Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 20: Kausalyā’s Lamentation
Text 2.20.6
इति सर्वा महिष्यस्ता विवत्सा इव धेनवः।
पतिमाचुक्रुशुश्चैव सस्वरं चापि चुक्रुशुः॥
iti sarvā mahiṣyas tā vivatsā iva dhenavaḥ
patim ācukruśuś caiva sasvaraṁ cāpi cukruśuḥ
iti = thus; sarvāḥ = all; mahiṣyaḥ = queens [of King Daśaratha]; tāḥ = the; vivatsāḥ = without their calves; iva = like; dhenavaḥ = cows; patim = their husband; ācukruśuḥ ca eva = criticized; sasvaram = loudly; ca api = and; cukruśuḥ = cried.
Thus all the queens [of King Daśaratha] criticized their husband and cried loudly like cows without their calves.
GLOSS. All the wives of a king can be referred to as “queens” [even if they are not sacrificially consecrated as queens]: mahiṣī nṛpa-yoṣiti (Hemacandra).