In plain words
Why such envy in you? This will bring you a bad name in the world. This is not good for you,” and he pleaded with her ever so much. But Kaika would not let go of her demand.
Thinking it was getting late, Rāma came. Dressed in green silk, ready for the coronation, he had come to bow to his parents. He was deeply pained at the sight he saw there. When he asked Kaika the reason, she gave no answer. Mantharā herself told him everything. “That day your father granted a boon. Today he is going back on his word,” she said. Rāma went to his father: “Father! Come what may, you must not go back on your word. If you break your word, ill fame will fall on our very line of Ikṣvāku. So agree to it; I will go to the forest,” he said.
At once Mantharā brought garments of bark and threw them down before Rāma. Envy is always ready for deeds like this. Rāma put on the garments of bark right there. Before leaving, he bowed to his father. But Daśaratha lay unconscious. Then Kaika: “Rāma! Is your mother one thing to you and your father another? As your mother I command you. You must go to the forest at once,” she said. Rāma bowed to her command and set out for the forest.
‘Mantharā’ is alive even today!
Of all the bad qualities, envy is very bad. Envy alone is ruining three parts of the world. Making the beautiful ugly.... spoiling those who would pass in first class... Ruining those who are doing well in this way: that is the work of envy. In the Rāmāyaṇa Rāvaṇa died, but Mantharā has not died even today. The Mantharā called envy is alive to this day. There is no one to put this ‘Mantharā’ to death. What we must do is simply pay it no heed.
Do not speak bad words, do not listen to bad words, do not do bad deeds. This is the chief ideal the Rāmāyaṇa gives. Mantharā spoke bad words; Kaika listened to bad words. What became of them? Does any woman in the world today take the name Mantharā or Kaika?