Valmiki Ramayana 2.35.9 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 35, Shloka 9
सुमन्त्रस्य कैकेयी-निन्दा
Sumantra’s Reproof of Kaikeyi in the Royal Assembly
यथावयो हि राज्यानि प्राप्नुवन्ति नृपक्षये। इक्ष्वाकुकुलनाथेऽस्मिं स्तल्लोपयितुमिच्छसि।।2.35.9।।
yathāvayo hi rājyāni prāpnuvanti nṛpakṣaye | ikṣvākukulanāthe 'smiṃs tallopayitum icchasi || 2.35.9 ||
Nach dem Tod eines Königs erlangen die Prinzen das Reich nach dem Recht der Erstgeburt. Warum willst du diese feststehende Sitte im Falle Rāmas, des Herrn des Ikṣvāku-Geschlechts, umstoßen?
After the death of the king, the princes will obtain the kingdom according to seniority. Why do you want to break this tradition in the case of Rama, the lord of the Ikshvaku dynasty?
FAQs
It upholds rāja-dharma and social order: inheritance of kingship should follow established lawful custom (here, seniority), and breaking it is portrayed as adharma.
In Ayodhyā, amid the conflict over Rāma’s consecration and Kaikeyī’s demands, the king appeals to dynastic precedent and the normal rule of succession.
Daśaratha’s concern for maryādā (institutional propriety) and the legitimacy of rule—he frames the issue as fidelity to tradition rather than personal preference.
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