Shloka 1
मन्थराकैकेयीसंवादः — Mantharā’s Counsel to Kaikeyī
Ayodhyā’s Succession Alarm
मन्थरा त्वभ्यसूयैनामुत्सृज्याभरणं च तत्।उवाचेदं ततो वाक्यं कोपदुःखसमन्विता।।2.8.1।।
mantharā tv abhyasūyainām utsṛjya ābharaṇaṃ ca tat | uvāca idaṃ tato vākyaṃ kopa-duḥkha-samanvitā || 2.8.1 ||
وأمّا مانثارا، وقد امتلأت حقدًا عليها، فطرحت ذلك الحُلِيَّ جانبًا؛ ثمّ، وهي مثقلة بالغضب والحزن، قالت هذه الكلمات.
Annoyed with Kaikeyi and filled with rage and sorrow, Manthara discarded the ornament (gifted to her) and said these words:
FAQs
The verse warns that envy and resentment distort judgment; when emotions govern speech, dharma and truth are easily undermined.
Mantharā begins to manipulate Kaikeyi: she rejects the gift and, in agitation, prepares to deliver provocative counsel.
By contrast (implicitly), the virtue needed is self-control (dama); Mantharā is shown as lacking it, driven by kopa and duḥkha.