Queen Kaikeyi retreated to the inner room of her chambers, the room reserved for despondent mood. She took down her hair, threw about her jewels, and lay on the floor crying. When Dasarath found her there, he asked her what was wrong. She replied that she wanted to receive her two boons now, and when her concerned husband promised to grant whatever she wanted, she told him: “Grant that my son Bharat be crowned king instead of Rama, and send Rama into exile in the forest for 12 years!”
Dasarath could not retract his promise, and no one could dissuade Kaikeyi from her determination. Dasarath was a broken man.
Rama accepted the order as if His father had requested it, and both His brother Lakshman and His wife Sita insisted on accompanying Him into the forest. They all put on tree-bark garments that Kaikeyi had eagerly provided.