Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 48: The Ladies in Ayodhyā Lament
Text 2.48.23
कैकेय्या न वयं राज्ये भृतका निवसेमहि।
जीवन्त्या जातु जीवन्त्यः पुत्रैरपि शपामहे॥
kaikeyyā na vayaṁ rājye bhṛtakā nivasemahi
jīvantyā jātu jīvantyaḥ putrair api śapāmahe
kaikeyyāḥ = Kaikeyī’s; na = never; vayam = we; rājye = in kingdom; bhṛtakāḥ = as her paid workers; nivasemahi = will reside; jīvantyāḥ = while she is alive; jātu jīvantyaḥ = while we are alive; putraiḥ = on our sons; api = even; śapāmahe = we can promise this.
We will never reside in Kaikeyī’s kingdom while she is alive as her paid workers while we are alive. We can promise this even on our sons.
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhāva-dīpa: nivasema hīti asyārthasyātidṛḍhatvaṁ sūcayati.
Jīvantī implies that the ladies wouldn’t reside in Kaikeyī’s kingdom as long as she was alive.
GLOSS. The speakers were very firm about this.1