Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 9, Shloka 60
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च
Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons
अथो पुनस्तां महिषीं महीक्षितोवचोभिरत्यर्थमहापराक्रमैः।उवाच कुब्जा भरतस्य मातरंहितं वचो राममुपेत्य चाहितम्।।।।
atho punas tāṃ mahiṣīṃ mahīkṣito vacobhir atyartha-mahā-parākramaiḥ | uvāca kubjā bharatasya mātaraṃ hitaṃ vaco rāmam upetya cāhitam ||
Kemudian si bungkuk itu kembali berbicara kepada sang permaisuri, istri raja dan ibu Bharata, dengan kata-kata yang amat keras dan penuh daya; kata-kata yang disebutnya ‘demi kebaikan’ Bharata, namun sesungguhnya mencelakakan Rāma.
Addressing queen Kaikeyi, the mother of Bharata, with extremely powerful words, that hunchback again made these utterances beneficial to Bharata and detrimental to Rama:
FAQs
It underscores vāk-dharma: powerful speech must be measured by truth and universal welfare; ‘benefit’ to one party achieved through harm to the righteous is ethically suspect.
The narration frames Mantharā’s renewed argumentation: she speaks forcefully to steer Kaikeyī toward Bharata’s enthronement and against Rāma.
The verse spotlights rhetorical power (parākrama in speech), but as a morally ambivalent capacity when severed from dharma.