Valmiki Ramayana 2.12.74: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 74
द्वादशः सर्गः · Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
न हि राममहं दृष्ट्वा प्रवसन्तं महावने ॥७४॥
चिरं जीवितुमाशंसे रुदन्तीं चापि मैथिलीम् ।
na hi rāmamahaṃ dṛṣṭvā pravasantaṃ mahāvane ||74||
ciraṃ jīvitumāśaṃse rudantīṃ cāpi maithilīm |
Wahrlich, da ich Rāma fern im großen Wald weilen sah—und Maithilī weinend—hoffe ich nicht, noch lange zu leben.
With Rama living in the wilderness and Sita crying, I do not hope to survive for long, indeed.
FAQs
The verse shows how adharma fractures the moral heart of a household and ruler: when the righteous are made to suffer, the elder who should protect them experiences self-consuming remorse.
Daśaratha, overwhelmed, declares that witnessing Rāma’s forest life and Sītā’s tears will shorten his own life.
Paternal devotion and moral responsibility: Daśaratha’s identity as protector collapses under the pain of failing Rāma and Sītā.
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