नगरीं त्वां गतं दृष्ट्वा जननी मे यवीयसी।
कैकेयी प्रत्ययं गच्छेदिति रामो वनं गतः॥
परितुष्टा हि सा देवी वनवासं गते मयि।
राजानं नातिशङ्केत मिथ्यावादीति धार्मिकम्॥
एष मे प्रथमः कल्पो यदम्बा मे यवीयसी।
भरतारक्षितं स्फीतं पुत्रराज्यमवाप्नुयात्॥
nagarīṁ tvāṁ gataṁ dṛṣṭvā jananī me yavīyasī
kaikeyī pratyayaṁ gacched iti rāmo vanaṁ gataḥ
parituṣṭā hi sā devī vana-vāsaṁ gate mayi
rājānaṁ nātiśaṅketa mithyā-vādīti dhārmikam
eṣa me prathamaḥ kalpo yad ambā me yavīyasī
bharatārakṣitaṁ sphītaṁ putra-rājyam avāpnuyāt
nagarīm = the city; tvām = you; gatam = in; dṛṣṭvā = seeing; jananī = mother; me = My; yavīyasī = younger; kaikeyī = Kaikeyī; pratyayam gacchet = will be convinced; iti = that; rāmaḥ = Rāma; vanam = to the forest; gataḥ = has gone; parituṣṭā hi = fully satisfied; sā = that; devī = queen; vana-vāsam = to reside in the forest; gate = have gone; mayi = that I; rājānam = king; na atiśaṅketa = won’t disbelieve; mithyā-vādī iti = thinking him to be a speaker of untruth; dhārmikam = the dhārmika; eṣaḥ = this; me = is My; prathamaḥ kalpaḥ = most important goal 4; yat ambā me = My mother; yavīyasī = younger; bharata-ārakṣitam = under the full protection of Bharata; sphītam = the extensive; putra-rājyam = kingdom earmarked for her son; avāpnuyāt = should get.
Seeing you in the city, My younger mother Kaikeyī will be convinced that Rāma has gone to the forest. Fully satisfied that I have gone to reside in the forest, that queen won’t disbelieve the dhārmika king, thinking him to be a speaker of untruth.1 This is My most important goal: My younger mother should get the extensive kingdom earmarked for her son under the full protection of Bharata.
1 Technical note: atiśaṅkā anyathā-śaṅkā.
GLOSS. [The glossator reads viparīte tuṣṭi-hīnā instead of parituṣṭā hi sā devī indicating that] if Sumantra did not go [back to Ayodhyā], even if Rāma had gone to reside in the forest, Kaikeyī would be dissatisfied thinking that He hadn’t gone to reside in the forest, and would greatly suspect the king of being untrue to his words.