Shloka 2.9.46

मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च (Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons)

Devanagari script

तवेदं स्थगु यद्दीर्घं रथघोणमिवायतम्।।।।मतयः क्षत्रविद्याश्च मायाश्चात्र वसन्ति ते।

Transliteration

āsanyāḥ śambare māyāḥ sahasram asurādhipe |

sarvāḥ tvayi niviṣṭās tā bhūyaś cānyāḥ sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

A thousand stratagems once belonged to Śambara, lord of the Asuras; yet all of those are lodged in you—and beyond them, thousands more besides.

Context

Your clever thoughts, magic powers and also the skills of kshatriyas are stored in your huge hump which is as wide as the hub of a chariot wheel.

Characters & Entities

• Śambara
• Asuras
• Mantharā
• Kaikeyī

FAQs

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

The verse cautions against praising deceit as ‘skill.’ In dharmic terms, manipulation (māyā used for harm) corrupts judgment and leads to unrighteous outcomes.

What is the narrative situation?

Kaikeyī, influenced by Mantharā, flatters her by comparing her craftiness to the famed demon Śambara’s illusions.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

A distorted ‘virtue’—cleverness—is celebrated, but the epic frames such cleverness as morally dangerous when severed from satya (truth) and dharma.