Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 23, Shloka 12
लक्ष्मणक्रोधः—दैवपुरुषकारविवादः
Lakshmana’s Wrath and the Debate on Destiny vs Human Effort
कथं त्वं कर्मणा शक्तः कैकेयीवशवर्तिनः।करिष्यसि पितुर्वाक्यमधर्मिष्ठं विगर्हितम्।।।।
kathaṃ tvaṃ karmaṇā śaktaḥ kaikeyī-vaśavartinaḥ | kariṣyasi pitur vākyam adharmiṣṭhaṃ vigarhitam ||
When by action you are capable (of resisting), how can you carry out the words of your father—words unjust and contemptible—spoken under Kaikeyī’s control?
When you are able to counter (this move), why do you want to execute the unjustifiable and contemptible words of the king who is under the spell of Kaikeyi?
FAQs
Duty to parents is not meant to sanctify injustice; Lakṣmaṇa argues that a command distorted by wrongful influence becomes ethically blameworthy.
Lakṣmaṇa challenges Rāma’s willingness to obey Daśaratha’s order, asserting that the king is acting under Kaikeyī’s domination.
Protective righteousness and assertive agency—Lakṣmaṇa urges active resistance to adharma.