Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 7
शत्रुः पतिप्रवादेन मात्रेव हितकाम्यया। आशीविष इवाङ्केन बाले परिधृतस्त्वया
śatruḥ patipravādena mātreva hitakāmyayā| āśīviṣa ivāṅkena bāle paridhṛtastvayā
O innocent lady with the intention of doing good like a mother to your husband who is your enemy, you are holding on your lap a venomous serpent.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
'You treat your husband with motherly devotion, but he is your enemy.' Manthara inverts the relationship — love becomes naivety, trust becomes folly. The inversion is the final step: Kaikeyi must now see her husband not as her lord but as her adversary.
वैरशत्रु