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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.8.18
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 8: Mantharā turns Kaikeyī’s mind. Kaikeyī defends Rāma, Mantharā argues that his descendants will exclude Bharata’s line and urges Rāma’s exile
In the sequence: she claims Bharata's long absence has weakened his position and that Rāma may exile or kill him once his power is secure
2.8.18
dhruvaṃ tu bharataṃ rāmaḥ prāpya rājyam akaṇṭakam
deśāntaraṃ nāyayitvā lokāntaram athāpi vā
Surely, once Rāma has secured the kingdom free of rivals, he will have Bharata sent off to some far country, or else to another world.
Words: dhruvaṃ tu — surely; bharataṃ — Bharata; rāmaḥ — Rāma; prāpya — having obtained; rājyam — the kingdom; akaṇṭakam — free of thorns, unopposed; deśāntaraṃ — to another country; nāyayitvā — having caused (him) to be led away; lokāntaram — to another world; athāpi vā — or else
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.