When Rama is told that He is to be crowned king, He quietly agrees to act according to His father’s wish. When it turns out that He is to go to the forest, as per the boon granted by Dasaratha to Kaikeyi, Rama willingly submits to His father’s will. He is neither elated at the prospect of becoming King. Nor is he saddened by the thought of spending fourteen years in exile, in the forest, separated from His family. He has no plans of taking Sita or Lakshmana with Him. It is only because of their insistence that He agrees to let them come along with Him. So, Rama treats both joy and sorrow alike, showing us that we must not respond emotionally to what happens in our lives.

In the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, verse 38, Lord Krishna advises Arjuna about what his attitude should be to events in his life, said Kidambi Narayanan, in a discourse. Krishna says: sukha dukhE samE krtvA lAbhAlAbhau jayAjayAu — treat success and failure, profit and loss, happy occurrences and unhappy ones just the same. And that is what Rama demonstrates through His responses to His father’s orders and Kaikeyi’s wishes. Think of a stick, that is carried along by river water. If the current is swift, the stick moves fast. If the water moves slowly, so does the stick. The stick has no control over its movement. We should be like the stick. It may be argued that the stick is inanimate, while we are not. But the message which we should take from this example is that we have to accept the inevitable. The Pandavas want their share of the kingdom, but Duryodhana denies them this. They are prepared to settle even for much less. But Duryodhana is not prepared to give them anything. And war is thus thrust on them. Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to do his duty, without worrying about the results.