Shloka 2.8.34

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

Devanagari script

एवं ते ज्ञातिपक्षस्य श्रेयश्चैव भविष्यति।यदि चेद्भरतो धर्मात्पित्र्यं राज्यमवाप्स्यसि।।2.8.34।।

Transliteration

evaṃ te jñātipakṣasya śreyaś caiva bhaviṣyati |

yadi ced bharato dharmāt pitryaṃ rājyam avāpsyasi ||2.8.34||

Translation

Thus there will indeed be welfare for you and for your whole kin-group, if Bharata, by righteousness (dharma), obtains the ancestral kingdom.

Context

If Bharata secures the ancestral kingdom righteously, it will bring welfare to you and to your relations also.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• pitrya-rājya (ancestral kingdom)
• jñāti (kinsmen/relatives—Kaikeyī’s natal faction)

FAQs

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

It invokes dharma as the legitimizing basis of kingship (“righteously obtaining the ancestral kingdom”), while also showing how the language of dharma can be used rhetorically to justify partisan advantage.

What is the narrative situation?

Mantharā concludes her line of persuasion by promising prosperity to Kaikeyī’s kin if Bharata gains the throne ‘by dharma,’ even as her broader counsel aims to displace Rāma through coercive boons.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The virtue named is dharmic legitimacy in rule; the verse invites students to distinguish genuine dharma from politically convenient claims.