Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 7
सा प्राप्तकालं कैकेयि क्षिप्रं कुरु हितं तव। त्रायस्व पुत्रमात्मानं मां च विस्मयदर्शने
sā prāptakālaṃ kaikeyi kṣipraṃ kuru hitaṃ tava| trāyasva putramātmānaṃ māṃ ca vismayadarśane
O enchantingeyed Kaikeyi, that appropriate time has come. Act quickly for your own wellbeing. Save yourself, your son and me too.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Manthara's final exhortation: act now. Save yourself, your son, and me. The triad binds Kaikeyi's fate to Manthara's. She can no longer act independently — to save herself, she must act through Manthara's plan. She is no longer queen but instrument.
समयआत्मरक्षा