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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.7.26

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

2.7.26

sā prāptakālaṃ kaikeyi kṣipraṃ kuru hitaṃ tava
trāyasva putram ātmānaṃ māṃ ca vismayadarśane

“So, Kaikeyī, quickly do what is timely and good for you; save your son, yourself, and me, O you of wondering looks.”

Words: sā — that (one), you; prāptakālaṃ — what suits the occasion; kaikeyi — O Kaikeyī; kṣipraṃ — quickly; kuru — do; hitaṃ — what is beneficial; tava — for you; trāyasva — save; putram — your son; ātmānaṃ — yourself; māṃ — me; ca — and; vismayadarśane — O you of wondering aspect

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.