Shloka 2.9.40
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च (Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons)
सन्ति दुस्संस्थिताः कुब्जा वक्राः परमदारुणाः।।।।त्वं पद्ममिव वातेन सन्नता प्रियदर्शना।त्वं पद्ममिव वातेन सन्नता प्रियदर्शना।
santi dussaṁsthitāḥ kubjā vakrāḥ parama-dāruṇāḥ |
tvaṁ padmam iva vātena sannatā priya-darśanā |
tvaṁ padmam iva vātena sannatā priya-darśanā ||
There are hunchbacks ill-formed, crooked, and dreadful to behold; but you, lovely to look upon, are like a lotus gently bent by the wind, pleasing to the eye.
There are many hunchbacks in this world, terribly ugly with their bodies misshaped and crooked. But you look beautiful like a lotus bent by the breeze.
Flattery can be used as a tool that clouds truth. Dharma calls for speech that is satya (truthful) and hita (beneficial), not manipulative praise that deepens delusion.
Kaikeyī, now emotionally aligned with Mantharā, praises her appearance—reinforcing intimacy and dependence.
The verse indirectly stresses the virtue of truthful speech; Kaikeyī’s exaggerated praise shows how judgment can be distorted when one seeks allies for an unethical goal.