Valmiki Ramayana 2.49.4-6: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 49, Shlokas 4-6
एकोनपञ्चाशः सर्गः (Sarga 49): Rāma’s Night Journey Beyond Kosala and the Charioteer Address
Places named: vana (forest)On the road during departure; lament spoken while traveling
राजानं धिग्दशरथं कामस्य वशमागतम् ॥४॥
हा नृशंसाद्य कैकेयी पापा पापानुबन्धिनी ।
तीक्ष्णा सम्भिन्नमर्यादा तीक्ष्णकर्मणि वर्तते ॥५॥
या पुत्रमीदृशं राज्ञः प्रवासयति धार्मिकम् ।
वनवासे महाप्राज्ञं सानुक्रोशं जितेन्द्रियम् ॥६॥
rājānaṃ dhig daśarathaṃ kāmasya vaśam āgatam ||4||
hā nṛśaṃsā ’dya kaikeyī pāpā pāpānubandhinī |
tīkṣṇā sambhinnamaryādā tīkṣṇakarmaṇi vartate ||5||
yā putram īdṛśaṃ rājñaḥ pravāsayati dhārmikam |
vanavāse mahāprājñaṃ sānukrośaṃ jitendriyam ||6||
«Schande über König Daśaratha, der unter die Herrschaft der Begierde geraten ist! Weh—heute hat die erbarmungslose Kaikeyī, sündig und dem Sündhaften verhaftet, alle Schranken des Anstands zerbrochen und ist zu einer grausamen Tat entschlossen: Sie schickt den Königssohn, so rechtschaffen, hochweise, voll Mitgefühl und selbstbezähmt, ins Exil, um im Wald zu wohnen.»
Sandhi Notes
- धिग्दशरथम् = धिक् + दशरथम्
- वशमागतम् = वशम् + आगतम्
- नृशंसाद्य = नृशंसा + अद्य
- पुत्रमीदृशम् = पुत्रम् + ईदृशम्
- सोऽभवत् प्रकारेण अत्र न
- जितेन्द्रियम् = जित + इन्द्रियम्।
(The villagers were speaking among themselves) Fie on the king who is overtaken by passion! Alas, the heartless, sinful Kaikeyi, indulging in evil has banished into the forest this prince who is righteous and sagacious, compassionate and self-restrained. How could this cruel Kaikeyi, by breaking all limits of decorum resort to such atrocious action?
The teaching
When rulers fall under kāma, maryādā collapses; yet the dhārmika endures hardship without losing compassion and self-mastery.
Duties in tension
- Daśaratha: keeping boons/oaths vs protecting righteous heir and kingdom welfare
- Kaikeyi: queenly duty to dharma/lineage vs personal desire for Bharata’s rule
- Rama: filial obedience vs injustice of exile
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma and kula-dharma under kāma-driven adharma
- How it resolves
- Dharma upheld through vow-keeping and Rama’s acceptance, though morally painful
For your practice
Contemplation on kāma as a fetter and on jitendriyatā as spiritual strength; vairāgya cultivated by reflecting on the instability of royal comfort.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Raudra (fury)
- Mood
- Indignant, heartbroken, incendiary
Themes
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Rājadharma
- Ethics
- Public opinion
- Exile (vanavāsa)
Enslavement to kāma as tamas/rajas overpowering buddhi; the dhārmika’s exile as the sādhaka’s withdrawal into ‘forest’ (inner renunciation) despite worldly injustice.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka/Kaṭha themes: kāma as cause of bondage; mastery of senses (jitendriya) as mark of the wise.
- Rama and Dasharatha
- Son-father; heir vs king (pained-reproachful (from Rama’s perspective))
- Dasharatha and Kaikeyi
- Husband-wife; king-queen (accusatory/condemning (Kaikeyi blamed for coercion))
- Kaikeyi and Rama
- Queen/stepmother vs prince (exile decree) (adversarial)
- Rama and Dharma
- Embodiment/agent of dharma (dhārmikaḥ) (reverent (toward Rama’s virtues))
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18-2.20 (Daśaratha bound by boons; kāma/attachment implied); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.33-2.37 (Rama accepts exile; virtues praised)
Mahābhārata: kāma-krodha as enemies of dharma (didactic passages, e.g., Śānti/Anuśāsana themes); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa: lament over Kaikeyi and Daśaratha’s helplessness
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Kaikeyi’s ‘boon’ demand and Rama’s forest exile; Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated epithet jitendriya for Rama
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving-accusatory
Tīvra/uccha svara on dhig and hā; heavier kampita on nṛśaṃsā, pāpā
FAQs
The verse highlights rājadharma and maryādā: a king should not be ruled by personal desire, and decisions affecting the righteous must not violate moral boundaries or social propriety.
As Rāma proceeds toward exile, people in villages and hamlets speak in grief and anger, condemning Daśaratha’s weakness and Kaikeyī’s cruelty in sending Rāma to the forest.
Rāma’s dharma and self-mastery are emphasized: he is described as righteous, wise, compassionate, and restrained in his senses (jitendriya).
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