Shloka 2.86.16

लक्ष्मणगुणवर्णनम् — Lakshmana’s Vigil and Guha’s Testimony

Devanagari script

जीवेदपि च मे माता शत्रुघ्नस्यान्ववेक्षया।दुःखिता या तु कौसल्या वीरसूर्विनशिष्यति।।।।

Transliteration

jīved api ca me mātā śatrughnasyānvavekṣayā | duḥkhitā yā tu kausalyā vīrasūr vinaśiṣyati ||

Translation

My mother may yet live, sustained by watching over Śatrughna; but Kausalyā, mother of a hero, will perish, crushed by grief.

Context

My mother might live, looking at Satrughna. But Kausalya, who is the mother of a hero, will die from extreme grief.

Characters & Entities

• Sumitrā
• Śatrughna
• Kausalyā
• Lakṣmaṇa
• Guha

FAQs

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

Dharma is care and responsibility within family roles: Lakṣmaṇa notes how a mother’s survival can depend on her duty and attachment to her remaining child.

What is the narrative situation?

Lakṣmaṇa differentiates the likely fates of Sumitrā and Kausalyā in the aftermath of Rāma’s exile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kausalyā’s depth of love and the cost of separation; also Sumitrā’s sustaining duty toward Śatrughna.