Shloka 2.12.53
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
प्रैक्षतानिमिषो देवीं प्रियामप्रियवादिनीम्।।2.12.52।।तां हि वज्रसमां वाचमाकर्ण्य हृदयाप्रियाम्।दुःखशोकमयीं घोरां राजा न सुखितोऽभवत्।।2.12.53।।
sa devyā vyavasāyaṃ ca ghoraṃ ca śapathaṃ kṛtam |
dhyātvā rāmēti niśśvasya chinnaḥ tarur ivāpatat ||
Brooding on the queen’s grim resolve and the dreadful oath she had made, he sighed out “Rama!”—and fell like a tree cut down.
The unhappy king intently fixed his gaze at his beloved queen speaking unpleasant words charged with grief and anguish, unpleasant to the heart like the dreadful thunderbolt.
The verse shows how unwavering resolve (vyavasāya) and oath-making must be governed by dharma; otherwise, their force becomes destructive, crushing the vulnerable and destabilizing righteous order.
Daśaratha realizes Kaikeyī will not relent; overwhelmed, he cries out Rama’s name and collapses.
Daśaratha’s deep paternal love and moral anguish; Rama’s name arises spontaneously as the center of his duty and affection.