Shloka 2.9.47
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च (Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons)
अत्र ते प्रतिमोक्ष्यामि मालां कुब्जे हिरण्मयीम्।।।।अभिषिक्ते च भरते राघवे च वनं गते।
tavedam sthagu yad dīrghaṃ rathaghoṇam ivāyatam |
matayaḥ kṣatravidyāś ca māyāś cātra vasanti te ||
That long hump of yours—broad like a chariot’s hub—houses your shrewd designs, your kṣatriya-like tactics, and your arts of deception as well.
O hunchback, with Rama gone to the forest and Bharata consecrated, I shall drape this hump with a golden garland.
The verse highlights how adharma can be normalized through praise. Dharmic counsel should be rooted in truth and welfare, not in deceit or self-serving strategy.
Kaikeyī continues flattering Mantharā, attributing her ‘statecraft’ and deceptive capacity to her hump in a mocking yet approving tone.
Negative traits are spotlighted: cunning and manipulative planning, presented as ‘skill,’ contrasting with the Ramayana’s ideal of upright, truthful wisdom.