Shloka 2.78.11

अष्टसप्ततितमः सर्गः — Śatrughna’s Fury and Bharata’s Restraint (Mantharā Episode)

Devanagari script

तीव्रमुत्पादितं दुःखं भ्रात्रूणां मे तथा पितुः।यया सेयं नृशंसस्य कर्मणः फलमश्नुताम्।।।।

Transliteration

tīvram utpāditaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhrātrūṇāṃ me tathā pituḥ | yayā seyaṃ nṛśaṃsasya karmaṇaḥ phalam aśnutām ||

Translation

“That woman by whom fierce sorrow has been brought upon my brothers and my father—let her herself reap the fruit of her cruel deed.”

Context

Let this woman, who caused deep sorrow to our brothers and father, reap the fruit of her malicious actions.

Characters & Entities

• Śatrughna
• brothers (Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata implied)
• father (Daśaratha implied)
• Mantharā (implied as the ‘she’)

FAQs

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

The verse invokes karma-phala (moral causality): harmful actions generate consequences. Yet it also warns, by implication, that righteous order should not be replaced by personal vengeance.

What is the narrative situation?

Śatrughna reacts to the suffering inflicted on the royal family and declares that the instigator should face the results of her wrongdoing.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Loyalty to family and moral outrage against adharma—Śatrughna’s protective commitment toward his brothers and father.