Valmiki Ramayana 2.20.32: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 32
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः
Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
सा निकृत्तेव सालस्य यष्टिः परशुना वने।पपात सहसा देवी देवतेव दिवश्च्युता।।।।
sā nikṛtteva sālasya yaṣṭiḥ paraśunā vane | papāta sahasā devī devateva divaś cyutā ||
فحينئذٍ سقطت تلك السيدة النبيلة فجأةً—كغصن شجرة السالا يُقطع في الغابة بفأس، وكإلهةٍ هوت من السماء.
All on a sidden Kausalya fell down on the ground like the branch of a sal tree in the forest severed by an axe, like a goddess dropped from heaven.
FAQs
The verse highlights the human cost of dharma-bound decisions: righteous commitments can still cause profound suffering, which the epic asks us to acknowledge rather than deny.
On hearing Rama’s exile, Kausalya is overwhelmed and collapses suddenly.
Not a virtue but a truthful portrayal of maternal attachment and shock—an ethical realism about grief.
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