Shloka 2.35.18
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा (Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly)
तव मातुरसद्ग्राहं विद्मः पूर्वं यथाश्रुतम्।पितुस्ते वरदः कश्चिद्ददौ वरमनुत्तमम्।।2.35.18।।सर्वभूतरुतं तस्मात्संजज्ञे वसुधाधिपः। तेन तिर्यग्गतानां च भूतानां विदितं वचः।।2.35.19।।
abhijātyaṃ hi te manye yathā mātuḥ tathaiva ca |
na hi nimbāt sravet kṣaidraṃ loke nigaditaṃ vacaḥ ||2.35.17||
I think your breeding matches your mother’s. For it is a saying in the world: ‘Honey does not flow from a neem tree.’
We have heard in the past about the evil (stubborn) nature of your mother. Once a bestower of boons conferred an extraordinary boon on your father by virtue of which he could tell the sounds of all living beings. He also understood the language of all crookedly moving creatures.
Dharma stresses cultivation of good character and truthful self-examination; inherited tendencies are not destiny, but the verse critiques how repeated unethical choices reveal one’s moral formation.
Sumantra intensifies his rebuke by linking Kaikeyi’s present cruelty to a reputed pattern associated with her maternal lineage, using a common proverb.
Frankness in counsel: Sumantra speaks bluntly, prioritizing moral truth over courtly politeness.