Valmiki Ramayana 2.8.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 8, Shloka 4
मन्थराकैकेयीसंवादः · Mantharā’s Counsel to Kaikeyī
Ayodhyā’s Succession Alarm
शोचामि दुर्मतित्वं ते का हि प्राज्ञा प्रहर्षयेत् ।
अरेस्सपत्नीपुत्रस्य वृद्धिं मृत्योरिवागताम् ॥४॥
śocāmi durmatitvaṃ te kā hi prājñā praharṣayet |
areḥ sapatnīputrasya vṛddhiṃ mṛtyor ivāgatām ||4||
ข้าพเจ้าโศกเศร้าต่อความคิดอันหลงผิดของท่าน หญิงผู้มีปัญญาคนใดเล่าจะยินดีต่อความรุ่งเรืองของบุตรแห่งภรรยาร่วม—ดุจศัตรู—เมื่อความรุ่งเรืองนั้นมาใกล้ประหนึ่งความตายกำลังคืบคลาน?
I pity your false notion. Will any wise woman rejoice at the prosperity of the son of a co-wife who is like an enemy? This is like (courting) death.
FAQs
The verse frames jealousy toward a co-wife’s child as self-destructive, implying a dharmic warning: envy and factionalism in family life corrode right judgment and invite ruin.
Mantharā begins persuading Kaikeyī that Rāma’s impending rise threatens her interests, urging suspicion toward Kausalyā’s son.
Negatively, it highlights the need for viveka (discernment). A ‘wise’ person should not celebrate or fuel hostility within the royal household.
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