Shloka 2.12.77
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
अनृतैर्बहु मां सान्त्वै स्सान्त्वयन्ती स्म भाषसे।गीतशब्देन संरुध्य लुब्धो मृगमिवावधीः।।।।
anṛtair bahu māṁ sāntvaiḥ sāntvayantī sma bhāṣase | gītaśabdena saṁrudhya lubdho mṛgam ivāvadhīḥ ||
With many soothing yet false words you used to appease me; and then—like a hunter who ensnares a deer by luring it with song—you have struck me down.
You used to console me with so many words pleasing but untrue and you killed me like a hunter getting the deer trapped and slaughtered through the melody of music.
It condemns anṛta (falsehood) disguised as kindness: speech that appears gentle but is untrue violates satya and harms dharmic trust.
Daśaratha accuses Kaikeyī of having long manipulated him with pleasing words, culminating in demands that devastate him.
Satya in vāṇī (truthful speech) is emphasized by contrast; the verse shows how unethical persuasion can destroy relationships.