चतुर गँभीर राम-महँतारी । बीच पाइ निज बात सँवारी ॥
पठये भरत भूप ननिअउरें । राम-मातु मत जानब रउरें ॥
catura gam̐bhīra rāma-maham̐tārī | bīca pāi nija bāta sam̐vārī ||
paṭhaye bharata bhūpa naniaureṃ | rāma-mātu mata jānaba raureṃ ||
Ayodhya Kanda
Chapter 18: Manthara blames Kausalya's cunning
5 verses · 18 of 326
What happens in this chapter
Manthara blames Kausalya's cunning
Manthara goes on. Rama's mother is clever and deep and has settled her affair while she had the chance. The king sent Bharata to his grandfather's house on her counsel, be sure of it. She thinks: every co-wife serves me well, only Bharata's mother is proud of her husband's favour. You are the thorn in Kausalya's side, but her deceit is too skilled to be seen. The king loves you specially, and a co-wife cannot bear it, so she spun a web, won him over and had Rama's tilak fixed. The tilak suits the family and I like it myself, but I fear what follows. With crores of crooked turns she taught deceit, telling a hundred tales of co-wives to sharpen the enmity.
सेवहिं सकल सवति मोहि नीकें । गरबित भरत-मातु बल पी कें ॥
साल तुम्हार कौसिलहि माई । कपट चतुर नहिँ परइ जनाई ॥
sevahiṃ sakala savati mohi nīkeṃ | garabita bharata-mātu bala pī keṃ ||
sāla tumhāra kausilahi māī | kapaṭa catura nahim̐ parai janāī ||
राजहि तुम्ह पर प्रेम बिसेखी । सवति सुभाउ सकइ नहिँ देखी ॥
रचि प्रपञ्च भूपहि अपनाई । राम-तिलक-हित लगन धराई ॥
rājahi tumha para prema bisekhī | savati subhāu sakai nahim̐ dekhī ||
raci prapañca bhūpahi apanāī | rāma-tilaka-hita lagana dharāī ||
यह कुल उचित राम कहँ टीका । सबहि सोहाइ मोहि सुठि नीका ॥
आगिल बात समुझि डर मोही । देउ दैव फिरि सो फल ओही ॥
yaha kula ucita rāma kaham̐ ṭīkā | sabahi sohāi mohi suṭhi nīkā ||
āgila bāta samujhi ḍara mohī | deu daiva phiri so phala ohī ||
रचि पचि कोटिक कुटिल-पन, कीन्हेसि कपट प्रबोध ।
कहिसि कथा सत सवति कै, जेहि विधि बाढ़ विरोध ॥
raci paci koṭika kuṭila-pana, kīnhesi kapaṭa prabodha |
kahisi kathā sata savati kai, jehi vidhi bār̤ha virodha ||
Text source: Wikisource · Public domain (Tulsidas, 16th c.; 1925 edition, Wikisource PD-1996 tag); transcription CC BY-SA 4.0