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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.7.21

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

2.7.21

upasthitaṃ payuñjānas tvayi sāntvam anarthakam
arthenaivādya te bhartā kausalyāṃ yojayiṣyati

“Employing toward you, while present before you, empty conciliation, your husband this very day will unite Kausalyā with the real advantage.

Words: upasthitaṃ — present, at hand; payuñjānas — employing; tvayi — toward you; sāntvam — conciliation, soothing words; anarthakam — useless, empty; arthenaivādya — today with the real benefit; te — your; bhartā — husband; kausalyāṃ — Kausalyā; yojayiṣyati — will unite, connect

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.