Manthara Sees Celebration and Begins to Plot
Ayodhya Kanda, Chaupai 13
Doha 13 · Movement 1 of 2
Keep this contemplation
Preserve, print, or share
Manthara sees Ayodhya beautifully decorated and hears sweet music of blessing. When she learns that Ram's coronation is near, the city's joy becomes anguish within her, and she begins plotting how to ruin it before night ends.
Like a hunter who sees honey and devises a theft, she studies the celebration for weakness. Then she goes weeping to Kaikeyi, refusing to explain, drawing long sighs and letting tears create alarm.
Kaikeyi initially laughs and assumes Lakshmana has scolded the boastful maid. Manthara remains silent, breathing like a dark serpent. The first weapon is not accusation but withheld speech, forcing affection to lean closer toward the trap.
Outside, coronation music rises; inside, Manthara sharpens silence into the first instrument of fear.
Read the passage from the Manas
AI-created devotional illustration · Chaupai 13
Manthara reacts inwardly to the city decorations and news of Rama's anointing, before approaching Kaikeyi with tears and silence.
Source reference and artistic choices
Gita Press code81 undated · PDF pages 356 · printed pages 354. Reader passage: ayodhya-kanda-chaupai-013. Printed numbering may differ.
Source facts
- 1: Manthara sees the decorated city and hears lovely auspicious festival music.
- 2: She asks people the cause of their joy; hearing of Rama's anointing causes burning distress in her heart. No completed anointing is narrated.
- 3: She thinks how the undertaking might be spoiled overnight; exact later scheme is not yet uttered.
- 4: She is compared to a crafty huntress watching a honey target and considering how to take it; retain honey imagery rather than generic prey, no literal huntress or beehive event.
- 5: She goes weeping to Bharata's mother Kaikeyi; the queen smilingly asks why she is upset.
- 6: Maid gives no reply, sighs and sheds tears as dramatic outward behavior; it is not a general claim about all women.
- 7: Queen jokes that Manthara is a big talker and perhaps Lakshmana has taught her a lesson. This is the queen's teasing thought, not confirmed Lakshmana punishment or calling her mad.
- 8: Maid still does not speak and sighs like a black serpent. Moral/serpent comparison is not a literal snake body or proof that physical disability causes conduct.
- Existing reduced honey/queen-joke metered meaning remains unresolved without corpus edit.
Artistic choices
- Exact chest/waist hands, restrained news-reaction expression, upper-hip crop and imagined decorated city gateway are art staging; first accepted Manthara face/hair/olive-brown clothes retained.
- Selected earlier city reaction does not depict later Kaikeyi encounter or literal honey-huntress/serpent comparisons; full eight source units retained.
- Complete source facts retained in metadata; source and existing translations unchanged.
- Actual chest/waist gestures, modest worried frown/closed lips, mild forward posture, plain olive-brown clothes and flowering gateway/festival flags/toran/distant city are art staging; no authenticated physical likeness, age, medical assessment or actual source-fixed festival census.
An imaginative interpretation, not a historical portrait or documentary evidence.
दीख मंथरा नगरु बनावा। मंजुल मंगल बाज बधावा।। पूछेसि लोगन्ह काह उछाहू। राम तिलकु सुनि भा उर दाहू।। करइ बिचारु कुबुद्धि कुजाती। होइ अकाजु कवनि बिधि राती।। देखि लागि मधु कुटिल किराती। जिमि गवँ तकइ लेउँ केहि भाँती।। भरत मातु पहिं गइ बिलखानी। का अनमनि हसि कह हँसि रानी।। ऊतरु देइ न लेइ उसासू। नारि चरित करि ढारइ आँसू।। हँसि कह रानि गालु बड़ तोरें। दीन्ह लखन सिख अस मन मोरें।। तबहुँ न बोल चेरि बड़ि पापिनि। छाड़इ स्वास कारि जनु साँपिनि।।
Manthara saw the city beautifully decorated, with sweet, auspicious music of congratulations resounding. She asked the people what the celebration was about. Hearing of Rama's tilak (coronation), her heart burned with anguish. The wicked, low-minded woman began plotting: how could she bring ruin by nightfall? Like a cunning kiraatee (huntress) who spots honey and schemes how to steal it, so she eyed the scene. She went to Bharata's mother, weeping and wailing. 'Why are you so distracted?' the queen asked with a laugh. Manthara gave no answer, only drew long sighs. Employing the ways of women, she shed tears. The queen laughed and said, 'You are very boastful. In my mind, Lakshmana must have scolded you.' Still the greatly sinful maid did not speak, but heaved sighs like a black serpent.