Shloka 35
आत्मनो जीवितेनापि ब्रूहि यन्मनसेच्छसि।बलमात्मनि जानन्ती न मां शङ्कितुमर्हसि।।।।करिष्यामि तव प्रीतिं सुकृतेनापि ते शपे।
ātmano jīvitena api brūhi yan manasā icchasi | balam ātmani jānantī na māṃ śaṅkitum arhasi || kariṣyāmi tava prītiṃ sukṛtena api te śape |
Sprich aus, was dein Herz begehrt, selbst wenn es mich das Leben kostet. Da du meine Kraft kennst, ziemt es dir nicht, an mir zu zweifeln. Ich werde tun, was dir Freude bereitet; ich schwöre es dir sogar bei dem Verdienst meiner guten Taten.
If you want to do anything even if it means sacrificing my life, I shall do it. Since you know my strength, it does not behove you to doubt me. I swear on my merits. I will do whatever pleases you.
FAQs
Satya (truthfulness) and keeping one’s word are central virtues in the epic, yet dharma also demands that vows be made with discernment; this moment sets up the tragic tension between promise-keeping and righteous governance.
Daśaratha presses Kaikeyī to state her wish and swears he will fulfil it, even at the cost of his life.
Commitment to truth and reliability—his readiness to bind himself by oath, which later becomes the moral trap of the episode.