Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 18: Kaikeyī Informs Rāma About the two Boons
Text 2.18.2
स पितुश्चरणौ पूर्वमभिवाद्य विनीतवत्।
ततो ववन्दे चरणौ कैकेय्याः सुसमाहितः॥
sa pituś caraṇau pūrvam abhivādya vinītavat
tato vavande caraṇau kaikeyyāḥ susamāhitaḥ
saḥ1 pituḥ = His father’s; caraṇau = unto feet; pūrvam = first; abhivādya = after offering obeisances; vinītavat = with humility; tataḥ vavande = He offered obeisances; caraṇau = unto feet; kaikeyyāḥ = Kaikeyī’s; susamāhitaḥ = with a very attentive mind.
After first offering obeisances unto His father’s feet with humility, with a very attentive mind He offered obeisances unto Kaikeyī’s feet.
1 Technical note: saḥ vavande.
GLOSS. [Instead of writing vinītaḥ (“with humility”), the author has written vinītavat which can mean, “as if with humility.”] The poet has thus hinted that in reality Rāma is the Lord of all and that He was behaving with humility to teach the world that one should be humble [while dealing with one’s parents].