Shloka 2.11.15

कैकेयीवरप्रार्थना — Kaikeyi Demands the Two Boons

Devanagari script

चन्द्रादित्यौ नभश्चैव ग्रहा रात्र्यहनी दिशः।जगच्च पृथिवी चेयं सगन्धर्वा सराक्षसा।।2.11.14।।निशाचराणि भूतानि गृहेषु गृहदेवता।यानि चान्यानि भूतानि जानीयुर्भाषितं तव।।2.11.15।।

Transliteration

candrādityau nabhaś caiva grahā rātryahanī diśaḥ | jagac ca pṛthivī ceyaṃ sa-gandharvā sa-rākṣasāḥ || (2.11.14) niśācarāṇi bhūtāni gṛheṣu gṛhadevatāḥ | yāni cānyāni bhūtāni jānīyur bhāṣitaṃ tava || 2.11.15 ||

Translation

Let the Moon and Sun, the sky, the planets, night and day, the directions, the world and this earth—together with Gandharvas and Rākṣasas—and also night-roaming beings, household deities, and all other beings know your spoken pledge.

Context

Let the Moon and the Sun, the sky, the planets, night and day, the (ten) quarters the world, gandharvas, rakshasas, this earth, the nocturnal spirits all beings, family deities of every house and all other beings listen to your words of promise.

Characters & Entities

• Kaikeyī
• Daśaratha
• Candra (Moon)
• Āditya/Sūrya (Sun)
• grahāḥ (planets)
• diśaḥ (directions)
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Gandharvas
• Rākṣasas
• niśācarāḥ (night-rangers)
• gṛhadevatāḥ (household deities)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

As in the preceding transmission, the verse underscores the sanctity of a vow: dharma treats truth as something upheld before the entire moral universe.

What is the narrative situation?

This is a repeated/overlapping witness-invocation in the Southern Recension stream, reinforcing the binding nature of Daśaratha’s pledge.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Reliability in speech (satya-vākya): once witnesses are invoked, deviation becomes a grave ethical failure.