तदप्रियममित्रघ्नो वचनं मरणोपमम्।
श्रुत्वा न विव्यथे रामः कैकेयीं चेदमब्रवीत्॥
tad apriyam amitraghno vacanaṁ maraṇopamam
śrutvā na vivyathe rāmaḥ kaikeyīṁ cedam abravīt
tat = those; apriyam = unpleasant; amitraghnaḥ = [though] was the destroyer of His opposition; vacanam = words; maraṇa-upamam = that were equal to death itself; śrutvā = upon hearing; na = not; vivyathe = He was distressed; rāmaḥ = Rāma; kaikeyīm ca = to Kaikeyī; idam = the following words; abravīt = He spoke.
[Though] Rāma was the destroyer of His opposition, He was not distressed upon hearing those unpleasant words that were equal to death itself. He spoke the following words to Kaikeyī.1
1 The translation “[Though] Rāma was the destroyer of His opposition” is based on Śrī Satyadharma Tīrtha’s commentary.
Kaikeyī’s words were equal to death itself in the eyes of the common man.
GLOSS. Rāma considered Kaikeyī’s words to be in line with His own plans and so respected her as His mother.