Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 7: Mantharā Instructs Kaikeyī to Stop the Coronation
Text 2.7.18
मन्थरा तु वचः श्रुत्वा कैकेय्या मधुराक्षरम्।
उवाच क्रोधसंयुक्ता वाक्यं वाक्यविशारदा॥
mantharā tu vacaḥ śrutvā kaikeyyā madhurākṣaram
uvāca krodha-saṁyuktā vākyaṁ vākya-viśāradā
mantharā tu = Mantharā; vacaḥ = words; śrutvā = upon hearing; kaikeyyāḥ = Kaikeyī’s; madhura-akṣaram = of sweet syllables; uvāca = spoke; krodha-saṁyuktā = filled with anger; vākyam = the following words; vākya-viśāradā = of expert speech.
Upon hearing Kaikeyī’s words of sweet syllables, Mantharā of expert speech, filled with anger, spoke the following words.
Mantharā was angry because she did not carefully examine [the circumstances surrounding] Rāma’s coronation.