Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 9, Shloka 46
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च
Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons
तवेदं स्थगु यद्दीर्घं रथघोणमिवायतम्।।।।मतयः क्षत्रविद्याश्च मायाश्चात्र वसन्ति ते।
tavedam sthagu yad dīrghaṃ rathaghoṇam ivāyatam |
matayaḥ kṣatravidyāś ca māyāś cātra vasanti te ||
汝のその長い瘤は、車輪の轂のように広く伸びており、そこに汝の狡猾な企て、クシャトリヤさながらの策、そして欺きの術までもが宿っている。
O hunchback, with Rama gone to the forest and Bharata consecrated, I shall drape this hump with a golden garland.
FAQs
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.