of what I did. I let this person get into my head and manipulated Dasharatha into banishing Rama for fourteen years. All I could think about was making sure I kept my title and that no one would be able to take that away from me. Dashharatha passed away later from a broken heart as you probably well remember. It took a very long time before my own son would even talk to me for the role I played in destroying the family.
I tell you that story to illustrate that there are consequences to every decision. Do not ruin your good standing at your company by playing petty games. I recommend that you keep working hard and I am sure that you will be rewarded ten-fold when your boss realizes your integrity. Having integrity and character is always more desirable than revenge.
Peace and Blessings, Kaikeyi
AUTHOR'S NOTE:: I wonder if anyone else scours news sites for inspiration for their Storybooks. I had a harder time this week trying to figure out a new way to add another story to a news website. I think that Kaikeyi talking about integrity and character in an advice column fits in with my idea of Shreemati News. She is a misunderstood character from the Ramayana. Even though she did let her jealousy get the best of her, I would like to think that she learned from her mistakes and became a better person. I could see her becoming a guest writer for Shreemati News to advise other women in their situations, especially women in powerful business positions. In the original story, Kaikeyi’s own son refuses to take the throne in order because he knew it was Rama’s position. He also made it so no other girl could ever be named Kaikeyi. However, when Rama came back, he convinced Bharata to forgive his mother. I could not imagine being Kaikeyi in that moment and seeing the son she had banished for fourteen years repair the relationship between her and her own son. The original can be found by reading R. K. Narayan’s The Ramayana (1978).