Shloka 2.12.97

द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)

Devanagari script

कथं रथैर्विभुर्यात्वा गजाश्वैश्च मुहुर्मुहुः।।।।पद्भ्यां रामो महारण्ये वत्सो मे विचरिष्यति।

Transliteration

kathaṃ rathair vibhur yātvā gajāśvaiś ca muhur muhuḥ, padbhyāṃ rāmo mahāraṇye vatso me vicariṣyati.

Translation

How will my dear son Rāma—accustomed to riding again and again in royal state on chariots, elephants, and horses—wander in the great wilderness on foot?

Context

How will my son, Rama, who used to ride on chariots, elephants and horses roam the wilderness barefoot?

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Kaikeyī
• Rāma
• Chariot
• Elephants
• Horses
• Great forest (mahāraṇya)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is inseparable from compassion: a righteous order should not impose needless suffering on the innocent, especially the worthy.

What is the narrative situation?

Daśaratha imagines the physical hardship awaiting Rāma in exile and grieves over the reversal of his son’s royal life.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Daśaratha’s parental love and protective instinct, which also reflects the king’s duty to safeguard the deserving.