Shloka 2.12.9
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
त्वं मयाऽऽत्मविनाशार्थं भवनं स्वं प्रवेशिता।।।।अविज्ञानान्नृपसुता व्याली तीक्ष्णविषा यथा।
tvaṃ mayātmavināśārthaṃ bhavanaṃ svaṃ praveśitā | avijñānān nṛpasutā vyālī tīkṣṇaviṣā yathā ||
In my ignorance I brought you—a king’s daughter—into my own house for my self-destruction, like a she-serpent with deadly, piercing venom.
In my ignorance I brought home for my selfdestruction a king's daughter who was like a venomous female serpent.
The verse frames adharma as destructive when driven by ignorance and unchecked desire; it warns that wrong judgment in intimate bonds can ruin a righteous household.
In anger and despair, Daśaratha condemns Kaikeyī, saying he unknowingly brought ruin into his home by marrying her.
Negative exemplum: Kaikeyī is portrayed as embodying harmful intent; Daśaratha’s tragic recognition underscores the need for discernment (viveka).