Shloka 2.14.9

सत्यपाशः — Kaikeyi’s Demand and the Noose of the King’s Promise

Devanagari script

धर्मस्यैहाभिकामार्थं मम चैवाभिचोदनात्।प्रव्राजय सुतं रामं त्रिःखलु त्वां ब्रवीम्यहम्।।।।

Transliteration

dharmasyaihābhikāmārthaṃ mama caivābhicodanāt | pravrājaya sutaṃ rāmaṃ triḥ khalu tvāṃ bravīmy aham ||

Translation

For the sake of dharma in this matter, and at my urging, send your son Rama into exile. Truly, I say this to you three times.

Context

You must uphold righteousness. I also urge you to do that. Send your son Rama to the forest. I am repeating this statememt thrice.

Characters & Entities

• Kaikeyī
• Daśaratha
• Rāma
• Dharma

FAQs

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

Kaikeyī claims dharma as justification for enforcing the king’s promise; the verse highlights a central Ramayana tension—between formal truth-to-a-boon and the broader moral good that dharma should serve.

What is the narrative situation?

Kaikeyī explicitly states her demand: Rama must be exiled, and she emphasizes it by repeating it three times to compel compliance.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Daśaratha’s expected adherence to satya (keeping his pledged word), even as the demand itself foreshadows ethical and emotional catastrophe.