Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 35, Shloka 28
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा
Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly
सत्यश्चाद्य प्रवादोऽयं लौकिकः प्रतिभाति मा। पितृन् समनुजायन्ते नरा मातरमङ्गनाः।।2.35.28।।
satyaś cādya pravādo ’yaṁ laukikaḥ pratibhāti mā | pitṝn samanujāyante narā mātaram aṅganāḥ ||2.35.28||
Today this common saying seems true to me: sons take after their fathers, and daughters take after their mothers.
The generally accepted saying in this world that 'sons resemble the father and, daughters the mother' appears true to me today.
FAQs
Moral formation and responsibility: character is shaped by upbringing and example, so one must guard against inheriting or repeating wrongdoing.
Sumantra uses a proverb to imply that Kaikeyi’s conduct mirrors her mother’s earlier behavior in the recalled episode.
Self-awareness and ethical independence—one should not imitate harmful patterns even if they are familial or customary.
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