Valmiki Ramayana 2.9.28: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 9, Shloka 28

मन्थराप्रेरणा · वरद्वय-स्मरणं च

Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons

Spoken by Manthara to KaikeyiSetting: Ayodhyā (present); past event in battlefield (alluded)Places named: Ayodhyā (implied), battlefield of deva-asura war (alluded)

Devanagari script

यौ तौ दैवासुरे युद्धे वरौ दशरथोऽददात् ।

तौ स्मारय महाभागे सोऽर्थो न त्वामतिक्रमेत् ॥२८॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.9.28

Transliteration

yau tau daivāsure yuddhe varau daśaratho ’dadāt |

tau smāraya mahābhāge so ’rtho na tvām atikramet ||28||

Translation

హే మహాభాగ్యవతీ రాణీ, దేవాసుర యుద్ధములో దశరథుడు నీకు ఇచ్చిన ఆ రెండు వరములను అతనికి జ్ఞాపకము చేయుము; అప్పుడు నీ కార్యము తప్పిపోదు.

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Word by Word

• यौ: which two
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा द्विवचन (Nominative dual)
• Role: Karma (कर्म; relative object)

• तौ: those two
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया द्विवचन (here correlating with yau; object)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• दैवासुरे: between gods and demons
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दैव (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (‘of gods and demons’) qualifying yuddhe
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Compound: Dvandva

• युद्धे: in the war
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)

• वरौ: two boons
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा द्विवचन (here object of adadāt; ‘two boons’)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• दशरथः: Daśaratha
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• अददात्: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• तौ: those two
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया द्विवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• स्मारय: remind (him)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative: ‘cause to remember’)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• महाभागे: O highly fortunate one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘greatly fortunate’)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Compound: Karmadharaya

• सः: that
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• अर्थः: purpose/matter
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय
• Role: Nishedha-nipāta (निषेध-निपात)

• त्वाम्: you
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• अतिक्रमेत्: may transgress/overstep
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-√क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

Sandhi Notes

• दशरथोऽददात् → दशरथः + अददात् (ः + अ → ओऽ)
• सोऽर्थो → सः + अर्थः (ः + अ → ओऽ)
• त्वामतिक्रमेत् → त्वाम् + अतिक्रमेत्

Context

O fortunate Kaikeyi, make him recollect the two boons he had granted you in the war between gods and demons. You should not ignore your objective.

The teaching

Rights gained by merit can still be misused; dharma judges not only entitlement but intention and consequence.

Duties in tension

• Honoring earned boons (satya) vs. using them for adharma (harm to rightful heir)
• Gratitude for past service vs. present envy-driven political maneuver

Ethical theme

Satya/vara-dharma vs. adharma-prayoga

How it resolves

Instrumental invocation of legitimate promise

For your practice

Contemplate how past merits should be directed toward welfare (lokasaṅgraha), not personal spite.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Vira (heroism), with Raudra (fury)

Mood

Urgent, strategic, fateful

Themes

• Dharma
• Satya
• Boons and vows
• Ethics
• Political intrigue

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Kaikeyī
• two boons (varau)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

It points to the binding force of promises/boons (satya as keeping one’s word), even though the demand to be made later will be ethically problematic.

What is the narrative situation?

Mantharā instructs Kaikeyī to leverage Daśaratha’s earlier promise of two boons as a decisive instrument to alter the succession.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Daśaratha’s virtue implied here is truthfulness—his commitment to boons given—making him vulnerable to exploitation.