Shloka 2.18.31

अष्टादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyī Discloses the Boons: Exile to Daṇḍaka and Bharata’s Consecration

Devanagari script

तमार्जवसमायुक्तमनार्या सत्यवादिनम्।उवाच रामं कैकेयी वचनं भृशदारुणम्।।।।

Transliteration

tam ārjava-samāyuktam anāryā satyavādinam |

uvāca rāmaṃ kaikeyī vacanaṃ bhṛśa-dāruṇam ||2.18.31||

Translation

Then Kaikeyī—ignoble in conduct—spoke to Rāma, who was devoted to straightforwardness and truth, words of extreme cruelty.

Context

To Rama who was devoted to truth and to rectitude of conduct the ignobale Kaikeyi said:

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Kaikeyī

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Ethics of speech and character: the text contrasts truthful rectitude with cruel, self-serving speech, implying that dharma includes how one speaks to the virtuous.

What is the narrative situation?

The narrator frames Kaikeyī’s forthcoming demand by highlighting Rāma’s virtues and the harshness of what she is about to say.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s ārjava (straightforward integrity) and satya (truthfulness), set against Kaikeyī’s moral deviation.