Shloka 2.12.54
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
स देव्या व्यवसायं च घोरं च शपथं कृतम्।ध्यात्वा रामेति निश्श्वस्य छिन्न स्तरुरिवापतत्।।।।
naṣṭacitto yathonmatto viparīto yathāturaḥ |
hṛtatejā yathā sarpo babhūva jagatīpatiḥ ||
The lord of the earth became like one whose mind is lost—like a madman, like a sick man acting against himself, like a serpent whose power has been drained away.
Reflecting on the determination of the queen and her dreadful vow, the king sighed and cried, 'O Rama' and then fell down like a tree severed.
Even a ruler is not beyond human fragility; dharma’s burden can overwhelm when circumstances force a clash between truth-keeping and justice, showing why vows must be made and invoked responsibly.
After collapsing, Daśaratha is described as mentally and physically undone by grief and shock.
The implied virtue is inner strength (dhairya); its loss here underscores the extremity of Daśaratha’s trial.