← 2.7.19 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 7: Mantharā’s alarm, Kaikeyī’s joy · 2.7.21 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.7.20

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 7: Mantharā’s alarm, Kaikeyī’s joy. Mantharā warns of danger to Bharata, Kaikeyī rewards her and declares equal affection for both princes

In the sequence: Mantharā presents Rāma's succession as a threat to Kaikeyī and Bharata, claiming that Daśaratha has used Bharata's absence to give Kausalyā's family the advantage

2.7.20

dharmavādī śaṭho bhartā ślakṣṇavādī ca dāruṇaḥ
śuddhabhāve na jānīṣe tenaivam atisaṃdhitā

“Your husband, who talks of dharma, is a cheat; who speaks smoothly, is cruel. Being of pure heart, you do not perceive it, and so have been deceived by him.

Words: dharmavādī — one who talks of dharma; śaṭho — a cheat, deceitful; bhartā — husband; ślakṣṇavādī — one who speaks smoothly; ca — and; dāruṇaḥ — cruel, harsh; śuddhabhāve — being of pure heart; na — not; jānīṣe — you know, perceive; tenaivam — thus by him; atisaṃdhitā — deceived, overreached

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.