Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 9, Shloka 59
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च
Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons
न सुवर्णेन मे ह्यर्थो न रत्नैर्न च भूषणैः।एष मे जीवितस्यान्तो रामो यद्यभिषिच्यते।।।।
na suvarṇena me hy artho na ratnair na ca bhūṣaṇaiḥ | eṣa me jīvitasya 'nto rāmo yady abhiṣicyate ||
मला ना सुवर्णाची इच्छा, ना रत्नांची, ना भूषणांची। रामाचा अभिषेक झाला तर तोच माझ्या जीवनाचा अंत आहे।
I do not aspire for gold, nor gems nor ornaments. If Rama is installed, that will be the end of my life.
FAQs
Dharma evaluates motives: rejecting wealth does not itself make one righteous; when speech is driven by jealousy or fear, ‘truth’ becomes performative rather than satya aligned with dharma.
Kaikeyī insists her opposition to Rāma’s consecration is not material greed, but a life-or-death stance—intensifying the pressure on the palace.
The verse presents a distorted claim of detachment; it foregrounds fixation and aversion rather than a genuine virtue like vairāgya.