Shloka 2.35.7
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा (Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly)
पतिघ्नीं त्वामहं मन्ये कुलघ्नीमपि चान्ततः।।2.35.6।।यन्महेन्द्रमिवाजय्यं दुष्प्रकम्प्यमिवाचलम्।महोदधिमिवाक्षोभ्यं सन्तापयसि कर्मभिः।।2.35.7।।
mā vamaṃsthā daśarathaṃ bhartāraṃ varadaṃ patim | bhartur icchā hi nārīṇāṃ putra-koṭyā viśiṣyate ||2.35.8||
Do not despise Daśaratha—your husband, your sustainer, the giver of boons; for among women, a husband’s wish is said to outweigh even ten million sons.
King Dasaratha is invincible like Indra, unshakeable like a mountain and unperturbable like the ocean. By causing grief to him through your action I feel you are killing your husband (inch by inch). I think you are ultimately destroying your own race.
It asserts the primacy of honoring one’s marital and household obligations, treating contempt toward a righteous spouse as a breach of dharma.
Sumantra admonishes Kaikeyi not to scorn Dasaratha and appeals to traditional ideals of wifely duty and respect.
Dasaratha’s role as protector and benefactor (giver of boons) is emphasized, portraying him as deserving reverence rather than disdain.