Valmiki Ramayana 2.35.19 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 35, Shloka 19
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा
Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly
तव मातुरसद्ग्राहं विद्मः पूर्वं यथाश्रुतम्।पितुस्ते वरदः कश्चिद्ददौ वरमनुत्तमम्।।2.35.18।।सर्वभूतरुतं तस्मात्संजज्ञे वसुधाधिपः। तेन तिर्यग्गतानां च भूतानां विदितं वचः।।2.35.19।।
tava mātur asad-grāhaṃ vidmaḥ pūrvaṃ yathāśrutam |
pitus te varadaḥ kaścid dadau varam anuttamam ||2.35.18||
sarva-bhūta-rutaṃ tasmāt saṃjajñe vasudhādhipaḥ |
tenā tiryag-gatānāṃ ca bhūtānāṃ viditaṃ vacaḥ ||2.35.19||
Depuis longtemps, nous avons entendu parler de l’obstination perverse de ta mère. Un certain dispensateur de grâces accorda jadis à ton père un boon sans pareil ; par lui, le seigneur de la terre comprit les cris de tous les êtres, et même la parole des créatures qui se meuvent de travers, les animaux, lui devint connue.
We have heard in the past about the evil (stubborn) nature of your mother. Once a bestower of boons conferred an extraordinary boon on your father by virtue of which he could tell the sounds of all living beings. He also understood the language of all crookedly moving creatures.
FAQs
Dharma includes accountability across generations: patterns of unethical stubbornness (asad-grāha) are remembered and judged; truth (satya) about character and consequences is asserted as a corrective.
Sumantra introduces a background tale about Kaikeyi’s maternal influence and a boon granted to her father, setting up a moral critique of Kaikeyi’s present resolve.
Commitment to truth-telling (satya-vacana): Sumantra uses remembered tradition and narrative precedent to confront wrongdoing.
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