# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 9 — Mantharā’s plan for the boons

*She recalls Kaikeyī’s rescue of Daśaratha and urges Bharata’s abhiṣeka and fourteen years of exile for Rāma*

Portion: Mantharā and Kaikeyī’s two boons · Verses: 47 · Ref format: 2.9.<verse>

## Sequence

- Kaikeyī now resolves to make Bharata King and send Rāma away; she asks Mantharā how to accomplish it (9.1–8)
- Mantharā recalls an earlier war in which Kaikeyī accompanied Daśaratha, carried him out of danger when he was wounded and unconscious, and protected him → in gratitude, he granted her two boons, which she kept for later (9.9–15)
- Mantharā tells her to enter the anger chamber, remove her finery, lie on the floor, and refuse to respond affectionately to the King (9.16–19)
- she must reject offers of wealth and first bind him to his promise → then she must demand Bharata's abhiṣeka and fourteen years of exile for Rāma (9.20–23)
- Mantharā explains why the exile matters: it will give Bharata time to establish his rule and win the people's loyalty before Rāma returns (9.24–26)
- Kaikeyī praises Mantharā's cleverness and promises her lavish rewards (9.27–39)
- urged to act before it is too late, she removes her ornaments, lies on the bare floor, and declares that she will either obtain the two demands or die (9.40–47).

## Verses

**2.9.1**  
evam uktā tu kaikeyī krodhena jvalitānanā  
dīrgham uṣṇaṃ viniḥśvasya mantharām idam abravīt  
Addressed thus, Kaikeyī, her face aflame with anger, drew a long, hot sigh and spoke this to Mantharā:

**2.9.2**  
adya rāmam itaḥ kṣipraṃ vanaṃ prasthāpayāmy aham  
yauvarājyena bharataṃ kṣipram evābhiṣecaye  
“Today I shall swiftly send Rāma away from here to the forest, and consecrate Bharata to the heir-apparency at once.

**2.9.3**  
idaṃ tv idānīṃ saṃpaśya kenopāyena manthare  
bharataḥ prāpnuyād rājyaṃ na tu rāmaḥ kathaṃ cana  
But consider this now, O Mantharā: by what means might Bharata gain the kingdom, and Rāma by no means at all?”

**2.9.4**  
evam uktā tayā devyā mantharā pāpadarśinī  
rāmārtham upahiṃsantī kaikeyīm idam abravīt  
Thus addressed by the queen, Mantharā of evil vision, working to injure Rāma's cause, spoke this to Kaikeyī:

**2.9.5**  
hantedānīṃ pravakṣyāmi kaikeyi śrūyatāṃ ca me  
yathā te bharato rājyaṃ putraḥ prāpsyati kevalam  
“Come now, O Kaikeyī, I shall speak; hear me — how your son Bharata will gain the kingdom for himself alone.

**2.9.6**  
śrutvaivaṃ vacanaṃ tasyā mantharāyās tu kaikayī  
kiṃ cid utthāya śayanāt svāstīrṇād idam abravīt  
Hearing these words of Mantharā, Kaikeyī, rising up a little from her well-spread couch, spoke this:

**2.9.7**  
kathaya tvaṃ mamopāyaṃ kenopāyena manthare  
bharataḥ prāpnuyād rājyaṃ na tu rāmaḥ kathaṃ cana  
“Tell me the means, O Mantharā — by what means Bharata might gain the kingdom, and Rāma by no means at all.”

**2.9.8**  
evam uktā tayā devyā mantharā pāpadarśinī  
rāmārtham upahiṃsantī kubjā vacanam abravīt  
Thus addressed by the queen, Mantharā of evil vision, working to injure Rāma, the hunchback spoke these words:

**2.9.9**  
tava devāsure yuddhe saha rājarṣibhiḥ patiḥ  
agacchat tvām upādāya devarājasya sāhyakṛt  
In the war of gods and asuras, your husband, taking you with him, went as an ally of the king of the gods, together with royal seers.

**2.9.10**  
diśam āsthāya kaikeyi dakṣiṇāṃ daṇḍakān prati  
vaijayantam iti khyātaṃ puraṃ yatra timidhvajaḥ  
Betaking himself, O Kaikeyī, to the southern quarter, toward the Daṇḍaka regions, to the city known as Vaijayanta, where Timidhvaja dwelt —

**2.9.11**  
sa śambara iti khyātaḥ śatamāyo mahāsuraḥ  
dadau śakrasya saṃgrāmaṃ devasaṃghair anirjitaḥ  
That great asura, known as Śambara, master of a hundred wiles, unvanquished by the hosts of gods, gave battle to Śakra.

**2.9.12**  
tasmin mahati saṃgrāme rājā daśarathas tadā  
apavāhya tvayā devi saṃgrāmān naṣṭacetanaḥ  
In that great battle, O queen, King Daśaratha, his consciousness lost, was then carried by you away from the fight;

**2.9.13**  
tatrāpi vikṣataḥ śastraiḥ patis te rakṣitas tvayā  
tuṣṭena tena dattau te dvau varau śubhadarśane  
There too your husband, wounded by weapons, was protected by you; and he, well pleased, granted you two boons, O lovely one.

**2.9.14**  
sa tvayoktaḥ patir devi yadeccheyaṃ tadā varau  
gṛhṇīyām iti tat tena tathety uktaṃ mahātmanā  
anabhijñā hy ahaṃ devi tvayaiva kathitaṃ purā  
That husband of yours was told by you, ‘When I wish it, I shall then take the two boons’; and to that the great-souled one said, ‘So be it.’ I myself was unaware of this, O queen — you told me of it long ago.

**2.9.15**  
tau varau yāca bhartāraṃ bharatasyābhiṣecanam  
pravrājanaṃ ca rāmasya tvaṃ varṣāṇi caturdaśa  
Ask your husband for those two boons: the consecration of Bharata, and the banishment of Rāma for fourteen years.

**2.9.16**  
krodhāgāraṃ praviśyādya kruddhevāśvapateḥ sute  
śeṣvānantarhitāyāṃ tvaṃ bhūmau malinavāsinī  
mā smainaṃ pratyudīkṣethā mā cainam abhibhāṣathāḥ  
Enter the anger-chamber today, O daughter of Aśvapati, as though enraged; lie upon the bare ground in soiled garments, and neither look up at him nor speak to him.

**2.9.17**  
dayitā tvaṃ sadā bhartur atra me nāsti saṃśayaḥ  
tvatkṛte ca mahārājo viśed api hutāśanam  
You are ever beloved of your husband — of this I have no doubt; for your sake the great king would even enter the fire.

**2.9.18**  
na tvāṃ krodhayituṃ śakto na kruddhāṃ pratyudīkṣitum  
tava priyārthaṃ rājā hi prāṇān api parityajet  
He cannot bear to anger you, nor to meet your gaze when you are angry; for your pleasure the king would even lay down his life.

**2.9.19**  
na hy atikramituṃ śaktas tava vākyaṃ mahīpatiḥ  
mandasvabhāve budhyasva saubhāgyabalam ātmanaḥ  
For the lord of the earth cannot cross your word; O simple-natured one, recognize the power of your own good fortune.

**2.9.20**  
maṇimuktāsuvarṇāni ratnāni vividhāni ca  
dadyād daśaratho rājā mā sma teṣu manaḥ kṛthāḥ  
King Daśaratha may offer gems, pearls, gold, and jewels of every kind — do not set your heart on them.

**2.9.21**  
yau tau devāsure yuddhe varau daśaratho 'dadāt  
tau smāraya mahābhāge so 'rtho mā tvām atikramet  
Those two boons that Daśaratha granted in the war of gods and asuras — remind him of them, O fortunate one; let that purpose not slip past you.

**2.9.22**  
yadā tu te varaṃ dadyāt svayam utthāpya rāghavaḥ  
vyavasthāpya mahārājaṃ tvam imaṃ vṛṇuyā varam  
And when Rāghava (Daśaratha), raising you up himself, offers you a boon, then, having bound the great king to his word, you should choose this boon:

**2.9.23**  
rāmaṃ pravrājayāraṇye nava varṣāṇi pañca ca  
bharataḥ kriyatāṃ rājā pṛthivyāṃ pārthivarṣabhaḥ  
‘Banish Rāma to the forest for fourteen years, and let Bharata, a bull among kings, be made ruler of the earth.’

**2.9.24**  
evaṃ pravrājitaś caiva rāmo 'rāmo bhaviṣyati  
bharataś ca hatāmitras tava rājā bhaviṣyati  
Thus banished, Rāma will be Rāma no longer; and Bharata, his rivals destroyed, will become your king.

**2.9.25**  
yena kālena rāmaś ca vanāt pratyāgamiṣyati  
tena kālena putras te kṛtamūlo bhaviṣyati  
saṃgṛhītamanuṣyaś ca suhṛdbhiḥ sārdham ātmavān  
By the time Rāma returns from the forest, your son will have struck root, having won the people to himself, and, self-possessed, secure among his friends.

**2.9.26**  
prāptakālaṃ tu te manye rājānaṃ vītasādhvasā  
rāmābhiṣekasaṃkalpān nigṛhya vinivartaya  
I think the moment has come for you; free of all fear, hold the king back and turn him away from his resolve to consecrate Rāma.

**2.9.27**  
anartham artharūpeṇa grāhitā sā tatas tayā  
hṛṣṭā pratītā kaikeyī mantharām idam abravīt  
Thus led by her to embrace ruin in the guise of good, Kaikeyī, delighted and reassured, spoke this to Mantharā:

**2.9.28**  
kubje tvāṃ nābhijānāmi śreṣṭhāṃ śreṣṭhābhidhāyinīm  
pṛthivyām asi kubjānām uttamā buddhiniścaye  
“O hunchback, I did not know you for the excellent one you are, who speaks the best of counsel; on earth you are the foremost of hunchbacks in firmness of judgment.

**2.9.29**  
tvam eva tu mamārtheṣu nityayuktā hitaiṣiṇī  
nāhaṃ samavabudhyeyaṃ kubje rājñaś cikīrṣitam  
You alone, in my affairs, are ever devoted and wish me well; without you, O hunchback, I would never have grasped the king's design.

**2.9.30**  
santi duḥsaṃsthitāḥ kubjā vakrāḥ paramapāpikāḥ  
tvaṃ padmam iva vātena saṃnatā priyadarśanā  
There are other hunchbacks, misshapen, crooked, and utterly wicked; but you are bent like a lotus swayed by the wind, lovely to behold.

**2.9.31**  
uras te 'bhiniviṣṭaṃ vai yāvat skandhāt samunnatam  
adhastāc codaraṃ śāntaṃ sunābham iva lajjitam  
Your bosom rises drawn in, as high as the shoulders, and below, your slender waist seems modest, graced with a lovely navel.

**2.9.32**  
jaghanaṃ tava nirghuṣṭaṃ raśanādāmaśobhitam  
jaṅghe bhṛśam upanyaste pādau cāpy āyatāv ubhau  
Your hips, sounding with a girdle-cord and graced by it, your two shanks firmly set, and both your feet long and shapely —

**2.9.33**  
tvam āyatābhyāṃ sakthibhyāṃ manthare kṣaumavāsini  
agrato mama gacchantī rājahaṃsīva rājase  
With your long thighs, O Mantharā clad in linen, walking before me you shine like a royal swan.

**2.9.34**  
tavedaṃ sthagu yad dīrghaṃ rathaghoṇam ivāyatam  
matayaḥ kṣatravidyāś ca māyāś cātra vasanti te  
This long hump of yours, jutting out like the front-beam of a chariot — in it dwell your counsels, your statecraft, and your stratagems.

**2.9.35**  
atra te pratimokṣyāmi mālāṃ kubje hiraṇmayīm  
abhiṣikte ca bharate rāghave ca vanaṃ gate  
Upon this hump, O hunchback, I shall hang a golden garland, once Bharata is consecrated and Rāghava has gone to the forest.

**2.9.36**  
jātyena ca suvarṇena suniṣṭaptena sundari  
labdhārthā ca pratītā ca lepayiṣyāmi te sthagu  
And with pure, well-refined gold, O lovely one, my aim achieved and well pleased, I shall gild your hump.

**2.9.37**  
mukhe ca tilakaṃ citraṃ jātarūpamayaṃ śubham  
kārayiṣyāmi te kubje śubhāny ābharaṇāni ca  
And on your face I shall have set a bright, ornate mark of gold, O hunchback, and fair ornaments for you as well.

**2.9.38**  
paridhāya śubhe vastre devadeva cariṣyasi  
candram āhvayamānena mukhenāpratimānanā  
gamiṣyasi gatiṃ mukhyāṃ garvayantī dviṣajjanam  
Clad in fair garments, you shall move about like a very goddess; with a face that challenges the moon, of matchless countenance, you shall walk with a queenly gait, filling your foes with chagrin.

**2.9.39**  
tavāpi kubjāḥ kubjāyāḥ sarvābharaṇabhūṣitāḥ  
pādau paricariṣyanti yathaiva tvaṃ sadā mama  
Other hunchbacks, decked in every ornament, will wait upon your feet, O hunchback, just as you always attend upon mine.

**2.9.40**  
iti praśasyamānā sā kaikeyīm idam abravīt  
śayānāṃ śayane śubhre vedyām agniśikhām iva  
Praised thus, she spoke this to Kaikeyī, who lay upon the bright couch like a tongue of flame upon an altar:

**2.9.41**  
gatodake setubandho na kalyāṇi vidhīyate  
uttiṣṭha kuru kalyāṇaṃ rājānam anudarśaya  
One does not build a dam once the water has run off, O blessed lady; arise, secure your good, and present yourself before the king.

**2.9.42**  
tathā protsāhitā devī gatvā mantharayā saha  
krodhāgāraṃ viśālākṣī saubhāgyamadagarvitā  
Thus urged on, the large-eyed queen, proud with the intoxication of her good fortune, went with Mantharā to the anger-chamber,

**2.9.43**  
anekaśatasāhasraṃ muktāhāraṃ varāṅganā  
avamucya varārhāṇi śubhāny ābharaṇāni ca  
and the fair-limbed woman cast off a pearl necklace worth many hundreds of thousands, and other precious, beautiful ornaments;

**2.9.44**  
tato hemopamā tatra kubjā vākyaṃ vaśaṃ gatā  
saṃviśya bhūmau kaikeyī mantharām idam abravīt  
Then Kaikeyī, golden-hued, having fallen under the sway of the hunchback's words, lay down upon the ground and spoke this to Mantharā:

**2.9.45**  
iha vā māṃ mṛtāṃ kubje nṛpāyāvedayiṣyasi  
vanaṃ tu rāghave prāpte bharataḥ prāpsyati kṣitim  
“Either you shall report me here as dead, O hunchback, or else, once Rāghava has reached the forest, Bharata shall gain the earth.”

**2.9.46**  
athaitad uktvā vacanaṃ sudāruṇaṃ nidhāya sarvābharaṇāni bhāminī  
asaṃvṛtām āstaraṇena medinīṃ tadādhiśiśye patiteva kinnarī  
Then, having spoken these most cruel words and laid aside all her ornaments, the passionate woman lay down upon the bare, uncarpeted ground like a fallen kinnarī.

**2.9.47**  
udīrṇasaṃrambhatamovṛtānanā tathāvamuktottamamālyabhūṣaṇā  
narendrapatnī vimanā babhūva sā tamovṛtā dyaur iva magnatārakā  
Her face shrouded in the darkness of surging fury, her costly garlands and ornaments cast aside, the king's wife became dejected, like the sky veiled in gloom with its stars sunk from sight.