Shloka 2.12.36
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
अञ्जलिं करोमि कैकेयि पादौ चापि स्पृशामि ते।शरणं भव रामस्य माऽधर्मो मामिह स्पृशेत्।।।।
añjaliṃ karomi kaikeyi pādau cāpi spṛśāmi te |
śaraṇaṃ bhava rāmasya mā ’dharmaḥ mām iha spṛśet ||
O Kaikeyī, I fold my hands in supplication and I touch your feet as well. Be a refuge to Rāma—let not adharma touch me in this matter.
O Kaikeyi I bow to you with folded palms. I touch your feet, too. Be the saviour of Rama. Let no sin taint me here (in this life).
Avoiding adharma is paramount; Daśaratha frames Kaikeyī’s choice as decisive for whether righteousness is preserved or violated.
In extreme desperation, Daśaratha humbles himself before Kaikeyī, pleading that she protect Rāma from the consequences of her demand.
Daśaratha’s reverence for dharma and fear of adharma, expressed through physical humility and supplication.