Shloka 16
अयोध्याकाण्डे षट्त्रिंशः सर्गः
Daśaratha’s orders for Rama’s escort; Kaikeyi’s fear; the Asamañjasa precedent
वैव वंशे सगरो ज्येष्ठं पुत्रमुपारुधत्।असमञ्ज इति ख्यातं तथायं गन्तुमर्हति।।।।
tavaiva vaṃśe sagaro jyeṣṭhaṃ putram upārudhat | asamañja iti khyātaṃ tathāyaṃ gantum arhati || 2.36.16 ||
In deinem eigenen Geschlecht hielt Sagara seinen erstgeborenen Sohn zurück, bekannt als Asamañja; ebenso verdient es dieser Rāma, auf gleiche Weise fortgesandt zu werden.
In your own dynasty king Sagara prevented his well-known eldest son Asamanjasa (from enjoying the kingdom). Rama also should depart in the same manner.
FAQs
It raises the question of precedent in rāja-dharma: past dynastic examples are invoked to justify political decisions—yet precedent can be misapplied when motives are not righteous.
Kaikeyī attempts to legitimize Rāma’s exile by citing an earlier Ikṣvāku case where an eldest son was excluded.
The verse foregrounds political reasoning (nyāya/precedent) rather than virtue; implicitly it tests Daśaratha’s discernment to separate dharmic precedent from self-serving rhetoric.