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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.8.6

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: Kaikeyī defends Rāma: he is virtuous, the eldest, and entitled to succeed; he will protect his brothers → she expects Bharata to inherit in time and says Rāma serves her even more attentively than he serves Kausalyā

2.8.6

tāṃ dṛṣṭvā paramaprītāṃ bruvantīṃ mantharāṃ tataḥ
rāmasyaiva guṇān devī kaikeyī praśaśaṃsa ha

Seeing Mantharā speaking thus, greatly aggrieved, Queen Kaikeyī then extolled the very virtues of Rāma:

Words: tāṃ — her; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; paramaprītāṃ — greatly displeased; bruvantīṃ — speaking; mantharāṃ — Mantharā; tataḥ — then; rāmasyaiva — of Rāma alone; guṇān — the virtues; devī — the queen; kaikeyī — Kaikeyī; praśaśaṃsa ha — praised indeed

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.