Valmiki Ramayana 2.35.20: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 35, Shloka 20
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा
Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly
ततो जृम्भस्य शयने विरुताद्भूरिवर्चसः ।
पितुस्ते विदितो भाव स्स तत्र बहुधाऽहसत् ॥२०॥
tato jṛmbhasya śayane virutād bhūri-varcasaḥ |
pitus te vidito bhāvaḥ sa tatra bahudhā ahasat ||20||
అప్పుడు ‘జృంభ’ శయనస్థానము వద్ద వినిపించిన ధ్వనిని విని, మహాతేజస్సుగల నీ తండ్రి దాని భావాన్ని గ్రహించి అక్కడే పలుమార్లు నవ్వెను।
Then one day near his bed your highly brilliant father laughed repeatedly over what an ant or a bird said, for he knew the meaning from its sound.
FAQs
Knowledge and extraordinary gifts (boons) should be governed by restraint and wise conduct; otherwise they can trigger suspicion, conflict, and harm—testing one’s adherence to dharma.
Sumantra narrates an incident illustrating the boon: Kaikeyi’s father understands an animal/creature’s utterance and laughs, which becomes the seed of domestic discord.
Insight (prajñā): the king’s ability to discern meaning from sound—an exceptional capacity that must be ethically managed.
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