Valmiki Ramayana 2.8.3: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 8, Shloka 3
मन्थराकैकेयीसंवादः · Mantharā’s Counsel to Kaikeyī
Ayodhyā’s Succession Alarm
मनसा प्रहसामि त्वां देवि दुःखार्दिता सती ।
यच्छोचितव्ये हृष्टाऽसि प्राप्येदं व्यसनं महत् ॥३॥
manasā prahasāmi tvāṃ devi duḥkhārditā satī |
yac chocitavye hṛṣṭā ’si prāpya idaṃ vyasanaṃ mahat ||3||
Ô Reine, bien que je sois accablée de douleur, je ris de toi en mon for intérieur : car là où tu devrais te lamenter, tu te réjouis, alors même que ce grand malheur t’est advenu.
O queen! at a time when this great misfortune has befallen you, you are rejoicinginstead of feeling miserable. I am indeed laughing at you at heart.
FAQs
It underscores the need for right discernment (viveka) in moral life: rejoicing at what is framed as another’s success can be portrayed as dangerous when driven by rivalry; dharma requires truthful appraisal rather than reactive emotion.
At the outset of her provocation, Mantharā rebukes Kaikeyī for being pleased at news that favors Rāma, insisting it is actually a calamity for Kaikeyī’s interests.
The verse implicitly calls for prudence and discernment; it also displays Mantharā’s skill in psychological pressure rather than virtue.
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