Shloka 2.11.26

कैकेयीवरप्रार्थना — Kaikeyi Demands the Two Boons

Devanagari script

नव प़ञ्च च वर्षाणि दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः।।।।चीराजिनजटाधारी रामो भवतु तापसः।

Transliteration

nava pañca ca varṣāṇi daṇḍakāraṇyam āśritaḥ | cīrājinajaṭādhārī rāmo bhavatu tāpasaḥ ||

Translation

For fourteen years, let Rāma take refuge in the Daṇḍaka forest; clad in bark-garments and deer-skin, wearing matted locks, let him live as an ascetic.

Context

Consigned to the Dandaka forest for fourteen years, clad in bark and deer skin and wearing matted hair, Rama shall live like an ascetic.

Characters & Entities

• Kaikeyī
• Daśaratha
• Rāma
• Daṇḍakāraṇya (Dandaka forest)
• ascetic attire (cīra, ajina, jaṭā)

FAQs

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

The verse sets the dharmic ordeal: truth to a promise compels a harsh outcome, while Rāma’s forthcoming acceptance will model obedience to dharma over personal entitlement.

What is the narrative situation?

Kaikeyī states the second boon explicitly: Rāma must be exiled to Daṇḍaka forest for fourteen years, living like a tapasvin.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Ascetic endurance and renunciatory discipline (tapas) are foregrounded as the imposed mode of life; the wider episode will highlight Rāma’s steadfastness and Daśaratha’s truth-bound constraint.