Shloka 2.12.31
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
तस्मिन्नार्जवसम्पन्ने देवि देवोपमे कथम्।पापमाशंससे रामे महर्षिसमतेजसि।।।।
tasminn ārjavasampanne devi devopame katham |
pāpam āśaṃsase rāme maharṣisamatejasi ||
How, O Queen, can you wish harm upon Rāma—upright in conduct, godlike in presence, and radiant like a great sage?
How do you, O Devi, wish to harm Rama who is endowed with uprightness, who resembles the gods and in lustre to great ascetics?
To harm the righteous is itself adharma; the verse frames moral outrage at wishing “pāpa” toward one who embodies uprightness.
Daśaratha challenges Kaikeyī’s intention, contrasting her harsh demand with Rāma’s saintly and divine-like qualities.
Rāma’s ārjava (straightforward integrity) and tapas-like radiance, aligning him with sages and gods.