Shloka 3.2.20
Virādha-saṃvādaḥ — Encounter with Virādha in the Daṇḍakāraṇya (Aranya Kanda, Sarga 2)
या न तुष्यति राज्येन पुत्रार्थे दीर्घदर्शिनी।।3.2.19।।ययाहं सर्वभूतानां प्रियः प्रस्थापितो वनम्।अद्येदानीं सकामा सा या माता मध्यमा मम।।3.2.20।।
yayāhaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ priyaḥ prasthāpito vanam |
adye dānīṃ sakāmā sā yā mātā madhyamā mama ||3.2.20||
By her I—beloved of all beings—was sent to the forest; today, now, that middle mother of mine has her desire fulfilled.
Kaikeyi, my middle mother is farsighted indeed Not content with the kingdom alone see sent me, beloved of all beings, away to the forest. Let her cherished desire be fulfilled.
Dharma involves truthful speech about injustice while sustaining inner restraint; Rama recognizes wrongdoing without collapsing into adharma.
In the moment of crisis, Rama compresses his earlier exile into a moral diagnosis: Kaikeyī’s wish has borne its bitter fruit.
Moral clarity under pressure: Rama keeps a principled perspective even as personal loss intensifies.