Valmiki Ramayana 2.10.1 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 10, Shloka 1

क्रोधागारप्रवेशः — Entry into the Chamber of Wrath

Kaikeyī’s Protest

Devanagari script

विदर्शिता यदा देवी कुब्जया पापया भृशम्।तदा शेते स्म सा भूमौ दिग्धविद्धेव किन्नरी।।।।

Transliteration

vidarśitā yadā devī kubjayā pāpayā bhṛśam |

tadā śete sma sā bhūmau digdhaviddheva kinnarī ||

Translation

Lorsque la reine eut l’esprit cruellement perverti par la bossue pécheresse, elle se coucha alors à même le sol, telle une kinnarī frappée d’une flèche empoisonnée.

Word by Word

• vidarśitā: having been instigated/misguided
• vidarśitā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√dṛś (धातु) + vidarśita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ‘misled/instigated’

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal conjunction (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• devī: the queen
• devī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kubjayā: by the hunchback (Mantharā)
• kubjayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kubjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pāpayā: sinful/wicked
• pāpayā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies kubjayā

• bhṛśam: exceedingly
• bhṛśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (तीव्रतावाचक अव्यय)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of time (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• śete: lies
• śete: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śī (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• sma: (indeed/used to)
• sma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: Past-narrative particle (स्म-निपात)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• digdha-viddhā: as if struck by a poisoned (arrow)
• digdha-viddhā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: digdha + viddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘poison-smeared and pierced/struck’; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies devī (by comparison)

• iva: like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Simile particle (उपमार्थक अव्यय)

• kinnarī: a kinnarī
• kinnarī: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kinnarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Context

Perversely advised by the extremely sinful hunchback the queen (Kaikeyi) lay down on the ground like a kinnari struck as though by a poisonous arrow.

Characters & Entities

• Kaikeyī
• Mantharā (kubjā)
• kinnarī

FAQs

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

The verse warns that adharma can enter through corrupt counsel: when one abandons discernment, the mind becomes wounded like by poison, leading to actions against truth and righteousness.

What is the narrative situation?

Mantharā has begun to inflame Kaikeyī’s fears and jealousy regarding Rāma’s coronation; Kaikeyī reacts dramatically, collapsing onto the floor in distress.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

By contrast (through negation), the needed virtue is viveka—discernment and steadiness—without which a person becomes vulnerable to manipulation.