Shloka 2.12.99
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse (Ayodhya Kanda 12)
यस्य त्वाहारसमये सूदाः कुण्डलधारिणः।।2.12.98।।अहंपूर्वाः पचन्ति स्म प्रशस्तं पानभोजनम्।स कथन्नु कषायाणि तिक्तानि कटुकानि च।।2.12.99।।भक्षयन्वन्यमाहारं सुतो मे वर्तयिष्यति।
atadarhaṃ mahārājaṃ śayānam atathocitam, yayātim iva puṇyānte devalokāt paricyutam. anartharūpā siddhārthā hy abhītā bhayadarśinī, punar ākārayāmāsa tam eva varam aṅganā.
The great king lay prostrate, unworthy of such treatment and unused to it—like Yayāti fallen from heaven when his merit was spent. That woman, misfortune embodied, her aim achieved, fearless yet feigning fear, pressed him again about those very boons.
How will my son for whom the cooks with kundalas in their ears used to proudly prepare enough food and beverages subsist on astringent, pungent, bitter wild fruits and roots?
Dharma condemns coercion and manipulation: exploiting another’s vulnerability to enforce a promise violates righteous conduct even if it appears ‘lawful’ by words.
After Daśaratha collapses in misery, Kaikeyī reiterates her demands, and the narration likens the king’s fall to Yayāti’s fall from heaven.
By contrast, Daśaratha’s dignity and worthiness are emphasized (he is ‘not fit’ for humiliation), highlighting the ethical ugliness of Kaikeyī’s pressure.