Shloka 19
कौशल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and the Vision of Rama’s Return
न हि तावद्गुणैर्जुष्टं सर्वशास्त्रविशारदम्।एकपुत्रा विना पुत्रमहं जीवितुमुत्सहे।।।।
na hi tāvad guṇair juṣṭaṃ sarvaśāstraviśāradaṃ |
ekaputrā vinā putram ahaṃ jīvitum utsahe ||
Ich – die ich nur diesen einen Sohn habe – kann es nicht ertragen, ohne ihn zu leben: einen Sohn, der mit solchen Tugenden ausgestattet und in allen Shastras bewandert ist.
It would have been better had I offered her my son as a slave. He would have lived on in the house by doing his duties and begging his food in the city.
FAQs
Dharma esteems inner virtue and disciplined learning; the pain arises because a truly dharmic person (Rama) is made to suffer unjustly, showing how adharma wounds both society and family.
Kausalya tells Dasharatha she cannot survive Rama’s absence, stressing his exceptional virtues and learning.
Rama’s guṇa (character excellence) and śāstra-jñāna (trained wisdom), qualities expected of an ideal ruler.