Shloka 2.8.25

मन्थराकैकेयीसंवादः — Mantharā’s Counsel to Kaikeyī (Ayodhyā’s Succession Alarm)

Devanagari script

असावत्यन्तनिर्भग्नस्तव पुत्रो भविष्यति।अनाथवत्सुखेभ्यश्च राजवंशाच्च वत्सले।।2.8.25।।

Transliteration

asāv atyanta-nirbhagnas tava putro bhaviṣyati | anāthavat sukhebhyaś ca rājavaṃśāc ca vatsale || 2.8.25 ||

Translation

Your son will be utterly crushed, O dear one—like an orphan, cut off from comforts and from the royal line of succession.

Context

O (Kaikeyi) dear! cut off from royal succession as well as from its comforts, your son will become totally forlorn and broken-hearted.

Characters & Entities

• Kaikeyī
• Bharata (implied by 'your son')
• Royal lineage (rājavaṃśa)

FAQs

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

It demonstrates how attachment can be weaponized against dharma: fear for one’s child can lead to unethical choices unless tempered by truth, justice, and the wider good.

What is the narrative situation?

Mantharā escalates the emotional pressure, predicting Bharata’s ruin to provoke Kaikeyī into acting against Rāma’s coronation.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The implied virtue is impartiality and adherence to satya in decision-making; the verse shows the opposite tactic—emotional manipulation to override righteous judgment.