Ayodhya Kaanda
62 - Sarasvati perverts the mind of Manthara (a handmaid of queen Kaikeyi); a dialogue between Kaikeyi and Manthara
Chaupais
Description
Winning over Kaikeyi and treating her as an offering accepted for sacrifice the humpback whetted the knife of trickery on the stone of her heart. The queen, however, like a sacrificial beast who nibbled the green turf, did not foresee the impending calamity. Agreeable to hear, yet painful in consequence, were the words she spoke; it seemed as if she was administering honey mixed with poison. Said the maid-servant, "Do you, or do you not, remember the incident you once told me, my lady? You have in reserve with the king a couple of boons that he once promised you.* Ask for them today and soothe your heart. Bestow sovereignty on your son and an abode in the forest on Rama and rob your co-wives of all their joy. When the king swears by Rama, ask the boons only then, so that the former may not go back upon his word. The scheme will fail if this night is allowed to pass; cherish my words as dearer than life."