Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 50
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
एतावदुक्त्वा वचनं कैकेयी विरराम ह।विलपन्तं च राजानं न प्रतिव्याजहार सा।।।।
etāvad uktvā vacanaṃ kaikeyī virarāma ha |
vilapantaṃ ca rājānaṃ na prativyājahāra sā ||
ইমানেই কৈ ক’ কৈকেয়ী নীৰৱ হ’ল; ৰজাই বিলাপ কৰিলেও তাই তেওঁক কোনো উত্তৰ নিদিলে।
Kaikeyi, having spoken to this extent remained silent. She heeded not the lament ofthe king.
FAQs
Dharma includes compassion and right speech; Kaikeyī’s refusal to respond to a suffering person illustrates a lapse in empathetic duty within relationships.
After swearing that only Rama’s exile will satisfy her, Kaikeyī stops speaking and ignores Daśaratha’s grief.
The verse emphasizes (by contrast) karuṇā (compassion) as a virtue—shown here through its absence in Kaikeyī’s conduct.