Shloka 2.9.41
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च (Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons)
उरस्तेऽभिनिविष्टं वै यावत्स्कन्धात् समुन्नतं।।।।अधस्ताच्चोदरं शातं सुनाभमिव लज्जितम्।
uras te 'bhiniviṣṭaṁ vai yāvat skandhāt samunnatam |
adhastāc ca udaraṁ śātaṁ sunābham iva lajjitam ||
Your bosom is full and rises up to the shoulders; beneath it your belly is slender, with a lovely navel, as though modestly hidden.
Your breasts are thick and are as high as your shoulders. Beneath them lies your belly with its beautiful navel (waist) looking slender as if out of bashfulness.
The scene illustrates ethical distraction: when one’s mind turns to sensual or flattering speech, moral clarity about duty and truth can weaken.
Kaikeyī continues praising Mantharā in intimate, bodily detail, signaling deepening attachment and susceptibility.
The implied virtue is restraint (dama) in speech and attention; without it, one becomes easier to manipulate away from dharma.