Valmiki Ramayana 2.12.6: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 6
द्वादशः सर्गः · Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
चिरेण तु नृप स्संज्ञां प्रतिलभ्य सुदुःखितः ॥६॥
कैकेयीमब्रवीत्क्रुद्धःप्रदहन्निव चक्षुषा ।
cireṇa tu nṛpaḥ saṃjñāṃ pratilabhya suduḥkhitaḥ ||6||
kaikeyīm abravīt kruddhaḥ pradahann iva cakṣuṣā |
Nach langer Zeit gewann der König, von tiefem Schmerz gepeinigt, das Bewusstsein zurück; dann sprach er zornig zu Kaikeyī, die Augen wie in Flammen.
Regaining his consciousness after a long time, the king in deep grief and with eyes as though burning in anger looked at Kaikeyi and said:
FAQs
The verse frames the moral crisis: when dharma is threatened, even a king is shaken; it sets the stage for the ethical conflict between promise-keeping and justice.
Daśaratha, having fainted in grief, regains consciousness and turns in anger to address Kaikeyī.
Not a virtue but a human condition is highlighted—grief and anger—showing the psychological weight that precedes dharmic decision-making.
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