Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 7, Shloka 22
मन्थराप्रवेशः
Manthara Observes Ayodhya and Incites Kaikeyi
तव दुःखेन कैकेयि मम दुःखं महद्भवेत्।त्वद्वृद्धौ मम वृद्धिश्च भवेदत्र न संशयः।।।।
tava duḥkhena kaikeyi mama duḥkhaṃ mahad bhavet | tvadvṛddhau mama vṛddhiś ca bhaved atra na saṃśayaḥ ||
ಹೇ ಕೈಕೇಯಿ, ನಿನ್ನ ದುಃಖದಿಂದ ನನ್ನ ದುಃಖವೂ ಮಹತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತದೆ; ನಿನ್ನ ವೃದ್ಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನ ವೃದ್ಧಿಯೂ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ—ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಶಯವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ.
O Kaikeyi, your sorrow will augment my sorrow. Your prosperity would mean my prosperity. There is no doubt about this.
FAQs
It underlines the power of counsel rooted in claimed loyalty; dharma demands that advice be truthful and beneficial, not merely aligned with self-interest.
Mantharā asserts shared fate with Kaikeyī to strengthen her influence and make her warning persuasive.
Solidarity is invoked as a virtue, though the broader episode questions the sincerity and moral direction of that solidarity.