Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 78, Shloka 25
अष्टसप्ततितमः सर्गः — Śatrughna’s Fury and Bharata’s Restraint
Mantharā Episode
सा पादमूले कैकेय्या मन्थरा निपपात ह।निश्श्वसन्ती सुदुःखार्ता कृपणं विललाप च।।।।
sā pādamūle kaikeyyā mantharā nipapāta ha |
niśśvasantī suduḥkhārtā kṛpaṇaṁ vilalāpa ca ||
Bumagsak si Mantharā sa paanan ni Kaikeyī; humihingal sa malalalim na buntong-hininga, pinahihirapan ng matinding dalamhati, siya’y kaawa-awang tumangis.
And why did not Lakshmana who is strong and powerful release Rama from exile by restraining our father?
FAQs
The verse illustrates karmic and social consequence: those who incite adharma may later seek shelter in the very networks they helped destabilize.
After being threatened/handled by Śatrughna, Mantharā collapses before Kaikeyī in distress and begins to wail.
Not a virtue but a cautionary lens: emotional collapse and fear show the fragility of manipulative power once consequences arrive.