Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 7
ज्ञातिदासी यतो जाता कैकेय्यास्तु सहोषिता। प्रासादं चन्द्रसङ्काशमारुरोह यदृच्छया
jñātidāsī yato jātā kaikeyyāstu sahoṣitā| prāsādaṃ candrasaṅkāśamāruroha yadṛcchayā
The family maid (Manthara) of Kaikeyi who had been living with her since her (Kaikeyi's) birth casually ascended the palace gleaming white like the Moon.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Manthara, Kaikeyi's maid since birth, climbs the palace and sees the decorated city. She has lived her whole life in Kaikeyi's shadow, present for every moment of the queen's story. The epic introduces her as a fixture — someone so familiar she is invisible. Until she speaks.
मन्थराप्रासाद