Shloka 2.12.14
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
तदलं त्यज्यतामेष निश्चयः पापनिश्चये।।।।अपि ते चरणै मूर्ध्ना स्पृशाम्येष प्रसीद मे।
tiṣṭhel loko vinā sūryaṃ śasyaṃ vā salilaṃ vinā | na tu rāmaṃ vinā dehe tiṣṭhet tu mama jīvitam ||
“The world might endure without the sun, and crops might exist even without water; but without Rāma, life will not remain within my body.”
O lady of evil intentions, enough of this. Give up your resolve. Here I touch your feet with my head. Be pleased with me.
The verse underscores how dharmic bonds (father–son, king–heir) are treated as life-sustaining. It also foreshadows the ethical cost of separating the righteous heir from the king through adharma-driven manipulation.
Daśaratha intensifies his plea, expressing that Rāma’s absence would be fatal to him.
Daśaratha’s transparent love and emotional truthfulness, even when it exposes weakness.