Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 14, Shloka 61
सत्यपाशः
Kaikeyi’s Demand and the Noose of the King’s Promise
यदा वक्तुं स्वयं दैन्यान्न शशाक महीपतिः।।।।तदा सुमन्त्रं मन्त्रज्ञा कैकेयी प्रत्युवाच ह।
yadā vaktuṃ svayaṃ dainyān na śaśāka mahīpatiḥ | tadā sumantraṃ mantrajñā kaikeyī pratyuvāca ha ||
នៅពេលដែលព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ជាម្ចាស់ផែនដី ដោយសារភាពទុក្ខទោមនស្ស មិនអាចមានព្រះបន្ទូលដោយព្រះអង្គផ្ទាល់បាន នោះកៃកេយី ដែលជាអ្នកជំនាញក្នុងការប្រឹក្សា ក៏បានឆ្លើយតបសុមន្ត្រៈ។
When the king himself in that wretched state was not able to speak to Sumantra, crafty Kaikeyi said to him in reply:
FAQs
The verse warns how power can shift when rightful authority is incapacitated; dharma requires vigilance so that counsel and speech serve truth rather than manipulation.
Daśaratha, overcome by grief, cannot respond; Kaikeyī steps in and speaks to Sumantra.
Kaikeyī’s strategic agency (mantrajñā) is emphasized—presented as skill in counsel, though the broader episode frames it with moral ambiguity.