Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 8, Shloka 35
मन्थराकैकेयीसंवादः — Mantharā’s Counsel to Kaikeyī
Ayodhyā’s Succession Alarm
स ते सुखोचितो बालो रामस्य सहजो रिपुः।समृद्धार्थस्य नष्टार्थो जीविष्यति कथं वशे।।2.8.35।।
sa te sukhocito bālo rāmasya sahajo ripuḥ |
samṛddhārthasya naṣṭārtho jīviṣyati kathaṃ vaśe || 2.8.35 ||
That boy—your Bharata—accustomed to ease, is by nature a rival to Rāma. Stripped of all means, how will he live under the sway of a prosperous Rāma?
I pity your false notion. Will any wise woman rejoice at the prosperity of the son of a co-wife who is like an enemy? This is like (courting) death.
FAQs
It implicitly warns that attachment to comfort and status makes one vulnerable; dharma calls for restraint and truthfulness, whereas this counsel pushes suspicion and hostility.
Mantharā tries to convince Kaikeyī that Bharata cannot endure subordination if Rāma rules, thereby urging Kaikeyī to intervene.
By contrast (negatively), it highlights the need for equanimity and humility; the verse assumes Bharata’s dependence on luxury as a weakness.