Shloka 20
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा
Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly
ततो जृम्भस्य शयने विरुताद्भूरिवर्चसः।पितुस्ते विदितो भाव स्स तत्र बहुधाऽहसत्।।2.35.20।।
tato jṛmbhasya śayane virutād bhūri-varcasaḥ |
pitus te vidito bhāvaḥ sa tatra bahudhā ahasat ||2.35.20||
پھر جَرمبھ کی نیند میں نکلنے والی آواز کے پاس، تمہارے والد—عظیم جلال و نور سے درخشاں—اس کا مقصود سمجھ گئے اور وہیں بار بار ہنس پڑے۔
Overcome with anger, charioteer Sumantra started shaking his head and sighing off and on, crushing his palms and grinding his teeth. His eyes turned red due to anger. Overcome with a sudden, ominous grief, the complexion of his face turned red. Sumantra understood the mind of Dasaratha. With sharp arrows of words as if piercing the heart of Kaikeyi, he denounced her in exceptionally harsh words which, like thunderbolt, cut her to the quick:
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.