एकस्याः खलु कैकेय्याः कृतेऽयं क्लिश्यते जनः।
स्वार्थे प्रयतमानायाः संश्रित्य निकृतिं त्विमाम्॥
ekasyāḥ khalu kaikeyyāḥ kṛte ’yaṁ kliśyate janaḥ
svārthe prayatamānāyāḥ saṁśritya nikṛtiṁ tv imam
ekasyāḥ = one lady; khalu = just; kaikeyyāḥ = Kaikeyī; kṛte = for the sake of; ayam = these; kliśyate = is subjected to this distress; janaḥ = persons; sva-arthe = for her selfish purposes; prayatamānāyāḥ = is endeavoring; saṁśritya = who has taken shelter of and; nikṛtim tu imam = deceit 1.
Just for the sake of one lady, Kaikeyī, who has taken shelter of deceit and is endeavoring for her selfish purposes, these people are subjected to this distress.1
1 This verse also means: “For the sake of one lady, Kaikeyī, who has taken shelter of Nikṛti and is endeavoring for her selfish purposes, this person is subjected to this distress.” The gloss to text 2.10.1 noted that Kaikeyī came under the influence of a female asura named Nikṛti. Here is the reference to that in Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa. “This person” is an idiomatic way of referring to oneself.